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Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi stands with the Democratic women of the House to highlight the historic diversity of the House Democratic Caucus, on January 3, 2013 in Washington, DC.
With the outgoing Congress facing rock-bottom approval ratings and having passed the lowest number of bills (about 220) since the 1940s, the new crop is already slated to face bruising battles over the federal deficit and spending.
And while a great many of those serving the previous two years are returning, the 113th Congress' class of more than 90 new lawmakers features plenty of historical firsts, including enough new women, LGBT members, Asian Americans and Latinos to set records.
There are 82 new members of the House -- 35 Republicans and 47 Democrats -- and 13 new senators, including appointee Tim Scott, R-S.C., who will be the upper chamber's only African-American.
While losing some of its most senior and well-known members, including conservative leader Sen. Jim DeMint and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Senate today welcomes new faces who bring historic firsts with their swearings-in.
Scott, an appointee who replaces DeMint, will be the first black senator from the South since Blanche Bruce of Mississippi in 1881 and the first Republican African-American senator since the 1970s.
Republican Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American who beat Texas's lieutenant governor in an upset primary, is the first Latino to represent the diverse state of Texas in the Senate.
Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren, who became a folk hero among financial system reformers after the financial crisis, will sit on the Senate's banking committee. She's one of a record 20 women in the new Senate.
Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who defeated Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, will be the first openly gay senator.
Six of the new senators came from service in the U.S. House, including former Rep. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, the first Asian-American woman to serve in the upper chamber. (She's also the first Buddhist.)
Arizona's Jeff Flake will join six other Mormon colleagues in the upper chamber.
All told, the partisan breakdown will narrow slightly in Democrats' favor.
In the House, there will be a total of 233 Republicans, 200 Democrats, and two vacancies (likely to be filled by one Republican and one Democrat, respectively.)
In the Senate, Democrats will continue to control the Senate – but with a slightly larger 55-45 majority than the 112th, with two independents caucusing with the Democrats.
And as for their approval ratings? With only about one in 10 Americans giving Congress a thumbs up, there's little room left to go down.
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Term limits
The new faces will receive visits from the "old guard" and told how the game is played... If they don't play, they will be back home in 2 years... they WILL play the game....
Result...?? Another bunch of lying, cheating politicians...
Sadly, how true, Don.
First the country and last the beauty products, First the country and last their conflict of interest, First the country and last their stupid ideology. If you have enough money you spend, if you don not have enough money you shrink your budget...It is the Right Thing to do....
The incredible depth of the stupidity and greed required to be a Progressive is on parade here as the morons we call Progressives assume that the low ratings for Congress mean people hate the House of Representatives. Hate to burst your bubble, lazy good for nothing leeches who add nothing to society, but the other half of Congress is the elitist and despicable Senate controlled by Democrats and lorded over by the plagiarizer (cheater) known as Joe Biden.
If the office of President has a two-term limit, so should Congress. Until FDR, most Presidents couldn't afford to serve for more than two terms. More than a few died in debt as the presidential salary didn't cover the cost of being President. Same with most of Congress. Holding political office and moving up that ladder to Congress and/or President was service, not a career for many. Now Congress consists of mostly lawyers and rich business people that are millionaires.
In my state, when one candidate said that if elected, he would serve one term, do the best job possible and then not run again, his party dropped support and found another candidate that was willing to do multiple terms and probably had Congressional asperations. Won't tell you which party withdrew support as both view the higher political offices as careers, not serving us, but enriching themselves and those pouring the most money into their campaign "war chests"
"...passed the lowest number of bills (about 220) since the 1940s". Thank Heavens!! And since when is the number of bills passed the measure of a successful or efficient congress?
Yeah thats what I say especially since you have almost twice as many fillibusters and not 1 jobs bill in 2 plus years.
The house of ill repute is back!
Hawaii Buddhists are a little weird.
I hate Brein Williams, NBC, MSNBC. Go to hell.