And They’re Off! 115th Congress Begins with Ceremonial Traditions

 
Jan 04, 2017
Bear true faith and allegiance
Speaker Paul-Ryan
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday marked the start of the 115th United States Congress as Members of the House and Senate were sworn-in on the floor of their respective chambers by Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden.

Shortly before the swearing-in ceremony, House Members formally voted to re-elect Paul Ryan (R-WI) as Speaker of the House and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as Minority Leader.

The 115th Congress includes 51 new Members of the House and seven new Senators following the general election last fall.   Additionally, several new Members will be elected through special elections and appointments following the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet and mid-level agency heads in the coming weeks that could leave several vacancies in Congress.  For example, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has been nominated as the U.S. Attorney General, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) as head the Department of Health and Human Services, and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) as CIA Director.

Yesterday the Senate also announced that Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) have been added to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.  The House plans to announce their updated Committee rosters in the next week.

USA Rice attended a number of receptions for Members of Congress representing rice-growing states to show support and begin visiting about priorities for 2017.

“We’re looking forward to calling on new Members and catching up with our friends who held their seats,” said USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Mosely.  “This is a great time to re-evaluate industry priorities and look at advancing some issue areas that may have fresh momentum given the new political landscape.”

“As the Trump transition process unfolds, USA Rice is remaining engaged in providing input and ensuring that the U.S. rice industry’s priorities are at the forefront,” added Mosely.

Congress will need as much time as possible in Washington to accomplish their hefty agenda for the year; the House calendar has added more than three additional weeks in session compared to 2016.


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