Congress

Congress Kicks Off New Session; House Elects Pelosi Speaker

The members of the 116th Congress bring a lot of diversity to Capitol Hill.

Congress Kicks Off New Session; House Elects Pelosi Speaker
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The 116th Congress is officially in session amid the ongoing partial government shutdown. 

New and returning lawmakers were sworn in to the House of Representatives and Senate Thursday. And with that, Democrats officially took control of the House and elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker.

Leadership in the Senate remains mostly the same, with Sen. Mitch McConnell staying on as majority leader and Sen. Chuck Schumer as minority leader. Sen. Chuck Grassley will be the new president pro tempore, replacing Orin Hatch. 

This Congress includes a lot of firsts and records, including the first Native American women and Muslim women members, record-high African-American and Latino membership and the highest number of women ever.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN