The 116th United States Congress was sworn in on January 3, 2019. For the first time ever, the US Congress has a group of diverse lawmakers who are expected to drastically reshape the government body and transform its policies as well as its functions on a daily basis.
This new class of lawmakers boasts a record number of women, people of colour and other diversities. It can be said that the House of Representatives will finally speak "for the people, by the people and of the people" of the United States of America, as the adage was coined by 16th US President Abraham Lincoln.
As many as 117 female lawmakers took oath on January 3. This group included for the first time ever- two Muslims, two Latinos, two Native Americans and three African-Americans.
The Congressional Black Caucus has 55 African-American members in both houses of the Congress. This is a record for the African-American community in the USA, heralding a change in a Congress that was dominated by Caucasians earlier.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi made history by becoming a female speaker for the second time. Seemingly trying to explain the diverse Congress, she said that the "voters demanded a new dawn in the November election and are looking to the beauty of our constitution to provide checks and balances on power". She promised to "restore integrity to government and outline an agenda to lower health costs and prescription drug prices and protect people with pre-existing medical conditions; to increase paychecks by rebuilding America with green and modern infrastructure from sea to shining sea." She pledged to make the Congress work for all Americans at a time when her Party is getting ready to challenge the President with investigations and subpoena powers and thus threaten the White House agenda.
Even while the Congress was being sworn in, the USA was facing a government shutdown. The shutdown, which became the longest in US history as of January 15, is currently the Congress' biggest challenge. The Congress could not provide $ 5.70 billion to President Trump, which he had wanted in order to construct a massive wall along the US-Mexico border. This is very important for him as he had committed to his supporters during his 2016 presidential campaign that such a wall can stop the arrival of illegal immigrants from Mexico and other countries along with drugs in to the USA. He had pumped up his demand in November last year when he said that illegal immigration "affects the lives of all Americans. Illegal immigration hurts American workers; burdens American taxpayers; and undermines public safety; and places enormous strain on local schools, hospitals, and communities in general, taking precious resources away from the poorest Americans who need them most. Illegal immigration costs our country billions and billions of dollars each year."
Regarding the shutdown, the 116th Congress, which is dominated by the Democratic Party, has already promised a quick passage of legislation to reopen the government. The Congress has still backed out from handing over $ 5.70 billion for construction of the wall.
Some of the members of the Congress have lashed out at the president already. Newly-elected New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called the President a racist while Muslim Representative Rashida Tlab is advocating for his impeachment. It is evident that Trump is likely to face a herculean task to get bills passed now.
The majority of the Democrats are already changing the way Congress works as there is work underway to establish new committees that will examine climate change and improve functioning of the Houses of Representatives along with creation of an office dedicated to increase racial diversity among congressional staff.
Some visible changes are also coming to the Capitol. The long time ban on hats and other head-coverings in the chamber of the House of Representatives will be lifted to accommodate newly-elected Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, who wears a hijab. As most of the new House members are mothers with small children, the Capitol is adding baby-changing tables in the bathrooms. There could also be changes in the working hours of the Congress.
It will be interesting to see how these new members perform. If they can make their efforts count against a backdrop of hatred, bigotry and misinformation that has helped the Trump administration, there could surely be some real and positive changes ahead for the USA.
Mohammad Amjad Hossain is a retired diplomat from Bangladesh.