Congress Gets Back to Work

Senate and House confront economic crisis as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill

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On Tuesday, January 6, the newest members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and older members who had been re-elected were sworn into office.

Family and friends joined Representatives as Nancy Pelosi, who was re-elected Speaker of the House, swore them in. In the Senate, Vice President Dick Cheney, who also serves as the President of the Senate, swore in senators for the last time before leaving office.

The swearing-in ceremony was the first official business of the 111th Congress.

As soon as the swearing-in was complete, Congress wasted no time in getting down to business. There are serious issues in front of both the Senate and House.

The economy is the biggest item on Congress's agenda. President-elect Barack Obama has proposed a massive economic stimulus plan aimed at dealing with the nation's economic problems. Obama's $775 billion plan includes $300 billion in tax cuts and money for spending on roads, bridges, and other pieces of the nation's infrastructure.

Obama's economic advisers believe that the tax cuts will give money back to families and allow small business owners to increase their spending. The money spent on infrastructure will also put people back to work. It is Obama's hope that this economic stimulus will increase spending and save 3 million jobs.

In order for the stimulus plan to become law, the Obama administration must work with Congress.

Obama, a Democrat, will work with a Congress in which Democrats hold a solid majority in both the Senate and House. They control 55 of 100 Senate seats and 256 of 435 House seats.

But he'll need Republican support too. Some Republican lawmakers say they have appreciated Obama's willingness to listen to their concerns in crafting his economic stimulus plan.

Solving the nation's economic problems will only happen when both parties in Congress work together.

"This is not a Republican problem or a Democratic problem at this stage," Obama said. "It is an American problem, and we're going to all have to chip in and do what the American people expect."

While Congress tries fixing the economy, it's also tackling other problems. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care, and education are other important issues facing the 111th Congress.

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