The 115th Congress began with a lot of pomp and circumstance. Here’s what an Alaskan might want to know about the day.
The oaths: Congressman Don Young was sworn in for his 23rd term. He now ascends to second in House seniority. (As he was before, he’s also the chamber’s most senior Republican.)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski was also sworn in for a new term. Since Joe Biden is still vice president for a few more days, the honor to swear her in was his. And he took it twice. First, the real swearing-in, for which Sen. Dan Sullivan marched Murkowski down the aisle of the Senate chamber. Then Biden and a stream of senators went to the smaller, more ornate Old Senate Chamber, to re-enact the oath-taking for the cameras. When it was Murkowski’s turn, her husband held the Bible. Then their sons came forward to pose for a family photo with the soon-to-be-ex vice president.
The non-vote on ethics: House Republicans launched a plan to lessen the independence of their Office of Congressional Ethics. But the reaction from the public, and the president-elect, was negative and they quickly scuttled the idea.
This is the ethics office that looked into Rep. Young’s legal defense funding in 2011. Young’s spokesman, Matt Shuckerow, said the congressman did not participate in the closed-door session where his colleagues decided to change – opponents say “gut” – the office. Shuckerow said Young didn’t return to Washington in time for Monday’s Republicans-only meeting. Since the House now isn’t voting on it, Young doesn’t have to take a stand, and as of this evening, he hasn’t issued any statements on the matter.
The rollback effort begins: The House, as early as this week, is expected to pass two bills aimed at making it easier to undo President Obama’s administrative rules. Many Alaskans hope Congress will erase some of Obama’s environmental regulations, and a new bill could allow lawmakers to dump bills en masse. Also, as they promised, Republicans are working to undo Obama’s health care policy. The first step will likely be in a budget bill. The Republicans are not yet united behind an alternative, and Obama will be meeting with Democrats Wednesday to bolster their efforts to sustain the program.
Moving on down: Murkowski has selected a new office. She’s taking the one newly-retired senator Harry Reid is vacating, Suite 522 in the Hart Senate Office Building. It’s also the former office of the late Ted Stevens. She’ll be descending from the seventh floor to the fifth, but the move is a boost in symbolic value. The new digs are spacious and airy, so it’s prime real estate, too.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
