WASHINGTON – Thursday was the first day of the newly elected Congress. Many new faces were in attendance - not just new representatives, but their kids, too!
Social media is calling them Congress babies, and they are falling in love with them all. Tweets were posted about how cute they were. Some people noticed changing trends in gender roles after seeing several men holding their infants while casting their votes for Speaker of the House.
Recommended Videos
so many congress babies pic.twitter.com/DFCDe2Uutm
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) January 3, 2019
The newly elected House speaker Democrat Nancy Pelosi, shared her platform with her grandchildren. Pelosi may have gotten all the votes, but Bella, her 9-year-old granddaughter, got all the attention. When Pelosi cast her vote for herself as Speaker of the House, Bella jumped up and down wildly with excitement.
When Pelosi took her oath of office and was presented with the gavel she was backed by dozens of children belonging to the families of our nation's representatives. She addressed the floor by saying, "I now call the House to order on behalf of all of America's children."
"And to top it all off, there were lots and lots of babies." v @voxdotcom @kainazamaria https://t.co/Plc94TfcE9
— Elise Hu (@elisewho) January 4, 2019
Seeing a man holding a baby in Congress shouldn’t be such an unusual sight but it is. This kind of thing is a thrill. Times are changing pic.twitter.com/MJJ9KFWDNf
— Draculan 🧛♂️ Cashin (@Tweet_Dec) January 3, 2019
no, ur crying over all the cute Congress babies!!!! https://t.co/4J4KFbYdzs
— Catherine Thompson (@KT_thomps) January 3, 2019
It's easy to understand why so many of our representatives would want to share this historic moment with their children. It was the perfect opportunity to make them a part of history.
This congressional convention has the most diverse group of members in history. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, is the first Somali-American member of Congress. Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) will be the first Native American women in Congress. Massachusetts and Connecticut each sent African-American women to Congress for the first time: Ayanna Pressley and Jahana Hayes, respectively.
During her speech Pelosi said how much of an honor it was for her to lead "this Congress" because it marks the 100th year since women gained the right to vote. This new Congress consists of 102 women who will represent the House and 23 in the Senate, making this the most female Congress in history.