On Nov. 6, 2018, the American people made their voices heard at the election booths. In result, on Jan. 3, 2019, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives along with the Republican-controlled Senate were sworn in. Soon after, Nancy Pelosi, a representative from California, and Mitch McConnell, a senator from Kentucky, were elected to be the leaders of their respective sides of Congress. With all this going on, the main thing that caught many people’s attention was just how diverse the incoming House of Representatives is, and the determination of their agendas. It’s unlike anything America’s ever seen before.

In this new House, there are many groundbreakers, such as the first Muslim women, first Native American women, and the youngest female ever elected to Congress at the age of 29. These many trailblazers are mostly the effect of political events that have occurred in the last couple years. For one of the new representatives, Ilhan Omar, it was mostly the chance to “lift the Muslim ban separating families all over the U.S. from their loved ones.” Others were simply inspired to make their voices heard, while showing that you could do whatever you set your mind too, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She stated in a campaign ad in 2018, “Women like me aren’t supposed to run for office. I wasn’t born to a wealthy or powerful family.” However, that didn’t stop her as she went on to conquer the vote, becoming the youngest women ever elected to Congress.

Now, with the power to help the country, these new Representatives won’t let anything stop them. On their first day, the House passed HR1, which has a hefty 571 pages. This bill’s main goal is to completely reform four topics: voting, political money, redistricting, and ethics. While this is a very far reach for Democrats, many are hopeful for it’s potential. If this bill, or at least some of it, is passed, it could really reshape how American politics function. However, there are a couple roadblocks in their way.

For all of the new-coming Senators, or the ‘Freshmen Class,’ they entered the job right in the middle of a government shutdown. Because of this, the Senators are having a lot more pressure put on them than what they would usually experience. For anyone, this would make it a little difficult to get things done. The entire House of Representatives has the spotlight on them. They’re all expected to produce a solution to the shutdown, while also producing new, constructive bills for the country. Hopefully, within the next few weeks, the new Congress will come to a conclusion with the president and his administration, giving them calmer ground to accomplish their goals.