KVUE: Texans weigh in on changes on Capitol Hill
As lawmakers return to Washington for the official start of the 116th Congress, they're making history.
Forty-three of the incoming members are women, bringing the total number of women to 102 in the House and 25 in the senate -- the biggest female representation to date.
The freshman class also includes the first Muslim women, the first Native American women and the youngest woman to serve on Capitol Hill, at just 29-years-old.
Texas voters also sent the first Latina women to represent them in the U.S. House.
"It's historic. This is not a congress that we've seen before," Sherri Greenberg, a professor at the LBJ school of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, said.
Greenberg said this has been a discussion in Texas for years.
"Demographics don't vote, people vote or don't vote. I do think that we are seeing a change in this last cycle," Greenberg said.
She thinks the demographics of Congress and the House majority now going to the Democrats will impact issues like healthcare and immigration.
"With the Democrats having control of the House, there's a lot that's going to be stopped," Greenberg said. "There are bills and pieces of legislation that simply will not come out of the house."
Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett said he thinks it will balance the scales of power.
"The founders of this country envisioned that we would have three branches of government with checks and balances," Rep. Doggett said.
He also thinks the new diverse faces are a plus.
"It's a great message to our country that our Congress begins to look a little bit more like our country," Rep. Doggett said.
Republican Congressman Roger Williams sent KVUE a statement:
"As we begin the 116th Congress, I am honored again to represent the people of Texas' 25th District. With all the changes going on in Washington, the one thing Texans can count on is my unwavering dedication to liberty, prosperity and a secure America. I am proud of what we have accomplished so far, and I look forward to continuing to work on issues that matter to you."