113th Congress to be sworn in today in Washington D.C. - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

113th Congress to be sworn in today in Washington D.C.

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By Katie Priebe - bio | email

WASHINGTON (WKOW) -- On Thursday, members of the 113th Congress will be sworn in, in Washington D.C.

Vice President Joe Biden will swear in all of the new members of the Senate. The House and the Senate will meet at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Here are a few facts about the new session of Congress:

There will be 20 female senators, the most ever in U.S. history.

The new Congress will have the fewest number of military veterans since World War II and Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin will become the first openly gay senator. Massachusetts will again have a Kennedy in Congress, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy will be sworn in.

On the House side, the first order of business is election of the speaker and other leaders. Once they're elected, the speaker will swear in all of the members of the House. John Boehner currently holds that seat and is expected to be re-elected.

The new Congress will face the disputes that affected the 112th Congress, one of the least productive in more than 60 years.

Wake Up Wisconsin will have a live phone interview with Wisconsin Congressman-Elect Mark Pocan. He's in Washington D.C. preparing to be sworn in on Thursday.

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