Rep. Katie Hill, D-Agua Dulce, joined the 116th United States Congress after taking the oath of office alongside 433 other congressional representatives Thursday.
The day began with the House organizing on the floor for the first time this session, and voting on who would become the speaker of the House. Hill submitted one of the 220 votes filed in favor of Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, who took back the gavel from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield.
Then, while friends and family looked on from the House’s viewing gallery, Hill became one of the 235 Democratic and 199 Republican members of the newly elected House of Representatives to take the oath of office. The final vacant seat belongs to North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District race, which had not yet been decided as of Thursday.
“The buildup of the last few days has been really exciting for my friends, family and everyone who worked so hard to bring representation to this community,” Hill said Thursday night. “But, to be honest, I’m personally most excited for the opportunity to get to work and hit the ground running.”
The House subcommittee assignments have not yet been assigned, but Hill has said she requested a spot on the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Science, Space and Technology and the House Oversight Committee.
“I expect those decisions to happen in the next week or two,” said Emily Burns, Hill’s chief of staff.
