111th Congress sworn in; Langevin assignments change
3:11 PM Tue, Jan 06, 2009 | Permalink
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By John E. Mulligan WASHINGTON -- With the traditional pomp and circumstance, the hails and farewells, Rhode Island's newly re-elected Sen. Jack Reed and Representatives Patrick J. Kennedy and James R. Langevin were sworn in this afternoon as members of the 111th Congress -- the first since 1995 that will serve under a Democratic President with Democratic majorities on both sides of the Capitol. Langevin, so far, is the only member of the Rhode Island delegation to make a major change in his committee assignments. Shortly after the members of the House were sworn in, Langevin announced that he will resume his position on the House Armed Services Committee, making a substantial leap in seniority after taking a leave from the panel at the request of Democratic leaders in 2007. Under his new assignments, Langevin will also take a leave from the Homeland Security Commitee and his chairmanship of a subcommittee in charge of threats from biochemical weaponry and other sources. Meanwhile in the Senate, Reed was sworn in to serve his third six-year term. In keeping with tradition, senators new and old walked down the center aisle in small groups to be sworn in by the presiding officer, Vice President Dick Cheney. Reed took the oath with another Democratic veteran, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, and two Republicans, the newly re-elected Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas and newly elected James E. Risch of Idaho. Reed was accompanied by fellow Rhode Islander Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who missed much of last year's session after being diagnosed and treated for cancer, made a robust appearance escorting his re-elected Massachusetts colleague Sen. John F. Kerry, who later pronounced the moment "wonderful." The only newcomer from New England, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, took the oath alongside her state's senior senator, Republican Judd Gregg. The region's other returning senator, Republican Susan M. Collins of Maine, was around the 34th senator being sworn in. As always, the ceremonies were marked by bipartisan fellowship and, Collins said, some hope that the spirit of cooperation will continue after former Sen. Barack Obama is sworn in as president two weeks from today. Collins said it bodes well that Obama's vice president-elect, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, will lead a bipartisan delegation of senators on a fact-finding tour of southwest Asian nations later this week. "I'm very pleased with the vice president-elect's outreach to some Republicans," said Collins, who will travel with the delegation that includes Biden, Reed, incoming Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Kerry and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina. "The new administration is going to have some very important defense and war policy decisions to make -- and to make relatively soon," Collins said. "The fact that the new administration is reaching out in a bipartisan way is to me very welcome." 
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