The 113th U.S. Congress was sworn in Washington, DC on January 3, 2013. In the Senate, Vice President Joe Biden swore in 12 new members, as well as the reelected senators. In the House, Speaker John Boehner, after winning reelection to the post, swore in the new class of 82 freshmen and the returning legislators. As with the previous Congress, the 113th one is also ideologically divided with Democrats holding a 55-45 edge in the Senate, and the Republicans maintaining their majority in the House, 233-200.
The Turkic American community showed a committed support for this special day for Congress. TAA federation representatives participated in the ceremonies and celebrated the newly elected Congress members. A total of 25 Turkic American Alliance members came to Washington, DC to attend the swearing-in ceremonies of their Representatives and Senators. They came from a large number of states including: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah.
The Turkic Americans visited their member’s offices on the Hill and conveyed their best wishes for the legislators’ new term. Among the visitors were Turkish American Association members from Ohio. Representative Joyce Beatty commented that she was very pleased with the visit of her Turkish American friends saying, ‘I would like to thank my Turkish friends. We are so proud of the work they have done.’
The President of the Turkish American Society of Ohio (TASO), Serkan Aykan, who also visited Congress, commented ‘we all came here to share the excitement of the Representatives.’ He also said that his organization has worked very hard to improve the relations between Congress and the Turkish American community over the last ten years. He was, therefore, very glad that this enthusiastic and extensive work has been recognized by the elected officials.
