Minutes before taking the oath of office to represent Vermont in Congress for a seventh two-year term, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) recorded a video message to Vermonters to express his gratitude and outline his priorities for the new Congress, including fixing a broken institution--beginning with reopening the federal government--and an agenda focused on rebuilding middle class.
"This past election, the American people made a decision to change the majority in the House from Republican to Democratic. I see this as an opportunity for us, by the way we govern, to earn the trust of the people who made that call."