The Foreign Service Journal, March 2015

54 MARCH 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS When the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Represen- tatives convened on Jan. 6 for the first day of the 114th Congress, AFSA was there. Despite the snow that fell persistently all morning— causing area schools to close, the Metro to slow and roads to clog—AFSA President Robert J. Silverman, AFSA State Vice President Matthew Asada and AFSA professional staff headed to Capitol Hill to personally welcome many of the newly elected members of Congress in the festive atmo- sphere that is Congressional Swearing-In Day. The AFSA delegation visited 31 Senate and House offices throughout the day, AFSA State Vice President Matthew Asada (left) and Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the only newly elected Democratic senator in the 114th Congress. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and AFSA President Silverman. The former Virginia delegate represents a district with one of the largest concentrations of Foreign Service members in the United States. State VP Asada (left) greets Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness and Innovation, with oversight jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Commerce. in the House) and two are Native Americans. One mem- ber, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), is a former ambassador and an AFSA member. The 114th Congress also has the largest number of female lawmakers ever: 104. Congress no longer has any World War II veterans in its ranks, although 25 law- makers served in the military during the Iraq and Afghani- stan conflicts. n setting the stage for what we expect to be a very suc- cessful year. About the 114th Congress Both chambers of Congress are now controlled by the Republican Party, which has its largest House major- ity (246) since 1929 and a comfortable Senate majority (54-46). The 114th Congress has 74 new members (13 in the Senate, 61 in the House). Of these new members, 46 are African-American (three Republicans and 43 demo- crats); 33 are Hispanic (three in the Senate, 30 in the House); 12 are Asian-Amer- icans (one in the Senate, 11 From left: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, AFSA President Robert Silverman and House Committee on Foreign Affairs member Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas). AFSA/JANICEWEINER AFSA/DAVIDMURIMI AFSA/JAVIERCUEBAS AFSA/DAVIDMURIMI AFSA ON THE HILL AFSA Greets the New Congress