Johnson re-elected US House Speaker, 6 Indian-American members sworn in

Prez medal for Hillary, Soros & Messi

US President Joe Biden has named former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, football superstar Lionel Messi, former Defence Secretary late Ashton Carter, controversial investor George Soros and 14 others for the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom

Republican Congressman Mike Johnson on Friday was re-elected as Speaker of the US House of Representatives with a narrow victory margin of three votes. The Republican Party has 219 seats in the House against Democrat’s 215 seats, the smallest majority in nearly a century. After some tense moments Johnson, 52, who represents the fourth Congressional District of Louisiana, received 218 votes against 215 votes that went to Hakeem Jeffries of the Democratic Party.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, six Indian-Americans were sworn-in as the members of the US House of Representatives, the largest so far for the minority ethnic community in the United States.

“When I was first sworn in twelve years ago, I was the sole Indian American Member of Congress and only the third in US history. Now, our coalition is six strong! I am excited to welcome even more Indian Americans to the halls of Congress” Congressman Dr Ami Bera said. All Indian American lawmakers are from the Democratic Party and voted for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the election for House Speakership.