Rep. Ro Khanna, his wife, Ritu Ahuja and Speaker
Paul Ryan Tuesday during a ceremonial swearing-in.
SCREENSHOT/C-SPAN 

CONGRESS | 17TH DISTRICT |
Rep. Ro Khanna’s first order of business Tuesday morning was to register a voice vote in support of House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The seemingly mundane first act marked a new era in South Bay politics and ends Khanna’s long quest for a seat in Congress.

Later in the day, Khanna and others took part in a ceremonial swearing-in with House Speaker Paul Ryan, essentially a glorified photo opportunity and keepsake for members of Congress to pose with family and friends.

In a short clip from C-SPAN’s coverage of the monotonous, hours-long ceremony SHOWN HERE, Khanna, his wife, parents and in-laws briefly hobnobbed with Ryan.

Khanna took the oath of office by placing his left hand on a special bicentennial edition of the U.S. Constitution.

In a posting on the website Medium, Khanna set the tone of his first term with a short posting detailing his hopes for the future of the district.

“We need bold ideas and sound policies that provide opportunities to those our changing economy and technological revolution has left behind and invest in policies that support working families to better prepare all children for the future,” wrote Khanna. “The corruption of big money in politics and lobbying by powerful special interests have soiled our democracy, and I will work to enact reforms to make government truly work for the people.”

Khanna’s first day in Congress also represented a moment likely never seen in the 16 years his predecessor Mike Honda held the office, support for a far right-wing Republican’s proposal.

In a tweet Tuesday evening, Khanna said he backs a plan backed by Tea Party adherent Sen. Ted Cruz for a constitutional amendment enacting congressional term limits. Last month, Khanna issued similar support for such a plan similar to the 12-year limits set by the California State Legislature.

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