Democratic U.S. Rep. Becca Balint was sworn into office Saturday morning, more than three days after she was expected to take her seat as Vermont’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Balint is now officially the first woman and the first openly gay person to represent the state in Washington, D.C.
Balint anticipated taking the oath of office on Tuesday. But the historic Republican stalemate that impeded the election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker delayed proceedings until shortly after midnight on Saturday. House members could not be sworn in until after a speaker was elected.
“We were three days in with no end in sight,” Balint told VTDigger on Friday morning. “And I want to get to work. I want to actually get stuff done, and we can’t. We’re just in this limbo, and that doesn’t feel good for any of us.”
Balint ultimately took the oath of office at 1:40 a.m. on Saturday, after McCarthy won the speakership on the chamber’s 15th vote.
Previously a four-term state senator from Brattleboro, Balint was elected to Congress by an overwhelming margin in the November 2022 midterm election, having previously defeated former Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in a closely watched Democratic primary last August.
On Friday, Balint became the first person to enter Vermont’s three-member congressional delegation in 16 years, joining U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, an independent, and Peter Welch, a Democrat. Former U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, officially began his retirement on Tuesday after representing Vermont in the Senate for nearly five decades.
Balint campaigned as a progressive Democrat, and in December was elected to a leadership role in the House Progressive Caucus as vice chair for new members.Â
“Despite the dysfunction we witnessed this week from the GOP, Democrats are still ready to work with willing partners across the aisle to deliver results for working families and govern on behalf of all our constituents,” Balint said in a written statement Saturday morning. “My sense of purpose has only been reaffirmed through this uncertainty, and I am prepared to take on the challenges this Congress may bring.”
Sarah Mearhoff contributed reporting.