WASHINGTON, D.C. -  The Valley's three U.S. Congressmen were sworn in Sunday to the 117th Congress.

They included Republican Bill Johnson, who serves Ohio's sixth district, Democrat Tim Ryan, who serves Ohio's 13th district and Republican Mike Kelly, who serves Pennsylvania's 16th district. 

The three were all reelected to their positions back in November, and now face a challenge come Wednesday, when Congress will meet in joint session to count the Electoral College votes.

Congressman Kelly already has said that Pennsylvania's voting system was unlawful in allowing ballots to be received up to three days after the election. 

He even filed a lawsuit challenging the election results, which was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

He released this statement Sunday on being elected for his sixth term in office. 

"It has been the honor of my life to serve western Pennsylvania in the People's House and I look forward to being your voice in our nation's capital for two more years. I will continue defending our values, fighting for working families, and upholding my oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That is my promise to you, so help me God."

-Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA)

 

Congressman Ryan will begin his tenth term in office representing Northeast Ohio. He laid out some of his plans for his next two years in office.

“My number one priority next Congress will be healing our country’s health and economic crisis. I will continue the fight to provide the American people with direct economic impact payments of $2,000 per month until this crisis is over and will work to ensure the vaccine distribution is run efficiently and effectively. 

“This year, I look forward to taking over as Vice-Chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee working to support local projects and bring money back to the State of Ohio. I will also continue to serve as Chair of the House Manufacturing Caucus where I plan to prioritize manufacturing and innovation at the federal level. I plan to introduce legislation to establish an office in the White House to shape manufacturing policies and to prepare our future workforce so they can learn the skills necessary to compete in our shifting 21st century economy. 

“Finally, I plan to work across the aisle to create an infrastructure bill that will make good on years of promises and repair our crippling roads and bridges, clear out blight in our communities, and expand broadband so every American has access to highspeed internet."

-Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH)

 

Meanwhile, Congressman Johnson will begin his sixth term in office. 

“I am extremely honored and humbled to have been chosen by the hardworking people of Eastern and Southeastern Ohio to represent them in Congress, especially as we embark on tackling the many difficult issues ahead,” Bill Johnson said. “From the day I was first elected in 2010, I’ve always said that I work for you – it’s not the other way around. That is still true today.  Because, I didn’t run for office to have a title or sit in a big office. Rather, I chose to serve in order to improve the lives of the American people, and to ensure that our children and grandchildren have the same or better opportunities than the generations before us. And I will remain a proud resident of Marietta, Ohio, not the Washington D.C. Beltway.”

-Congressman Bill Johnson (R-OH)