A rare even split in the
United States Senate, the defection of a Senator, and the inauguration of a new Vice President, led to
three changes in majorities. • January 3, 2001: The 107th Congress officially begins, with the Senate split 50–50. Democrat Al Gore — the outgoing Vice President — briefly gives the Democrats a majority. • January 3, 2001: First Lady
Hillary Clinton, wife of outgoing President Bill Clinton, became the first, and, to date, only
presidential spouse to hold political office (briefly serving as
both First Lady and Senator). • January 6, 2001: A joint session to
count the presidential Electoral College votes of the
2000 presidential election. • January 20, 2001: George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States; simultaneously, Dick Cheney was sworn in as the 46th Vice President, giving Republicans a Senate majority. • February 27, 2001:
President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress. • May 24, 2001: Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party, becoming an independent who caucused with the Democrats, giving them a majority from June 6. • September 11, 2001: The
September 11 attacks occurred. • September 20, 2001:
President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress, announcing the
investigation into the September 11 attacks. • October 7, 2001:
Operation Enduring Freedom began with
airstrikes against the
Taliban. • October 9, 2001:
Anthrax spores were mailed to, among others, two Senators,
Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-
SD) and
Patrick Leahy (D-VT). • December 2001:
Accounting scandals arise from the financial practices of
Enron and
WorldCom. • June 12, 2002:
John Howard, the
Prime Minister of Australia, addressed a joint session of Congress. The address was originally scheduled for September 12, 2001, but was postponed after the September 11 attacks. • September 6, 2002: Over 300 members of both houses of Congress meet in
Federal Hall, New York City, to mark the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks and memorialize the victims. • October 25, 2002: Senator
Paul Wellstone (D-
MN), dies in a plane crash, and non-caucusing
Independence Party member
Dean Barkley is appointed to hold the seat until
a special election was held. • November 23, 2002:
Jim Talent wins
the United States Senate special election for a Missouri seat, giving Republicans the majority once again (though formal reorganization was delayed until the
108th United States Congress convened). ==Major legislation==