A snapshot of the 118th US Congress

First Gen Z congressman and record number of women set to take their seats in the national legislature, though this has been delayed by drawn-out battle over House speaker

Democrat Nancy Pelosi served as the 52nd speaker of the US House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023 and has represented California's 11th congressional district since 1987. Getty / AFP

Mr Jeffries speaks with Ms Pelosi during the eighth vote in the chamber as the House meets for the third day to elect a speaker. AP

Katherine Marlea Clark is a Democrat serving Massachusetts's 5th congressional district since 2013. She has been House minority whip since 2023 and was assistant House Democratic leader from 2021 to 2023. AP

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries was recently elected House minority leader and leader of the House Democratic Caucus. Mr Jeffries has represented New York's 8th congressional district since 2013. Bloomberg

Republican Scott Perry is chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, the furthest-right ideological group and the home of almost all Kevin McCarthy opponents. AP

Republican Byron Donalds of Florida emerged from relative obscurity this week when he received about 20 votes in several rounds of voting in the speaker election. Getty / AFP

Republican Chip Roy of Texas is widely known in Congress for obstructionist procedural motions and dissatisfaction with the current legislative rules. EPA

Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert is a strong supporter of gun rights and once owned a restaurant in which staff were encouraged to openly carry firearms. Getty / AFP

Republican Andy Biggs of Arizona was among the most outspoken supporters of former president Donald Trump's claims of election fraud in 2020. Getty / AFP

Republican Matt Gaetz falsely claimed that the January 6 attack on the US Capitol was instigated by far-left extremists and was once part of a sex-trafficking investigation in Florida. Getty / AFP

Republican Bob Good of Virginia was a prominent opponent of measures designed to stop the spread of Covid-19. AP

Democrat Ruben Gallego of Arizona lashed out at Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz in a series of profane tweets in response to the massacre at a Texas elementary school. AP

Republican Debbie Lesko was charged in Conroe, Texas, with a misdemeanour for tampering with government records. The case was dropped in 1994. Getty / AFP

Democrat Steven Horsford of Nevada was caught illegally parking his SUV with his personalised licence plate "State Senator 17" in a disabled parking space at a park for several hours. AP

Republican Paul Gosar was a strong ally of former president Donald Trump and voted to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election. Getty / AFP

Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents New York's 14th district. Taking office at age 29, Ms Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever to serve in the US Congress. EPA

A former California firefighter, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was a steady defender of former president Donald Trump for most of his time as majority leader and minority leader. Reuters

Democrat Adam Schiff of California is a member of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol and serves a large portion of the entertainment community in Los Angeles. AFP

Democrat Maxine Waters is in her 15th House term. She is the most senior of the 12 black women serving and led the Congressional Black Caucus from 1997 to 1999. Getty

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has promoted anti-Semitic, white supremacist and far-right conspiracy theories, including white genocide, QAnon and Pizzagate. Getty / AFP

Members of the 118th US Congress had been scheduled to be sworn in this week, setting up a divided legislature for the next two years of President Joe Biden's term — though this has been derailed by a lengthy battle over who will be the next House speaker.

According to the agenda of the first day of Congress, the election of the speaker is to be followed by a speech from the speaker-elect, then the swearing in of members and the adoption of House rules.

Representatives from across the country brought their families to be present for their swearing in, as is tradition.

Representative Rashida Tlaib and her family waited for her swearing-in on Tuesday that never happened. AFP

But that is all currently on hold, as Republicans continue to be divided over their choice for speaker. Some representatives' relatives were spotted snoozing in the gallery while others simply left — and Democrats are growing impatient.

“On vote SIX for speaker of the House and really nothing has changed. There is currently no House of Representatives that can serve the people till we get through this,” tweeted representative-elect Maxwell Frost.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

When they are finally sworn in, the new Congress features what could be seen as the beginning of a generational shift in US politics, with more women than ever serving as well as younger politicians from an array of backgrounds.

Here is a brief look at what the 118th US Congress will look like:

A record number of women

Women will hold a record number of seats in the US legislature, data from the Centre for American Women and Politics show.

The 118th Congress will include 149 women serving, two more than the previous record of 147 set in the 117th Congress. The biggest gains for women come in the House of Representatives, where they will hold 28.5 per cent of seats.

Of the 149 women in Congress, 107 are Democrats. The other 42 are Republicans, a record high.

This year, Vermont is sending its first woman to Congress.

The first Gen Z representative

Maxwell Frost, a congressman-elect from Florida, will be the first member of Gen Z to serve in the US House of Representatives.

At age 25, Mr Frost will be the youngest member of the House. The Democrat campaigned on gun control, climate change and expanded healthcare access.

Mr Frost said last month that he was denied an apartment in Washington because he had accrued debt while running for Congress. The Gen Z congressman-elect told ABC he would have to “couch surf” until his first paycheque from Congress comes in.

A younger and more diverse make-up

Following a series of congresses that widened the age discrepancy between old and young politicians, the new Congress somewhat closes that gap.

Only 5 per cent of members were under the age of 40 last year, but nearly 21 per cent of incoming freshman members of Congress will be under that age, Insider reported.

And 13 women of colour will be welcomed into the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, adding to the lower chamber's growing diversity. In total, 58 women of colour will serve in Congress, including a record number of black and Latina women in the House.

Katie Britt will become the first female senator elected in her home state of Alabama.

A history-making term for Mitch McConnell

The 118th Congress may be slightly younger, but Republicans in the Senate will still be led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The octogenarian was confirmed as his party's leader in the Senate last month, cementing his legacy as the longest-serving party leader in Senate history.

Mr McConnell, 80, has served in Republican leadership in the Senate since 2007.

A freshman representative under investigation

The most controversial representative set to be sworn in is George Santos, a Republican who has faced calls to resign after a series of lies he made about his background came to light.

Mr Santos, a representative-elect from New York, admitted he had lied about his education and work history, and also made misleading statements about his purported Jewish heritage.

Democrats have called on Mr Santos to resign, but the freshman has signalled he intends to serve his two-year term.

Republican leadership, currently embroiled in a speaker-selection fiasco, has almost no power to prevent him from being sworn in.

Mr Santos is currently being investigated by US federal regulators over his finances. Brazilian regulators are also reopening a criminal case against him after records showed he admitted to fraud, The New York Times reported.