Here Are The 5 Weirdest Things That Happened On The First Day Of Congress
Tuesday was the first day of the 114th Congress, where members were sworn in, speeches were given, and a whole lot of strange things happened - mostly involving Vice President Joe Biden.
Business Insider gathered the top five odd moments of the new session below.
1. Sen. Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) Gigantic Castration Device.
According to a tweet from Joseph Morton, the Washington correspondent for the Omaha World-Herald, Ernst received a very special gift from Sen. Lindsey Graham on her first day in Congress: a device to castrate livestock.
The gift is a reference to Ernst's famous campaign ad in which she declared she knew how to "cut pork" because she grew up castrating hogs on her farm.
2. Joe Biden's Attempted Kiss
At Sen. Chris Coons' (D-Delaware) swearing-in ceremony, Biden apparently tried to give a young girl a kiss on the cheek but was denied:
3. Minority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nevada) Bruised Face
Reid was seriously injured last Thursday when his exercise equipment broke. The veteran lawmaker was hospitalized with broken ribs and bones in his face.
But his injuries didn't stop Reid from being a part of the festivities. He released a video to mark the start of the new session and explain what he's up to. His wounds were clearly visible in the clip.
"The doctors have told me I better take it easy," Reid, a former boxer, complained. "I had a presentation all made to start the new Congress."
4. Random Votes for Speaker
As House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) successfully beat back a small conservative revolt and secured his re-election, at least two House members backed candidates who aren't even members of their chamber.
According to CNN, Rep. Curt Clawson (R-Florida) voted for libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Rep. Jim Cooper supported Colin Powell, who served as secretary of state for former President George W. Bush.
5. Pretty Much Everything Joe Biden Did
"How old are you? 15? I hope Mom has a big fence," Biden reportedly quipped to Ernst's daughter.
"You got some killer eyes. Those girls are in trouble," he told a teenager member of Sen. Dick Durbin's (D-Illinois) entourage.
"Dick!" he exclaimed to Durbin. "Easy to swear at you."
"As they say in southern Delaware, 'Boy, you married up,'" he informed the husband of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
"My only regret is I don't live in Wyoming," he told the wife of Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming).