[3] The House also received the first Muslim (Keith Ellison)[4][5] and Buddhist (Hank Johnson and Mazie Hirono)[6] members of Congress.

Members debated initiatives such as the Democrats' 100-Hour Plan and the Iraq War troop surge of 2007.

[7][8][9] Following President Bush's 2007 State of the Union Address, Congress debated his proposal to create a troop surge to increase security in Iraq.

Both houses of Congress subsequently passed a bill funding the war without timelines, but with benchmarks for the Iraqi government and money for other spending projects like disaster relief.

Democrats achieved a net gain of three seats as a result of their victories in special elections.