By Brett Neely, Minnesota Public Radio News

WASHINGTON — When the 113th Congress officially convened Thursday, the big question on the minds of many Democrats and Republicans was whether the new Congress will be more productive than the last one.

The previous Congress was marked by high stakes confrontations between Republicans who control the House and Democrats in the Senate and the Obama Administration — two tumultuous years that culminated in the last-minute efforts to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, the automatic tax increases and dramatic spending cuts Congress had set in motion for early in the year.

But members of Minnesota’s delegation expressed hope that the two parties could work together in the next two years to accomplish significant goals.

Indeed, during moments of pomp and ceremony, there was optimism on Capitol Hill, at least for a day.

The House of Representatives began its session by again electing Republican U.S. Rep. John Boehner as Speaker, although U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican who represents Minnesota’s 6th District, kept things suspenseful by at first missing her vote.

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