Well.

When the 119th Congress is sworn in next month, New Jersey's delegation will have a lot of fresh faces in a single calendar year.

We've gone through a high profile federal corruption trial that's for former U.S.

Senator Bob Menendez, two deaths of sitting members of Congress and three new members elected to the House of Representatives.

The turnover was significant by any state standards, but will it hurt the delegation's ability to flex its political muscle in the nation's capital?

For more on that, we turn to our Washington correspondent, Ben Hulac.

Ben, it's good to see you.

So as you wrote in your piece, we have this senior generation that's giving way to a more junior, a less experienced generation of lawmakers.

But, I mean, run through the nuts and bolts for us of of essentially who's out and who's in, right, with Bob Menendez.

Really on the way out, he, of course, has this been this mainstay in new Jersey politics for so long, but he is out of professional politics and he can will take his seat in the Senate.

And, then of course, we have three new faces coming in from new Jersey to the House side.

So that is, Herb Conaway taking Andy Kim's seat in South Jersey, Nellie Poe filling the shoes of Bill Pascrell in the ninth district, and la Monica McIvor holding the seat.

The 10th district.

That's really Newark proper.

So it's a whole new turnover, as you say.

And there are big losses for the state, in particular in in Bob Menendez and Bill Pascrell, who are on the powerful tax writing committee.

So this is a new, fresh generation.

And, what what may be lost is a series of, an element of experience and knowledge of how Congress really works.

Does it affect, you know, New Jersey's clout, though, in Washington?

I mean, on one hand, right, you've lost these powerhouses, but you also have this very young and diverse group who I mean, in fact, really looks more like the constituents they represent here.

Right.

That's a that's a critical point, I think.

It certainly affects the clout, though, of the state.

It takes a while to get on powerful committees like appropriations, of which Bernie wants, and Coleman is a member, that she is New Jersey's lone member on in either chamber on appropriations.

So it certainly affects the state's standing and what really can be brought home to new Jersey from Washington.

But this is an opportunity for all of these members to chart their own new paths.

There will be a lot of jockeying for members to get on, and I that's transportation and infrastructure in the House.

That's a big committee popular with new Jersey members, state, sort of a thoroughfare in the northeast for transit.

But, it's it's a new chapter, really.

And what about then, how the committee assignments get divvied up now with all of these very freshman members?

Right.

So when you're elected, you can request certain committees, but because you're on the bottom of the totem pole, bottom of the pecking order, you essentially get last pick.

You can say, hey, I'm interested in serving on the Judiciary Committee.

You may not get that.

Members often like to serve on committees where they had some sort of prior experience before coming to Congress.

And then folks like Frank Pallone, who have been in Congress for decades, he's a high ranking member on the highest ranking Democrat on energy and commerce, which is a big sweepingly powerful House committee.

Once you get your feet wet after serving many Congresses, you you typically stay on a committee where you serve because then you have Cruz in the already and more power, influence, clout, those sorts of things.

But that process takes a while.

So these new members coming in will really have to choose a path fairly quickly of which committees they want to pursue.

And what about for for Andy Kim, our new U.S. senator.

Does the same hold true for him as it does in general terms?

In the Senate?

You get to serve on many more committees, for on average.

And but you still do have to pick and choose what you want to prioritize.

And I think it'll be really interesting to watch he and Cory Booker navigate which committees they want to serve on.

And in general, they both have an interest in foreign policy.

Booker is on foreign relations.

And Kim has expressed to me he's interested in foreign affairs and the Armed Services Committee.

But how those two divvy up assignments could be this really fascinating interplay.

And you can rise up the ranks of Senate committees faster, but simply because they're fewer members.

But you still have to continue to be reelected in order to climb up the ranks.

Hey, Ben, real quick, in the few seconds we have left, what are you looking toward?

What big stories in the new year?

I think the biggest story is what happens January 20th.

What is the interplay between new Jersey and the incoming Trump administration?

And where do new Jersey Democrats?

Compromise?

Where do they get along, and then where do they fight?

What is the, relationship between those two camps then who like, thanks so much.

Good to talk to you.

Likewise.

Thanks.