US Republicans begin two years of congressional rule

A new US Congress convened today in snowy Washington, where freshly-empowered Republican leaders seek quick economic victories like approving the Keystone pipeline and move to counter President Barack Obama's agenda ahead of 2016.
Rather than embark straight away on deep and complicated reforms, the Republicans who now control both the Senate and House of Representatives are making tactical strikes by voting this week on a series of conservative measures symbolizing their priorities for the 114th Congress.
Shortly after lawmakers are sworn in at noon (1700 GMT) today, the House votes on the Hire More Heroes Act, a jobs bill with the double-barrelled goal of helping US military veterans find work and changing a key element of Obamacare, the president's landmark health care reform.

The chamber also votes this week on a bill to redesignate the 40-hour work week, a move aimed at countering the Obamacare provision that identifies a full work week at just 30 hours, a measure Republicans argue has led to reduced work for Americans.
A major first test comes in this week's energy debate which culminates with a House vote Friday on legislation authorizing construction of the Canada-to-US Keystone XL pipeline.
The Republican-led House passed similar legislation in November but it fell one vote short in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The new leadership in the Senate, which flips to a 54-46 Republican majority today following November elections, has said it has enough votes to pass the measure.

The massive 1,179-mile (1,900-kilometer) project, which the Obama administration has held up for years over environmental concerns, would carry crude oil mined in Canada's tar sands to US Gulf Coast refineries.
Environmentalists and some Democrats have expressed fierce opposition, but Republicans have long backed the plan, arguing it will boost US oil production and create jobs.
Canadian firm TransCanada first proposed the pipeline in 2008, and Ottawa strongly backs the project.