Tim Kaine is now a United States senator.
The junior senator from Virginia took the oath Thursday inside the Senate chamber alongside his colleagues.
The new Senate is expected to tackle such issues as spending cuts that could take effect in February, as well as the debt ceiling. Kaine says he's looking forward to getting down to business.
"Now we have to address the spending side but do it in a way that does not shred the safety net or hurt economic growth, and I think I have some thoughts about that that I can bring to the table."
Following the official ceremony, Kaine had a one-on-one swear-in with Vice President Joe Biden. Kaine becomes part of the 113th Congress.
