The caucus that represents Asian Pacific Americans on Capitol Hill is about to be bigger than ever. It will count 23 lawmakers of Asian or Pacific Islander heritage when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, the most in its history.

Caucus chair Rep. Grace Meng of New York introduced four of the newcomers at the Capitol on Wednesday. All four are breaking new ground. Alicia Garrido Limtiaco becomes the first CHamoru woman sent to Congress by Guam. Dan Koh is Massachusetts' first Asian American member. Dr. Richard Pan is the first Chinese American to hold his Sacramento-area seat while Dr. Amish Shah is Arizona's first South Asian American in Congress.

Another newcomer, Pia Dandiya, made history as Florida's first South Asian American member of Congress. She missed the event while new members go through orientation.

Voters who made the difference

According to Meng, these voters moved nine points compared with two years ago, a swing topped only by Latino voters. She credited them with deciding races in several battleground states and said about one in eight were voting for the very first time. Rising prices, jobs and health care costs topped their list of concerns.

What the newcomers want to do

Shah, who works as an emergency physician, hopes to land on a health panel to bring down insurance premiums and cut delays caused by denials and prior approval rules. In his view the new Congress has to act fast to stem soaring health costs.

Koh, the grandson of Korean immigrants from Jeju Island, said he hopes to join the Oversight Committee and use his time working in the executive branch to hold agencies accountable. Pan, a children's doctor whose parents moved from Taiwan to attend graduate school, said what matters most is having caucus members spread across every committee so their communities have a voice everywhere decisions are made.

Limtiaco, who once served as Guam's top prosecutor, named two priorities for the island. She wants to extend Supplemental Security Income to Guam residents, who are left out today. She also wants to add Guam to a federal program that pays people sickened by Pacific nuclear testing. Delegates cannot vote on final passage of bills, but they do vote in committee.

Pan said Asian American communities are underrepresented and underfunded. With a record class heading to Washington, caucus leaders say they plan to change both.