Despite all the limitations the historic class of freshman Democrats has run into since joining Congress, Rep. Madeleine Dean believes they are changing Washington, writes Paul Kane for The Washington Post.

“I think we’re changing things,“ she said. “I really do.”

Dean is one of over 60 Democrats who arrived in Washington at the start of this year with hopes and ambitions on how they wanted to reshape Congress.

However, some of the several-dozen first-time legislators are struggling with the inside politics of an institution that requires policy expertise in addition to a great deal of maneuvering in regards to senior lawmakers.

They are also learning how limited their power is, with hundreds of bills passed by the House simply gathering dust in a Republican-led Senate.

The latest example of this came after every one of the freshman Democrat voted to impeach President Trump. However, the Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, subsequently announced he has made plans for a quick acquittal in the Senate.

“I feel like we are changing Washington, but it’s not nearly as fast as everybody might like it to be,” said Rep. Susan Wild.

Read more about Madeleine Dean at The Washington Post by clicking here.