113th Congress
Rep. Grace Meng is adjusting nicely to Washington D.C. during her first week on the job. “It’s very exciting, very chaotic,” she said. “It’s so easy to get caught up in the glamour. There are so many opportunities to meet famous people in D.C., but my No. 1 job is to know the needs of my district.”
Meng has already found an apartment within walking distance from her office, met likely Secretary of State John Kerry, and is crafting a bill that would require gun buyers to undergo background checks from a gun dealer who lost his license.
When a Member of Congress is given time to formally express an opinion or make a statement on an issue before the House, they are said to have the 'floor' of the House, and their views are referred to as a 'Floor Speech'.
How House Members are allotted time to speak, or sometimes observe silence, are adapted from rules of order originally written by Thomas Jefferson. The speeches and other proceedings of the House are published daily in the Congressional Record.
Editorials historically came about as a means to let the average person know the opinions of the editors and publishers of newspapers and magazines.
Eventually editors realized that added interest in their newspapers and magazines could be sparked by allowing readers to express their opinions on the page opposite the editorial, and the modern op-ed was invented. Today 'editorial' and 'op-ed' are often used interchangeably to refer to any written piece expressing an opinion on the issues of the day, whether in a magazine, a newspaper, or a website.