For almost eight years, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus existed in the shadow of the first African-American president. They praised President Obama’s achievements while at the same time pushing him to do more for their constituents who overwhelmingly supported his history-making campaign and administration.

But with President Obama set to leave the White House on Friday, Jan. 20, African-American lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate are recalculating and reassessing their place in Washington. And realizing they’re regaining the limelight as the most visible and powerful African-American politicians in the nation’s capital.

President-elect Donald Trump will face a larger and more aggressive caucus, which will advocate for positions with “a bit more force,” said Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois, a longtime member. “Without President Obama being in office, there will be more forceful articulation vis-à-vis administration policy.”

To the outgoing caucus chairman, Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, “The consequences are too enormous for us to be indecisive.”

There are more African-American lawmakers in Congress than ever — 49 African-American men and women were sworn in Tuesday, including Sen. Kamala Harris of California, just the second African-American female senator.

Also serving on Capitol Hill are the first Indian-American senator; 38 Hispanic lawmakers, including Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, the first Latina senator; and 15 Asian-Americans.

The CBC never had a perfect relationship with President Obama, and several powerful members initially backed Hillary Clinton during President Obama’s first run for president in 2008.

African-American lawmakers helped turn out the largest number of African-American voters in modern history for President Obama’s two presidential campaigns. African-Americans voted at a higher rate than non-Hispanic whites in 2012, 66.2 percent versus 64.1 percent. But those lawmakers felt disappointed when President Obama did not focus as much as they would have liked on issues their minority constituents valued — criminal justice and policing, minority representation on the U.S. Supreme Court and other high offices, bringing jobs and industry to rural and inner city areas.

“We didn’t make President Obama step to us all the time. We have to make leaders do their work. They’re not going to do it because they are essentially well intentioned. They have to be pushed,” said Julianne Malveaux, economist and author of “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy.”

CBC members said they walked a delicate line, wanting to get behind the first African-American president but also promoting their own priorities, which didn’t always seem to be on the White House’s front burner.

“There are times in which you’d like to go further than where the administration appears to be going. But at the same time, you also want to appear and be as supportive as you can possibly be,” Rep. Davis said.

Republicans now control Congress and the White House, and African-American lawmakers, most of whom are Democrats, are left to figure out how to oppose and work with the new administration and the majority party on Capitol Hill.