116th United States Congress
The 116th Congress convened on January 3, 2019, and concluded on January 3, 2021.
Republicans controlled the Senate, and Democrats controlled the House.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was Senate majority leader, and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) was Senate majority whip. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was Senate minority leader, and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) was Senate minority whip.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) served as the speaker of the House. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) was House majority leader, and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) was House majority whip. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was House minority leader, and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) served as House minority whip.
President Donald Trump (R) issued ten vetoes during the 116th Congress. Congress overrode one of these vetoes. For more information on vetoes issued during the Trump administration, click here.
The House and Senate were expected to be in session for fewer days in 2019 than they were in 2018. The Senate was scheduled to meet for 168 days in 2019, and the House was scheduled to meet for 130 days. In 2018, the Senate met for 186 days, while the House met for 171. From 2001 to 2018, the Senate spent an average of 165 days in session each year, and the House spent an average of 140 days in session.
New members of Congress were elected on November 6, 2018. For more information on the 2018 House and Senate elections, click here.
Leadership
- See also: U.S. House leadership elections, 2019
Senate
| Position | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Mike Pence | |
| Senate Majority Leadership | ||
| President pro tempore | Chuck Grassley | |
| Senate Majority Leader | Mitch McConnell | |
| Senate Majority Whip | John Thune | |
| Senate Minority Leadership | ||
| Senate Minority Leader | Chuck Schumer | |
| Senate Minority Whip | Dick Durbin | |
House of Representatives
| Position | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the House | Nancy Pelosi | |
| House Majority Leadership | ||
| House Majority Leader | Steny Hoyer | |
| House Majority Whip | Jim Clyburn | |
| House Minority Leadership | ||
| House Minority Leader | Kevin McCarthy | |
| House Minority Whip | Steve Scalise | |
Members
Partisan balance
| U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of January 3, 2019 | After the 2020 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 45 | 48[1] | |
| Republican Party | 53 | 50 | |
| Independent | 2 | 2[1] | |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
| U.S. House Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2020 | After the 2020 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 232 | 222 | |
| Republican Party | 197 | 213 | |
| Libertarian Party | 1 | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 435 | 435 | |
Congressional committees
U.S. Senate
Congressional committees (Senate)
U.S. House
Congressional committees (House)
Joint committees
Congressional committees (Joint)
Noteworthy events
Partial government shutdown
A partial government shutdown began on December 22, 2018, after President Donald Trump and members of Congress were unable to agree on funding for border security measures and a barrier or wall on the southern border.
Trump wanted Congress to allocate $5.7 billion to build a wall or steel barrier on the southern border, but Democrats said that they would not vote for a bill to build the wall.[2][3]
On January 25, 2019, members of Congress and Trump reached an agreement to fund the government until February 15, 2019, while lawmakers worked out a larger plan to address immigration and border security. The Senate passed the continuing resolution by voice vote. The House unanimously passed the bill by voice vote, and Trump signed it, ending the 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.[4]
On February 15, 2019, Trump signed a $328 billion spending bill that included $1.375 billion in funding for barriers on the southern border. He had requested $5.7 billion in wall funding. Because he did not get the amount requested, he declared a state of emergency on the southern border and directed $8.1 billion to build a border wall.[5]
Analysis
Salary
Members of Congress were paid $174,000 per year. Senate majority and minority leaders, as well as the president pro tempore, received $193,400. The speaker of the House received $223,500.[6]
Some historical facts about the salary of United States Congress members:
- In 1789, members of the Congress received $6 per diem.[6]
- In 1874, members of the Congress earned $5,000 per year.[6]
- In 1990, members of the Congress earned $98,400 per year.[6]
- From 2000 to 2006, the salary of a member of the United States Congress increased every year, going from $141,300 to $165,200 in that time span.[6]
Demographics
The 116th Congress surpassed the 115th Congress as the most diverse Congress in the nation's history.
The House and Senate both set records for female representation. The House has 102 women, comprising 23 percent of the chamber’s voting members. The Senate has 25 women, the greatest female representation in Senate history.[7][8]
The 116th Congress also has the largest number of Blacks (55), Hispanics/Latin Americans (44), Asians/Pacific Islanders (15), and Native Americans (4), making up 22 percent of Congress. The 116th Congress also has 10 members who openly identify as LGBTQ.[9][8][10]
The 116th Congress is slightly more religiously diverse than the 115th Congress. Four hundred and seventy-one members identify as Christian, 34 as Jewish, three as Muslim, three as Hindu, two as Buddhist, two as Unitarian Universalist, one as unaffiliated, and 18 declined to specify a religious affiliation when polled by Pew Research Center.[11]
New members of Congress
In the 2018 Senate and House elections, nine new members were elected to the Senate and 93 new members were elected to the House. These new members of Congress defeated incumbents or competed for open seats as a result of appointments to state and executive offices, resignations, and retirements. Here are some facts about the new members of Congress.
- Five incumbent senators—four Democrats and one Republican—were defeated in general elections. Senators who defeated incumbents were Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
- Three senators, all Republican, did not seek re-election in 2018. They were replaced by two Republicans and a Democrat. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) also retired early, leaving his seat vacant. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) was elected to complete his term.
- Fifty-two members of the U.S. House did not seek re-election in 2018. The 34 outgoing Republicans were replaced by 24 Republicans and 10 Democrats. The 18 outgoing Democrats were replaced by 15 Democrats and three Republicans.
- Four members of the U.S. House—two Democrats and two Republicans—were defeated in primary elections in 2018. They were replaced by three Democrats and one Republican.
- Thirty members of the U.S. House, all Republicans, were defeated in the general election by Democrats.
- Minnesota sent the greatest percentage of new members to the 116th Congress. Sixty percent of the Minnesota delegation was not seated at the start of the 115th Congress.
- The congressional delegations of three states became more Republican: Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota. All three states voted out an incumbent Democratic senator.
- The congressional delegations of 22 states became more Democratic. The California delegation gained seven more Democrats; New Jersey gained four; and New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia each gained three.
Legislative calendar
- See also: 116th Congress legislative calendar
The 116th Congress convened on January 3, 2019, and concluded on January 3, 2021. Both chambers were expected to be in session for fewer days in 2019 than they were in 2018. The Senate was scheduled to meet for 168 days in 2019, and the House was scheduled to meet for 130 days. In 2018, the Senate met for 186 days, while the House met for 171.
From 2001 to 2018, the Senate spent an average of 165 days in session each year, and the House spent an average of 140 days in session. In 2019, the Senate was scheduled to exceed its average number of days in session by three. The House was scheduled to meet for 10 fewer days than its average.
Click here to view the calendar for the first session of the 116th Congress.
Changes to House rules
After Democrats took control of the House in the 116th Congress, they voted to change some rules from the previous session of Congress when Republicans were in control. Some of the changes appear below.[12][13][14]
- PAYGO: Democrats approved PAYGO, a “provision that requires legislation that would increase the deficit to be offset by spending cuts or revenue increases.”[14]
- Ethics: Democrats made changes to House ethics rules that required all House members to take ethics training, not just new members. The rules also required members to reimburse taxpayers for settlements that that result from a member’s discrimination of someone based on race, religion, sex, national origin, or disability, among other things. Lawmakers were also prohibited from sitting on corporate boards.
- Climate change committee: Democrats created a new climate change committee to address the issue. The committee was not given subpoena power or the ability to bring bills to the floor.
A full explanation of the rules changes can be viewed here.
Key votes
- See also: Key Votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020
Members of the 116th United States Congress introduced 16,601 pieces of legislation, and 746 of those received a vote. Ballotpedia identified which of those were key votes—votes that helped citizens understand where their legislators stood on major policy issues.
See also
- United States Congress elections, 2018
- United States Senate elections, 2018
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
- U.S. House leadership elections, 2019
- New representatives to the 116th Congress, 2019-2021
- Results of U.S. House elections in presidential election years, 1920-2020
- 116th Congress legislative calendar
- 115th United States Congress
- United States Congress
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Independent Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine) caucus with Democrats
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump’s Address to the Nation on the Crisis at the Border," January 8, 2019
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Democratic Leaders Denounce Wall, Call on Trump to Stop ‘Hostage’ Tactics," January 8, 2019
- ↑ Politico, "Trump announces deal to reopen government — without his wall," January 25, 2019
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump’s Border Security Victory," February 15, 2019
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 U.S. Senate, "Salaries," accessed May 29, 2012
- ↑ Pew Research, "A record number of women will be serving in the new Congress," December 18, 2018
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Business Insider, "This one graphic shows how much more diverse the House of Representatives will become in January," December 16, 2018
- ↑ Politico, "Congress's incoming class is younger, bluer, and more diverse than ever," November 28, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections presents our comprehensive guide to the 116th Congress members and districts," November 29, 2018
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "Faith on the Hill," January 3, 2019
- ↑ House.gov, "Adopting Rules for the 116th Congress," accessed January 13, 2019
- ↑ USA Today, "Here's what Democrats will do to immediately change the House," January 3, 2019
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Roll Call, "House adopts rules package with few Democratic defections over PAYGO provision," January 3, 2019
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