United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the United States of America's federal government. It consists of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, with members chosen through direct election.
Overview
General overview
Senate
- See also: United States Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress. Each U.S. state is represented by two senators, regardless of population. This ensures equal representation of each state in the Senate. U.S. senators serve staggered six-year terms.
According to the U.S. Constitution, senators must meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 30 years old
- Be a U.S. citizen for at least nine years
- Be a resident of the state he or she represents
House of Representatives
- See also: United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House," is the lower house of the U.S. Congress. Each state receives representation in the House in proportion to its population but is entitled to at least one representative. The total number of voting representatives is currently fixed at 435. There are also five delegates and one resident commissioner, who do not have full voting rights. House representatives serve two-year terms.[1]
According to the U.S. Constitution, representatives must meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 25 years old
- Be a U.S. citizen for at least seven years
- Be a resident of the state he or she represents
Word meaning
The term congress not only refers to the collective legislative body, but also to a specific two-year period. For example, the congress for the years 2025-2026 is also called the 119th Congress.[2][3]
U.S. Constitution
| “ | All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.[4] | ” |
| —United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 1 | ||
The formation and powers of Congress are laid out in ten sections of Article I of the United States Constitution:
- Section 1: Gives all legislative powers to Congress
- Section 2: Defines the basic formation of the House of Representatives and the qualifications for its members
- Section 3: Defines the basic formation of the Senate and the qualifications for its members
- Section 4: Defines how elections are held
- Section 5: Defines how legislative meetings should be conducted
- Section 6: Gives compensation for services to members, provides certain freedoms from arrest during sessions, limits membership in other civil offices
- Section 7: Defines how bills originate and become law
- Section 8: Lists specific powers granted to Congress
- Section 9: Provides limits to certain powers
- Section 10: Limits certain powers of the states
Vetoes
Presidents have the power to veto legislation passed by Congress. Click here for information on vetoes issued by Joe Biden (D), click here for information on vetoes issued by Donald Trump (R), and click here for information on vetoes issued by Barack Obama (D).
Current leadership and partisan balance
- See also: 119th United States Congress
Leadership
Mike Johnson
Speaker of the House
John Thune
Senate Majority Leader
Partisan balance
| Partisan composition, U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| 119th Congress | ||
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 45 | |
| Republican | 53 | |
| Independent | 2[5] | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | |
| Partisan composition, U.S. House | ||
|---|---|---|
| 119th Congress | ||
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 215 | |
| Republican | 218 | |
| Vacancies | 2 | |
| Total | 435 | |
Elections
2024
- See also: United States Congress elections, 2024
A total of 468 seats in the U.S. Congress (33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) were up for regular election on November 5, 2024.
2022
- See also: United States Congress elections, 2022
A total of 469 seats in the U.S. Congress (34 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) were up for regular election on November 8, 2022.
2020
- See also: United States Congress elections, 2020
A total of 468 seats in the U.S. Congress (33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) were up for regular election on November 3, 2020.
2018
- See also: United States Congress elections, 2018
All 435 United States House of Representatives seats and 33 United States Senate seats were up for regular election on November 6, 2018.
U.S. Senate
- See also: United States Senate elections, 2018
| U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2018 | After the 2018 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 47 | 45 | |
| Republican Party | 51 | 53 | |
| Independent | 2 | 2 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
The following map displays which Senate seats were up for election in 2018 and identifies those races that were considered battleground elections. Mouse over a state for more detailed information.
| Results of United States Senate battlegrounds, 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Incumbent | Winner | Partisan change | Incumbent status |
| Arizona | Yes | Incumbent didn't seek re-election | ||
| California | No | Won | ||
| Florida | Yes | Lost | ||
| Indiana | Yes | Lost | ||
| Minnesota (special) | No | Won | ||
| Missouri | Yes | Lost | ||
| Mississippi (special) | No | Won | ||
| Montana | No | Won | ||
| North Dakota | Yes | Lost | ||
| New Jersey | No | Won | ||
| New Mexico | No | Won | ||
| Nevada | Yes | Lost | ||
| Ohio | No | Won | ||
| Tennessee | No | Incumbent didn't seek re-election | ||
| Texas | No | Won | ||
| West Virginia | No | Won | ||
U.S. House
| U.S. House Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2018 | After the 2018 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 193 | 235 | |
| Republican Party | 235 | 200[6] | |
| Vacancies | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 435 | 435 | |
The following map identifies those races that were considered battleground elections. Mouse over a district for more detailed information. You can also zoom in for a closer look.
2016
- See also: United States Congress elections, 2016
All 435 United States House of Representatives seats and 34 United States Senate seats were up for election on November 8, 2016.
U.S. Senate
- See also: United States Senate elections, 2016
Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the U.S. Senate. Republicans held 54 Senate seats while the Democrats had 44 Senate seats. Two seats were held by independents, who caucus with the Democratic Party. The Republicans won the Senate majority in the 2014 midterm elections when they gained nine seats and lost none. Republicans maintained their majority following the 2016 elections, losing only two seats and ending with 52.
| U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2016 | After the 2016 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 44 | 46 | |
| Republican Party | 54 | 52 | |
| Independent | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
There were 24 Republican seats and 10 Democratic seats up for re-election. In 2016, the Democratic Party failed to pick up the five seats in the Senate in order to regain the majority they lost in 2014.
U.S. House
Prior to the election, The Republican Party had the majority in the U.S. House. Republicans held 246 seats compared to Democrats' 186 seats, while three seats were vacant. The Republican Party's majority was slightly reduced in 2016, as Democrats picked up six seats.
| U.S. House Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2016 | After the 2016 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 186 | 194 | |
| Republican Party | 246 | 241 | |
| Vacant | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 435 | 435 | |
2014
- See also: United States Congress elections, 2014
A total of 471 seats were up for election on November 4, 2014. As a result of the election, Republicans were left in control of both chambers of Congress.
U.S. House
- See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 2014 and U.S. House battleground districts, 2014
All 435 seats of the U.S. House were up for election in 2014. To regain control of the House, Democrats needed a pick-up of 15 seats. Instead, Republicans saw a net pick-up in seats. According to original analysis by Ballotpedia, only 26 congressional districts were predicted to be competitive in 2014.
| U.S. House | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dem. | 188 | |
| Rep. | 247 | |
| Ind. | 0 | |
| TOTAL | 435 | |
| Click here for more details. | ||
U.S. Senate
- See also: United States Senate elections, 2014
The 33 Class II U.S. Senate seats were up for election. Of those 33 seats, 20 were held by Democrats and 13 by Republican senators. Additionally, three special elections took place in 2014 to fill vacancies that occurred during the 113th Congress (Hawaii, Oklahoma and South Carolina). All three of these special elections took place on November 4, 2014, for a total of 36 Senate elections.
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dem. | 44 | |
| Rep. | 54 | |
| Ind. | 2 | |
| TOTAL | 100 | |
| UNDECIDED | 0 | |
| Click here for more details. | ||
2012
- See also: United States Congress elections, 2012
A total of 468 seats in the U.S. Congress were up for election on November 6, 2012.
U.S. House
In a year where Barack Obama won re-election by 126 electoral votes, the Republican Party maintained their control of the U.S. House winning 234 seats. The Democrats did make some gains, winning 201 seats. This was up from the 193 seats they held prior to the election.[7] This election marks only the fourth time in 100 years that the party that pulled the most total popular votes nationwide did not win control of the House.[8]
U.S. Senate
The Democratic Party retained control over the chamber in 2012, winning 25 of the 33 seats. With Republican candidates winning only eight seats, these were the lowest gains by a major party since the 1950s.[7]
Wave elections (1918-2016)
- See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)
The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?
Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.
Applying this definition to four different election groups (U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governorships, and state legislatures) yields specific numbers of seats that Republicans needed to lose for 2018 to qualify as a wave election. Those are:
- 48 U.S. House seats,
- Seven U.S. Senate seats,
- Seven gubernatorial seats, or
- 494 state legislative seats.
The midterm election results in 2018 met those levels in one category, as Democrats gained seven governorships. In congressional elections, Democrats had a net gain of 40 U.S. House seats while Republicans actually gained a net total of two U.S. Senate seats. Democrats gained a net 309 state legislative seats.
Click here to read the full report.
Congressional committees
U.S. House
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Budget
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Committee on Ethics
- Committee on Financial Services
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Committee on Homeland Security
- Committee on House Administration
- Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select)
- Committee on Judiciary
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Committee on Oversight and Accountability
- Committee on Rules
- Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- Committee on Small Business
- Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (Select)
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Committee on Ways and Means
U.S. Senate
- Committee on Aging (Special)
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on Budget
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Committee on Ethics (Select)
- Committee on Finance
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Committee on Indian Affairs
- Committee on Intelligence (Select)
- Committee on Judiciary
- Committee on Rules and Administration
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Committee on Veterans Affairs
Joint committees
Calendar days in session
The following table lists the number of days that the U.S. Congress was in session from 2001 to 2023.[9][10]
The table gives the numbers in terms of calendar days rather than legislative days. A legislative day "begins after an adjournment and ends with an adjournment" and so can last longer than 24 hours.[11]
| Days in session for the House and Senate, 2001-2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | House | Senate |
| 2023 | 183 | 178 |
| 2022 | 164 | 178 |
| 2021 | 172 | 192 |
| 2020 | 164 | 192 |
| 2019 | 193 | 187 |
| 2018 | 175 | 191 |
| 2017 | 193 | 195 |
| 2016 | 131 | 165 |
| 2015 | 157 | 168 |
| 2014 | 137 | 136 |
| 2013 | 161 | 156 |
| 2012 | 153 | 153 |
| 2011 | 177 | 170 |
| 2010 | 128 | 158 |
| 2009 | 162 | 191 |
| 2008 | 119 | 184 |
| 2007 | 167 | 190 |
| 2006 | 104 | 138 |
| 2005 | 143 | 159 |
| 2004 | 110 | 133 |
| 2003 | 138 | 167 |
| 2002 | 126 | 149 |
| 2001 | 146 | 173 |
See also
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
- 119th Congress
- United States Congress elections, 2024
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
- United States Senate elections, 2024
- United States Congress elections, 2026
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2026
- United States Senate elections, 2026
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, "Member FAQs," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Dictionary.com, "Congress," accessed June 13, 2013
- ↑ The U.S. House of Representatives, "House.gov," accessed June 13, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
- ↑ One undecided 2018 race was decided in September 2019 when Dan Bishop (R) won the special election. The state board of elections called a new election following allegations of absentee ballot fraud in the 2018 race. Unofficial returns from the 2018 election showed Mark Harris (R) leading McCready, who was also the Democratic candidate in 2018, by 905 votes. Harris said he did not run again in 2019 due to health issues. Click here for more information on the aftermath of the 2018 election.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Salon.com, "The House GOP can’t be beat: It’s worse than gerrymandering," January 13, 2013
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Republicans Win Congress as Democrats Get Most Votes," March 18, 2013
- ↑ History, Art, & Archives United States House of Representatives, "List of all Sessions," accessed May 2, 2024
- ↑ Congress.gov, "Past Days in Session of the U.S. Congress," accessed May 2, 2024
- ↑ History, Art, & Archives United States House of Representatives, "Saturday & Sunday Legislative Days," accessed February 11, 2021
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