"Congress is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate."
The legislative branch of the federal government, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, responsible for making laws and checks and balances on the other branches.
The Constitution: The founding document of the United States that established the structure and powers of Congress.
The Legislative Branch: The branch of government responsible for making laws, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Congress: The bicameral body that represents the citizens of the United States.
House of Representatives: One half of the Legislative Branch, consisting of 435 members that serve 2-year terms.
Senate: One half of the Legislative Branch, consisting of 100 members that serve 6-year terms.
Leadership: The individuals in Congress who hold positions of power and authority, such as the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader.
Committee System: A system in which Congress is divided into subgroups, or committees, that focus on specific issues or areas of interest.
Party Politics: The influence of political parties in Congress and the role they play in the legislative process.
Lobbying: The practice of attempting to influence government policy by working with or through government officials.
The Congressional Agenda: The set of issues or topics that Congress is currently focused on or considering.
The Legislative Process: The process of creating and passing laws in Congress, from introducing a bill to its final passage.
Congressional Elections: The process by which members of Congress are elected to office, including the role of campaign finance and gerrymandering.
Congressional Powers: The specific powers and authorities granted to Congress by the Constitution, such as the power to tax and declare war.
Checks and Balances: The system of government in which each branch has the ability to limit the power of the other branches, ensuring that no one branch becomes too powerful.
Congressional Investigations: The power of Congress to investigate issues related to government policy and to hold public hearings in order to gather information.
Congressional Oversight: The responsibility of Congress to monitor and investigate the activities of the executive branch and ensure that it is operating within the law.
Constituent Services: The services provided by members of Congress to their constituents, including assistance with government programs and services.
Representation: The role of members of Congress in representing the interests and concerns of their constituents.
Interest Groups: Groups or organizations that attempt to influence legislation and government policy through lobbying and other means.
Legislative Gridlock: The inability of Congress to reach agreements and pass legislation, often due to political polarization or partisan politics.
House of Representatives: One-half of the legislative branch of the federal government, consisting of 435 representatives elected every two years from congressional districts.
Senate: The other half of the legislative branch, with 100 members serving six-year terms (two senators per state).
Joint Congress: Occurs when both the House of Representatives and Senate meet together, typically to hear addresses from foreign leaders, State of the Union speeches, or count electoral votes.
Special or Extraordinary Congress: This refers to a session of Congress that is called outside of the regular schedule for a specific purpose, such as during a national emergency or impeachment proceedings.
Lame Duck Congress: Occurs during the session of Congress after a new presidency has been elected, but before the new administration is sworn in.
Conference Committee: A temporary panel composed of both House and Senate members that is tasked with reconciling differences between versions of a bill that have passed in each chamber.
Standing Committee: Permanent committees established in each chamber of Congress to handle legislation in specific policy areas, such as Agriculture or Veterans Affairs.
Select or Special Committee: A temporary committee established to investigate a specific issue or problem not covered by existing standing committees.
Joint Committee: A committee composed of members from both the House and Senate to address specific issues that are not within the jurisdiction of any single standing committee.
Leadership Conference: A meeting held by the majority and minority parties of both the House and Senate to discuss legislative priorities and strategy.
Impeachment Proceedings: A process outlined in the Constitution for removing a federal official from office.
Congressional Caucus: A group of members of Congress who share a common interest or ideology, such as the Progressive Caucus or the Freedom Caucus.
"It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C."
"Senators and representatives are chosen through direct election."
"Congress has 535 voting members: 100 senators and 435 representatives."
"The sitting of a Congress is for a two-year term, at present, beginning every other January."
"Elections are held every even-numbered year on Election Day."
"The Reapportionment Act of 1929 established that there be 435 representatives, and the Uniform Congressional Redistricting Act requires that they be elected from single-member constituencies or districts."
"The congressional districts be apportioned among states by population every ten years using the U.S. census results."
"Each senator is elected at-large in their state for a six-year term, and each state has two senators."
"Members of Congress must be at least 25 years old (House) or at least 30 years old (Senate), have been a citizen of the U.S. for seven (House) or nine (Senate) years, and be an inhabitant of the state which they represent."
"In practice since the 19th century, Congress members are typically affiliated with one of the two major parties, the Democratic Party or the Republican Party."
"Members can also switch parties at any time, although this is quite uncommon."
"Vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a governor's appointment."
"The House of Representatives has six non-voting members."
"The U.S. vice president has a vote in the Senate only when senators are evenly divided."
"The Congress was created by the U.S. Constitution and first met in 1789, replacing the Congress of the Confederation in its legislative function."
"Members in both chambers may stand for re-election an unlimited number of times."
"Terms staggered, so every two years approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election."
"The lack of affiliation with a political party does not mean that such members are unable to caucus with members of the political parties."
"Although not legally mandated, in practice since the 19th century, Congress members are typically affiliated with one of the two major parties, the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, and only rarely with a third party or independents affiliated with no party."