| 112th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| Senate Majority | Democratic |
| Senate President | Joe Biden (D) |
| House Majority | Republican |
| House Speaker | John Boehner (R) |
When did Republicans control the house and Senate for the first time?
From 1933 to 1995, Republicans had controlled both House and Senate for only four years. Who controlled the House and Senate in 1988? How many Democrats are in the Senate?
Why was the Senate not designed to serve the people equally?
The Senate was thus not designed to serve the people of the United States equally. The Constitution provides that the approval of both chambers is necessary for the passage of legislation. First convened in 1789, the Senate of the United States was formed on the example of the ancient Roman Senate.
When did the popular election to the Senate start?
By the early years of the 20th century, the legislatures of as many as 29 states had provided for popular election of senators by referendums. Popular election to the Senate was standardized nationally in 1913 by the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment.
Who is the presiding officer of the Senate?
United States Senate. The presiding officer of the Senate is the vice president of the United States, who is president of the Senate. In the vice president's absence, the president pro tempore, who is customarily the senior member of the party holding a majority of seats, presides over the Senate.
Leadership
Who controlled the Senate in 2012?
Congressional elections The Democrats ended up retaining majority control of the Senate, picking up two net seats.
Which party controlled the Senate in 2010?
Despite losing the popular vote, Democrats retained control of the Senate after the election. Republicans won four seats held by retiring Democrats and also defeated two incumbent Democrats, for a Republican net gain of six seats.
Who controlled the House and Senate in 2014?
The 2014 elections gave the Republicans control of the Senate and the House for the first time since the 109th Congress. With 248 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 seats in the Senate, this Congress began with the largest Republican majority since the 71st Congress of 1929–1931.
Who had control of Congress in 2013?
113th United States CongressSenate PresidentJoe Biden (D)House MajorityRepublicanHouse SpeakerJohn Boehner (R)Sessions6 more rows
Who controlled Senate in 2009?
Congress Overview Democrats controlled the 111th Congress (2009–2011) with majorities in both houses of Congress alongside the country's first African-American president, Democrat Barack Obama.
Who controlled the House and Senate in 2017?
115th United States CongressSenate MajorityRepublicanSenate PresidentJoe Biden (D) (until January 20, 2017) Mike Pence (R) (from January 20, 2017)House MajorityRepublicanHouse SpeakerPaul Ryan (R)6 more rows
Who controlled House in 2016?
2016 United States House of Representatives electionsLeaderPaul RyanNancy PelosiPartyRepublicanDemocraticLeader sinceOctober 29, 2015January 3, 2003Leader's seatWisconsin 1stCalifornia 12thLast election247 seats, 51.2%188 seats, 45.5%7 more rows
Who controlled the House and Senate in 2008?
The Democratic Party won a majority in both chambers, giving them full control of Congress for the first time since the 103rd Congress in 1993, which was also the last time they controlled the House.
Who won the Senate in 2008?
2008 United States Senate electionsLeaderHarry ReidMitch McConnellPartyDemocraticRepublicanLeader's seatNevadaKentuckySeats before4949Seats after574120 more rows
Who controlled the House of Representatives in 2012?
Although Democratic candidates received a nationwide plurality of more than 1.4 million votes (1.2%) in all House elections, the Republican Party won a 33-seat advantage in the state-apportioned totals, thus retaining its House majority by 17 seats.
Who controlled the House and Senate in 2006?
November 7, 2006 — California Representative Nancy Pelosi and Nevada Senator Harry Reid led the Democratic Party in taking control of both the House and the Senate in the 2006 congressional elections, the first time in 12 years the Democrats secure control of both houses of Congress simultaneously.
When was the 113th Congress?
113th Congress (2013–2015)
What is the stimulus check for the US?
The immediate business facing the Senate will involve approving $1,200 stimulus checks for Americans financially harmed during by pandemic's economic downturn as well as approving Biden's "American Rescue Plan", a $1.9 trillion emergency relief plan which would include funds for nationwide testing and vaccination. Republicans have already opposed the plan as too costly.
When did Republicans regain the House?
However, Republicans regained the House in 2011 after the 2010 midterms that occurred two years into the first term of Democratic President Barack Obama. Republicans then regained the Senate in 2015, effectively controlling both congressional chambers until 2019. At that point, Democrats regained the House following the 2018 midterms, ...
How many conservative justices are on the Supreme Court?
The court currently has six conservative justices and three liberal ones.
Who was the Democratic senator in California?
Also sworn in on Wednesday was Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California. Padilla was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to fill the vacated seat of Vice President Kamala Harris, who had previously served as a Californian senator. On Wednesday, Harris swore in Padilla, Ossoff and Warnock. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York ...
How does the Senate debate work?
Debate, like most other matters governing the internal functioning of the Senate, is governed by internal rules adopted by the Senate. During a debate, senators may only speak if called upon by the presiding officer, but the presiding officer is required to recognize the first senator who rises to speak. Thus, the presiding officer has little control over the course of the debate. Customarily, the majority leader and minority leader are accorded priority during debates even if another senator rises first. All speeches must be addressed to the presiding officer, who is addressed as "Mr. President" or "Madam President", and not to another member; other Members must be referred to in the third person. In most cases, senators do not refer to each other by name, but by state or position, using forms such as "the senior senator from Virginia", "the gentleman from California", or "my distinguished friend the chairman of the Judiciary Committee". Senators address the Senate standing next to their desks.
What is the Senate's chief administrative officer?
The Senate's chief administrative officer is the secretary of the Senate, who maintains public records, disburses salaries, monitors the acquisition of stationery and supplies, and oversees clerks. The assistant secretary of the Senate aids the secretary's work. Another official is the sergeant at arms who, as the Senate's chief law enforcement officer, maintains order and security on the Senate premises. The Capitol Police handle routine police work, with the sergeant at arms primarily responsible for general oversight. Other employees include the chaplain, who is elected by the Senate, and pages, who are appointed.
How does the Senate differ from the House of Commons?
In this respect, the Senate differs from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and other parliamentary bodies in the Commonwealth of Nations and elsewhere. Each senator chooses a desk based on seniority within the party. By custom, the leader of each party sits in the front row along the center aisle.
What is the role of a vice president in the Senate?
Under the Constitution, the vice president serves as president of the Senate . They may vote in the Senate ( ex officio, for they are not an elected member of the Senate) in the case of a tie, but is not required to. For much of the nation's history the task of presiding over Senate sessions was one of the vice president's principal duties (the other being to receive from the states the tally of electoral ballots cast for president and vice president and to open the certificates "in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives", so that the total votes could be counted). Since the 1950s, vice presidents have presided over few Senate debates. Instead, they have usually presided only on ceremonial occasions, such as swearing in new senators, joint sessions, or at times to announce the result of significant legislation or nomination, or when a tie vote on an important issue is anticipated.
How many senators have been expelled from the Senate?
The Senate may expel a senator by a two-thirds vote. Fifteen senators have been expelled in the Senate's history: William Blount, for treason, in 1797, and fourteen in 1861 and 1862 for supporting the Confederate secession. Although no senator has been expelled since 1862, many senators have chosen to resign when faced with expulsion proceedings – for example, Bob Packwood in 1995. The Senate has also censured and condemned senators; censure requires only a simple majority and does not remove a senator from office. Some senators have opted to withdraw from their re-election races rather than face certain censure or expulsion, such as Robert Torricelli in 2002.
What is the seniority of a senator?
Seniority. Main article: Seniority in the United States Senate. According to the convention of Senate seniority, the senator with the longer tenure in each state is known as the "senior senator"; the other is the "junior senator".
How old do you have to be to be a senator?
Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution, sets three qualifications for senators: (1) they must be at least 30 years old; (2) they must have been citizens of the United States for at least nine years; and (3) they must be inhabitants of the states they seek to represent at the time of their election.
Overview
The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 days before the end of the presidential term to which Barack Obama was elected in 2008. Senators elected to regular terms in 2006 completed those ter…
Major events
• January 6, 2011: On the second day of the 112th Congress, the House of Representatives read a modified version of the U.S. Constitution, a first.
• January 8, 2011: 2011 Tucson shooting: Representative Gabby Giffords and nineteen other people were shot by a gunman in Tucson, Arizona. Six of them, including a federal judge and a congressional aide, died. Votes on the House floor were su…
Major legislation
• April 15, 2011: 2011 United States federal budget (as Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011), Pub.L. 112–10 (text) (PDF)
• August 2, 2011: Budget Control Act of 2011, Pub.L. 112–25 (text) (PDF)
• September 16, 2011: Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, Pub.L. 112–29 (text) (PDF)
Leadership
Section contents: Senate: Majority (D), Minority (R) • House: Majority (R), Minority (D)
• President: Joe Biden (D)
• President pro tempore: Daniel Inouye (D), until December 17, 2012
Employees
• Architect of the Capitol: Stephen T. Ayers
• Attending Physician of the United States Congress: Brian Monahan
• Comptroller General of the United States: Eugene Louis Dodaro
• Director of the Congressional Budget Office: Douglas W. Elmendorf
See also
• Do Not Ask What Good We Do
• 2010 United States elections (elections held in advance of this Congress)
• 2012 United States elections (elections to be held during this Congress)
• List of freshman class members of the 112th United States Congress
Further reading
• Aftershock: The 112th Congress and Post-Crisis Asia by Edward Gresser and Daniel Twining (National Bureau of Asian Research, 2011)
External links
• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
• 112th Congress Congress.gov at the Library of Congress
• Member Information, via U.S. House of Representatives
• Statistics and Lists, via U.S. Senate