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The U.S.
Congress
The United States Congress is composed 535 elected representatives who travel to
Washington D.C. to meet in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives
where they make laws and address the greatest issues facing our nation.
The Framer’s Intentions
The Framers, or the writers, of the United States Constitution wanted the members of the House
of Representatives to be well known by the people in their congressional district and also be
focused on working to meet the needs of and solve the problems faced by their districts
constituents.
Term
Representatives were given a term
of office of only two years so that
the people had numerous chances
to judge their performance.
Congressional Districts
Representatives only represent a
congressional district which
allows them to be focused on
meeting the needs and wants of a
smaller group of constituents.
The United States
Senate
100 elected representatives in the United
States Senate
Each of the 50 states receive 2 senators
Each representative is elected to serve a six
year term and can be reelected as many times
as they chose to run.
Senators are placed into one of three classes
upon being elected.
One class of senators comes up for reelection
every 2 years so that only about a third of the
senators can be replaced in any given
election.
The Framer’s Intentions
The Framers, or the writers, of the United States Constitution wanted the members of the United
States Senate to act as a check on democracy and add a level of stability to the federal
government.
Term
Senators were given a term of 6
years, 2 years longer than a
presidential term, in order relieve
them of the constant worry of
trying to get reelected.
Elections
Originally Senators were chosen
by the state legislature, but a
constitutional amendment
changed this to a popular election
Constituents
Senators represent the entire state
and not simply a small group of
constituents.
Qualifications of Senators
• Must live in state
• Must be at least 30
• Needs to be a citizen for at least 9 years
Majority Party
Minority Party
51 Democratic Senators
47 Republican Senators
2 Independents
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Conn)
Sen. Carl Levin (VT)
President of the Senate
Joe Biden (D)
Votes in case of tie
otherwise has little
influence
President pro
Tempore
(D)
President for the
time
The Speaker of the House
The Speaker of the House is the most powerful leader in the House of
Representatives and is almost always a highly experienced member of
the majority party.
The Speaker is allowed to set the agenda of the House, and can by an large decide what
pieces of legislation will be debated on the House floor and how it will be debated.
The Powers of Persuasion
The Speaker often relies on
talking to members of the
House, doing favors, and
getting favors in return.
“The world is full of
little things you can do
for people.”
Former Speaker of the House
Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill
Majority Party
Minority Party
241 Republican Representatives
193 Democratic Senators
The members of the
House “shall choose their
speaker and other
officers.”
Party Caucus
Chooses
Candidate
The entire
membership of the
U.S. House of
Representatives must
approve choice.
Qualifications for House
• Must be at least 25
• Must live in District that you represent
• Must be a citizen for at least 7 years
• Wisconsin District 3
Representative Ron
Kind
• District 2
Representative
Mark Pocan
The Floor Leaders
The most powerful members of the House of Representatives and Senate, beyond the
Speaker of the House, would be the party leaders or floor leaders and the “Whips” who
assist them.
Eric Cantor
Nancy Pelosi
Mitch McConnell
Harry Reid
House Whip
House Whip
Senate Whip
Senate Whip
Kevin McCarthy
Steny Hoyer
Jon Kyl
Richard Durbin
Senate and House leaders speak for their parties on issues, and use their “Whips” to
push bills along, and try and sway votes by gather opinions of party members and
pushing members to vote a certain way.
Jobs in Congress
• Speaker of the House: Presiding officer of the
H of R.
• President Pro Tempore: Presides over the
Senate when VP is absent
• Majority Party: Party with more members
• Minority Party: Party with fewer members
Jobs in Congress
• Floor Leaders: Chief officers in each party.
Responsible for guiding bills through congress.
• Whips: Assist floor leaders