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BRIEFING
February 2020
United States Congress: Facts and Figures
The Congress is the legislative branch of the US system of government and is divided into two chambers:
the House of Representatives (lower chamber) and the Senate (upper chamber). The formal powers of
the Congress are set out in Article 1 of the US Constitution, and include making laws, collecting revenue,
borrowing and spending money, declaring war, making treaties with foreign nations, and overseeing
the executive branch.
Elections to the US Congress occur in November every second year, with the Congress convening the
following January. The current, 116th, Congress was elected in November 2018 and was convened in
January 2019.
The US has a long-standing two-party system, which means that nearly all members of Congress belong
to either the Republican or Democratic parties, while independent members (if any) generally align or
sit with one of the two main parties. At the most recent simultaneous US Congressional and Presidential
elections, back in November 2016, the Republicans won majorities in both houses of Congress, as well
as winning the White House. However, the Democrats gained a majority in the House of Representatives
at the November 2018 mid-term elections.
This EPRS Briefing is designed to provide key facts and figures about the US Congress as an institution,
including relevant comparisons with the European Parliament (EP). The back page contains a map
showing the location of the various Congressional buildings on Capitol Hill, home to the Congress in
Washington DC. Congress overall
Composition of the US Congress
The US Congress has 535 voting members – 435
Representatives and 100 Senators – representing about 330
million people in the 50 US states. Elected directly by the
people, on the basis of individual, single-member districts,
House Senate
the 435 Representatives serve a two-year term. Each of the 50
states has two Senators, who sit for a six-year term. Elections
are held, on a rolling basis, for one third of the 100 Senate 435 100
seats every two years.
Democrats Republicans
280 252
View of Capitol Hill from the west. ©Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Photograph by Carol Highsmith [LC-HS503-4764].
This is an updated version of a previous Briefing, on the 115th Congress, by Giulio Sabbati and Micaela Del Monte, published in December 2017.
EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
Authors: Giulio Sabbati and Matthew Parry - Graphics: Lucille Killmayer
PE 630.354 - February 2020EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
Representation Number of Representa ves per state
by state WA
10 VT
ME
2
MT ND
1 1 1 NH 2
Each US state returns at least OR MN NY MA 9
5 ID 8 WI 27
one Representative, with the 2 WY
SD
1
8 MI
14
RI 2
PA
Congress overall
CT 5
size of delegations to the 1
NE
IA 18
NJ 12
NV 4 IN OH
House depending on total CA 4 UT 3
IL
9 16 WV VA DE 1
18 3 MD 8
state population. The House 53
4 CO
7 KS MO KY
11
4 8 6 NC DC0
also has six non-voting 13
TN 9
members: a resident Puerto AZ NM OK AR
SC
7
9 5 4 AL
Rican Commissioner, and 3 MS GA
HI 2
7 14
4
five delegates – one each for TX LA
36 6
Washington DC, American FL
AK 1 27
Samoa, Guam, the North
Mariana Islands, and the US House Senate
400 km
Virgin Islands.1
435 100
200 mi
Party balance in the 116th Congress
(January 2019 to January 2021)
The party winning the elections in each chamber of the US Congress is
identified as the ‘majority’, and their political opponents as the ‘minority’.
This distinction is important, as the majority party holds the most Democrats Republicans
significant leadership positions, such as Speaker of the House, and in
effect also appoints all the committee chairs. 280 252
Following the
Size of political groups in the Congress
November 2018 elections, the 116 Congress opened with 280
th
Democrats, two
independent Senators who caucus with the Democrats, and 252 Republicans, distributed in the
two chambers as follows: 2
Total 199 Republicans
435 seats 235 Democrats
House
46% 54%
Note: the House seat tallies do not sum to the full 435 House seats because one seat was vacant at the opening of the 116th Congress
Total Size of53political groups in the Congress
Republicans
100 seats
Senate (114th and(including
47 Democrats 115thindependents)
congress)
53% 47%
Compared to the preceding 115th Congress, Republicans gained one seat in the Senate and lost 42 in the
House at the November 2018 elections.
116th congress 199 53 47 235 2019
115th congress 241 52 48 194 2017 - 2019
Republicans 114th congress 247 54 46 188 2014 - 2016 Democrats
Data source: U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
2House
House
United States Congress: Facts and Figures
Democrats
Democrats
History of party balance in the US Congress
Between the election of Donald Trump to the US Presidency in November 2016 and the mid-term
elections of November 2018, the Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress, as well as the
Republicans
Republicans
White House. However, this situation has been relatively rare since 1969 – it has only occurred in seven of
the 25 two-year terms. For example, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama enjoyed a majority in both chambers
of Congress only in the first two years of their eight-year terms, while Ronald Reagan and George H.W.
Bush were never in this situation. Since the mid-term House
elections of November 2018, President Trump
enjoys a majority only in the Senate.
Congress Year House of Representatives Senate US President
Senate
House
88th 1963 176 258
* 34 66 John F. Kennedy/Lyndon Johnson
Democrats Republicans
89th 1965 140 295 32 68 Lyndon Johnson 242 293
Democrats Republicans
90th 1967 187 248 36 64 Lyndon Johnson 242 293
Senate Democrats Republicans
91st 1969 192 243 43 57 Richard Nixon 242 293
Democrats Republicans
92nd 1971 180 255 44 54
*+ Richard Nixon 242
Democrats
293
Republicans
93rd 1973 192 243 42 56
*+ Richard Nixon/Gerald Ford 242
Democrats
293
Republicans
94 1975 37 61
*+ Gerald Ford 242 293
th
144 291
Democrats Republicans
95 1977
* Jimmy Carter
th
143 292 38 61 242 293
Democrats Republicans
96th 1979 157 278 41 58
* Jimmy Carter 242
Democrats
293
Republicans
97th 1981 192 243 53 46
* Ronald Reagan
Democrats
242
Republicans
293
98th 1983 166 269 55 45 Ronald Reagan 242 293
Democrats Republicans
99th 1985 181 254 47 53 Ronald Reagan 242 293
Democrats Republicans
100 th
1987 177 258 45 55 Ronald Reagan 242 293
Democrats Republicans
101 th
1989 175 260 45 55 George H.W. Bush 242 293
Democrats Republicans
102 1991
* 44 56 George H.W. Bush 242 293
nd
167 267
Democrats Republicans
103rd 1993 176 258
* 43 57 Bill Clinton 242 293
Democrats Republicans
104th 1995 Bill Clinton
230 204
* 52 48 242
Democrats
293
Republicans
105th 1997 226 207
** 55 45 Bill Clinton 242
Democrats
293
Republicans
106 1999
* Bill Clinton
th
223 211 55 45 242 293
Democrats Republicans
107 2001
** George W. Bush
th
220 213 50 50 242 293
Democrats Republicans
108 2003
* * George W. Bush 242 293
th 51 48
229 205 Democrats Republicans
109 2005
* 55 44
* George W. Bush 242 293
th
233 201 Democrats Republicans
110th 2007 202 233 49 49
*+ George W. Bush 242
Democrats
293
Republicans
111th 2009 178 257 41 57
*+ Barack Obama 242 293
Democrats Republicans
112 2011
*+ Barack Obama
th
242 193 47 51 242 293
Democrats Republicans
113 2013
* Barack Obama
th 45 53
234 201 242 293
Democrats Republicans
114 2015 54 44
** Barack Obama
th
247 188 242 293
Democrats Republicans
115 2017 52 46
** Donald Trump
th
241 194 242 293
116 th
2019 199 235 53 45 ** Donald Trump
Democrats
242
Democrats
Republicans
293
Republicans
242 293
* Independent + Conservative Each symbol represents an individual Member who was not from either party.
Source: House of Representatives, Senate and The White House.
Acronyms for US states
Alabama (AL), Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE),
District of Columbia (DC), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS),
Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi
(MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM),
New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode
Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), South Dakota (SD), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA),
Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI) and Wyoming (WY).
3EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
Elections to the US Congress
Mid-term elections Seats lost and won House
during
mid-term elections
– Seats lost or won by the
President’s party House Senate
Year President House Senate
Mid-term elections to Congress often 1962 John F. Kennedy -4 3
have a different political dynamic Democrats Republicans
1966 Lyndon Johnson 242 293 -47 -4
and a lower turnout to those held in Democrats
Senate
Republicans
presidential election years, with the party 1970 Richard Nixon 242 293 -12 2
Democrats Republicans
of the President usually losing seats, 1974 Gerald Ford (Nixon)242 293 -48 -5
sometimes in considerable numbers.
Democrats Republicans
1978 Jimmy Carter 242 293 -15 -3
Democrats Republicans
The chart on the right shows the 1982 Ronald Reagan 242 293 -26 1
Democrats Republicans
outcome of all mid-term elections to the 1986 Ronald Reagan 242 293 -5 -8 ∆
US Congress since 1962.
Democrats Republicans
1990 George H. W. Bush 242 293 -8 -1
Democrats Republicans
Data source: House of Representatives and Senate. 1994 Bill Clinton 242 293 -52 ∆ -8 ∆
Democrats Republicans
1998 Bill Clinton 242 293 5 0
Democrats Republicans
2002 George W. Bush 242 293 8 2
Democrats Republicans
2006 George W. Bush 242 293 -30 ∆ -6 ∆
Democrats Republicans
2010 Barack Obama 242 293 -63 ∆ -6
Democrats Republicans
2014 Barack Obama 242 293 -13 -9 ∆
Democrats Republicans
2018 Donald Trump
Democrats
242
Republicans
293 -42 ∆ 1
242 293
∆ Change in overall control
Trends in turnout in US
Congressional and EP elections3
Since 1979 (the year of the first EP direct elections), voter participation has generally fallen over time in
both the US and EU, though the most recent US Congressional mid-term elections, in November 2018,
and the most recent European Parliament elections, in May 2019, were both significant exceptions. The
overall trend is consistent with a decline in participation in national elections in most G20 democracies
since 1945, from a post-war average of around 80 percent, to a figure of around 60 percent today.
In general, on both sides of the Atlantic, elections in which voters simultaneously decide who runs
the executive branch of government, as well as who controls the legislature, attract a higher turnout.
The US mid-term elections, like European Parliament elections, generally see turnout which is 15 to 20
percentage points lower than in US presidential elections or in national elections in Europe, in both of
which control of the executive is being determined.
100%
Parliamentary elections in EU Member States US Congress (Presidential election years)
80%
60%
US Congress (mid-terms)
European Parliament
40%
20%
0%
1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
Data source: IDEA.
For reference, turnout in both EP and national parliamentary elections is calculated as the total number of votes as a percentage of the total
number of registered voters. All national elections taking place in the same year are totalled to generate an annual EU-wide percentage.
4United States Congress: Facts and Figures
Voting methods for Congress
To boost turnout in US elections, many states have introduced alternative or convenience systems for
casting votes. Overall three methods are used:
• 39 states and the District Voting method in Congressional elections
of Columbia allow early
ME
voting in person during a WA
designated period before MT ND
VT
NH
Election Day, without the OR
ID
MN
WI
NY MA
MI
voter needing to provide WY
SD
PA
RI
CT
any justification for voting NE
IA
NJ
NV IN OH
early. CA UT
IL
WV DE
VA
CO MD
KS MO KY
• All states mail absentee NC DC
ballot papers to voters at AZ
NM OK
TN SC
AR
their request (justification MS
AL GA
is required in 20 states). HI
LA
TX
• Postal ballot papers are
FL
AK 400 km
automatically mailed to 200 mi
voters eligible for mail
voting. (Five states use All-mail voting Early voting and no-excuse absentee voting No early voting: excuse required for absentee
such voting for all their Early voting: excuse required for absentee voting No early voting but no-excuse absentee voting
elections: Colorado,
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Absentee and Early Voting.
Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and
Washington).
House leadership
The Speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House of Representatives. Elected by
the House every two years, at the beginning of each new Congress, the Speaker is the only House
leadership position mentioned in the US Constitution (Article 1). The Speaker for the 116th Congress is
Representative Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA). The House Democratic Caucus and the House Republican
Conference play roles analogous to political groups in the European Parliament.
For the 116th Congress, the House leadership positions include, for the majority Democrats and for the
minority Republicans, the following individuals:
Majority Democrats Minority Republicans
Speaker: Nancy Pelosi (CA) Republican Leader: Kevin McCarthy (CA)
Majority Leader: Steny Hoyer (MD) Republican Whip: Steve Scalise (LA)
Democratic Caucus Chair: Hakeem Jeffries (NY) Republican Conference Chair: Liz Cheney (WY)
Majority Whip: James Clyburn (SC) Republican Policy Committee Chair: Gary Palmer (AL)
Assistant Speaker: Ben Ray Luján (NM)
Source: House Leadership.
5EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
Senate leadership
In the Senate, there are two constitutionally mandated officers: the Vice-President of the United States,
who serves as the President of the Senate (currently Mike Pence), and the President pro tempore, who
presides over the Senate in the Vice-President’s absence, currently Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA). The
other Senate leadership positions include the following individuals:
Majority Republicans Minority Democrats
Democratic Leader and Chair of
Republican Leader: Mitch McConnell (KY) Charles Schumer (NY)
the Conference:
Republican Conference Chair: John Barrasso (WY) Assistant Democratic Leader: Patty Murray (WA)
Republican Majority Whip: John Thune (SD) Democratic Whip: Richard Durbin (IL)
Republican Policy Committee Chair of Policy and
Roy Blunt (MO) Debbie Stabenow (MI)
Chair: Communications Committee:
Source: Senate Leadership.
Congressional Committees
Much of the legislative and oversight work of the US Congress is undertaken in the committees of each
house. There are 20 committees in the House of Representatives and 17 in the Senate, together
with four joint committees between the two chambers. Their names, chairs, ranking members and total
numbers of members are set out below. Most committees have several sub-committees: there are a
total of 98 sub-committees in the House and 56 in the Senate.
Composition of House Committees
House
Name of Committee Chair (D) Ranking Member (R) Number of Representatives
Repubblicans
House
Armed Services Adam Smith (WA) Mac Thornberry (TX) 57 31 26
Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (OR) Sam Graves (MO) 67 37 30
Financial Services Maxine Waters (CA) Patrick McHenry (NC) 60 34 26
Senate
Energy and Commerce Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ) Greg Walden (OR) 55 31 24
Democrats
Appropriations Nita Lowey (NY) Kay Granger (TX) 53 30 23
Foreign Affairs Eliot Engel (NY) Michael McCaul (TX) 47 26 21
Agriculture Collin Peterson (MN) K. Michael Conaway (TX) 47 26 21
Natural Resources Raúl Grijalva (AZ) Rob Bishop (UT) 45 26 19
Oversight and Reform Democrats
Carolyn Maloney (NY) Jim Jordan (OH) 42 24 18
Judiciary Jerrold Nadler (NY) Doug Collins (GA) 41 24 17
Education and Labor Robert Scott (VA) Virginia Foxx (NC) 50 28 22
Ways and Means Richard Neal (MA) Kevin Brady (TX) 42 25 17
Repubblicans
Science, Space and Technology Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX) Frank Lucas (OK) 39 22 17
Budget John Yarmuth (KY) Steve Womack (AR) 36 22 14
Homeland Security Bennie G. Thompson (MS) Mike Rogers (AL) 31 18 13
Small Business Nydia M. Velázquez (NY) Steve Chabot (OH) 24 14 10
Veterans' Affairs Mark Takano (CA) David P. Roe (TN) 28 16 12
Rules Democrats
James McGovern (MA) Tom Cole (OK) 13 9 4
Ethics Theodore Deutch (FL) Kenny Marchant (TX) 10 5 5
House Administration Zoe Lofgren (CA) Rodney Davis (IL) 9 6 3
Repubblicans
6United States Congress: Facts and Figures
House
Composition of Senate Committees Senate
House
Name of Committee Chair (R) Ranking Member (D) Number of Senators
pubblicans Senate
Appropriations Richard Shelby (AL) Patrick Leahy (VT) 31 16 15
Armed Services James Inhofe (OK) Jack Reed (RI) 27 14 13
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Roger Wicker (MS) Maria Cantwell (WA) 26 14 12
Finance Chuck Grassley (IA) Ron Wyden (OR) 28 15 13
mocrats
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Mike Crapo (ID) Sherrod Brown (OH) 25 13 12
Budget Michael Enzi (WY) Bernard Sanders (VT) 21 11 10
Energy and Natural Resources Lisa Murkowski (AK) Joe Manchin (WV) 20 11 9
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Lamar Alexander (TN) Patty Murray (WA) 23 12 11
mocrats Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Pat Roberts (KS) Debbie Stabenow (MI) 20 11 9
Environment and Public Works John Barrasso (WY) Thomas Carper (DE) 21 11 10
Foreign Relations James Risch (ID) Robert Menendez (NJ) 22 12 10
Judiciary Lindsey Graham (SC) Dianne Feinstein (CA) 22 12 10
pubblicansRules and Administration Roy Blunt (MO) Amy Klobuchar (MN) 19 10 9
Small Business and Entrepreneurship Marco Rubio (FL) Benjamin Cardin (MD) 19 10 9
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Ron Johnson (WI) Gary Peters (MI) 14 8 6
Veterans' Affairs Johnny Isakson (GA) Jon Tester (MT) 17 9 8
Indian Affairs John Hoeven (ND) Tom Udall (NM) 13 7 6
mocrats
Composition of Joint Committees Senate Joint Committees
House
Joint Committee Chair (R) Vice Chair (R)
pubblicansEconomic Sen. Mike Lee (UT) Sen. Martin Heinrich (NM) 10 6 4
Library Sen. Roy Blunt (MO) Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN) 5 32
Printing Sen. Roy Blunt (MO) (Vice-Chair) Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN) 5 32
Taxation Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA) (Vice-Chair) Sen. Ron Wyden (OR) 5 32
Source: House of Representatives and Senate.
Profile of Members of the 116th Congress
New
New Members ofmembers
Congressof the Congress
Newly elected members of Congress are often referred to as ‘freshmen’. There are a total of 96 first-term
members in the 116th Congress.
Age of members
New Members Re-elected Members
87 20.2 % 79.8 %
House
9 9.2 % 90.8 %
Senate
Age of members
New Members Re-elected Members
32 16.2 % 83.8 % Republicans
House 55 23.6 % 76.4 % Democrats
7 13.2 % 86.8 % Republicans
Senate 2 4.4 % 95.6 % Democrats
Source: House of Representatives and Senate.
7Women in Congress
EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
Women in the US Congress
A total of 126 women voting members were elected to the 116th Congress: 101 to the House
(88 Democrats and 13 Republicans) and 25 to the Senate (17 Democrats and 8 Republicans). Four non-
voting members in the House (three Delegates; one Resident Commissioner) are also women.4
Republicans 8.3 %
Democrats 37.5 %
House and Senate
Republicans 8.3 %
(21/252)
Democrats 37.5 %
(105/280)
Source: House of Representatives.
Women in the US Congress and European Parliament
The proportion of female members of the US Congress and of the European Parliament have both
increased over time, with the former consistently having fewer women than the latter. Congress counted
only 3 % female members in 1979, although the proportion has risen to 23.6 % this term. The proportion
Women
of women in the European in the atCongress
Parliament the start ofand
eachEP
parliamentary term has also shown steady
growth, from 16.6 % in 1979, to 40.6 % in the current (2019-2024) term.
50 %
40.6 %
40 %
European Parliament
30 %
23.6 %
20 % 16.6%
10 %
3.0% US Congress
0%
1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
Source: Women in Congress, Historical data, US House of Representatives.
8United States Congress: Facts and Figures
Age of Members of Congress
Age ofstates
The US Constitution members of the
that, to serve Congress
in office, a Representative must be at least 25 years old and a
Senator at least 30 years old. At the beginning of the 116 Congress, the average age of members in the
th
House was 58 years, and in the Senate, 63 years.
Age of members Minimum Average Maximum
Age 29 58 85
House
Age 39 63 85
Senate
Source: Membership of the 116th Congress: a Profile, CRS, 4 November 2019.
Ethnic origin of Members of Congress
The 116th Congress is the most diverse in history, with a record presence of members of African American,
Hispanic/Latino and Asian origin. The 116th Congress is the fifth Congress in a row that is more diverse
than its immediate predecessor. However, the percentage of non-white members voting (around 22 %)
Ethnical origin of the Congress
is below the 39 % share of the US population.5 The House is significantly more diverse than the Senate.
White African Hispanic and Asian
Age of members Americans Americans Latino Americans Americans: 3 %
75 % 12 % 10 %
House
89 %
Senate
White Hispanic and African Asian
Americans Latino Americans: 5 % Americans: 3 % Americans: 3 %
Note: Asian Americans include members of Pacific Islander descent.
Sources: Pew Research, February 2019.
Religious affiliation of Members of Congress
Religious of members of the Congress
Just over 88 % of Members of Congress consider themselves to be Christians, of whom almost 55 % are
Protestant (mostly Baptist and Methodist). Judaism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam are
also represented in Congress. While only 0.2 % of Congressional members have no religious affiliation,
23 % of the US population do not identify with a specific faith.
Protestant: 54 % Protestant: 60 %
House Senate
Catholic: 32 % Catholic: 22 %
Jewish: 6 % Jewish: 8 %
Mormon: 1 % Others: 6 % Mormon: 4 % Others: 6 %
Orthodox Christian, Hindu, Orthodox Christian, Hindu,
Buddhist, Muslim and unaffiliated Buddhist, Muslim and unaffiliated
Source: Pew Research, January 2019.
9EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
The work of the 115th Congress (January 2017 to January 2019)
Activites in the Congress
The work of members of Congress is structured around two types of day: work on Capitol Hill, when
Congress is in session, and ‘district days’ in their constituencies. Each member of Congress may introduce
bills and resolutions.6 Between 1973 and 2016, each member introduced an average of 20 proposals per
Congress. In total, 13 556 proposed measures (bills, various types of resolution) were introduced in the
115th Congress (2017-2019), but only 3 % of them were enacted.7
12
366 9 1 516 3
13 556 443 0
Days Hours
House 6
12
386 9 2 182 3
Bills Laws Bills
Days Hours introduced Enacted vetoed
Senate 6
Source: Résumé of Congressional Activity of the 115th Congress.
Staff levels in the US Congress
‘Staffers’ working on committees, in members' personal offices and in other Congressional roles help
the 435 Representatives and 100 Senators in their daily work. In 2016, there were 9 420 staff working
in the House of Representatives and 5 749 staff in the Senate. Over time, the proportion of committee
staff appears to have decreased and personal staff increased (including in districts/states), notably in
the Senate.
House Senate
12 12
In 1 000
10 10 In 1 000
8 8
6 6
4 4
2 2
0 0
1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016
Commissions Committees Officers and officials Committees
Officers and officials House Members’ offices Leadership Senators' offices
Leadership
Source: CRS Report on Senate and House of Representatives Staff Levels in Member, Committee, Leadership,
and Other Offices, 1977-2016, 13 September 2016.
10Lorem ipsum
United States Congress: Facts and Figures
Cost of the House of Representatives
Funding for the House of Representatives in fiscal year (FY) 2019 amounted to €1 073 million (US$1 233
million). Almost half this figure was devoted to the Members' Representational Allowance (MRA),
House
supporting Representatives of representatives
in their appropriations
official and representational duties (including the cost of staff, mail,
travel, office equipment and district office rental).
Age of members
Members’ Representational Allowance 499
Other allowances and expenses 221 € million
Salaries, officers, and employees 192
Committee employees 131
House Leadership offices 22 Total House of Representatives'
Intern allowance 8 appropriations: € 1 073 million
Source: CRS Report on Legislative Branch: FY2019 Appropriations, 13 November 2018.
US Congressional agencies
A number of specialised bodies support the detailed work of members of Congress – notably the
Congressional Research Service (CRS), which provides independent, non-partisan policy and legal
analysis to members individually and collectively; the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which provides
comparable analysis of budgetary and macro-economic issues; and the Government Accountability
Office (GAO), which investigates and reports to Congress on how US taxpayers' money is spent by the
federal government and assists Congressional committees with oversight of the executive. In total, these
three Congressional agencies have more than 4 000 staff and spend around €700 million (FY 2019).
Financial resources Staff
€ million US$ million (full-time equivalent posts)
CRS 110 126 621
CBO 44 51 258
GAO 553 636 3 150
Total 707 813 4 029
Source: CRS Report on Legislative Branch: FY2019 Appropriations, Library of Congress budget justification for FY 2020; CBO appropriation
request for FY 20120; Budget requests for GAO for FY 2020 (exchange rate €1 = US$1.1493).
MAIN REFERENCES
Congressional Profile, Office of the Clerk, US House of Representatives, 20 December 2019. Résumé of
Congressional Activity, First and Second Sessions of 115th Congress, Congressional Record, Daily Digest.
Endnotes
1
By law, Delegates’ term of service is also two years, and the Resident Commissioner serves for four years.
2
Tallies as at the opening of the 116th Congress in January 2019. In the Senate, two Independents caucus with Democrats.
Following the resignations of four Representatives and the death of a fifth, five seats are vacant in the House and three further vacancies
have already been filled, as of January 2020.
3
Since 1972, US citizens (both native and naturalised) must be at least 18 years old to vote. Every state except North Dakota
requires eligible voters to formally register to exercise their right to vote.
4
To date, only one state, Vermont, has never returned a woman to the House or the Senate. Mississippi returned a woman
for the first time in 2018, when Cindy Hyde-Smith was elected to the US Senate.
5
The 116th Congress includes 24 Representatives and five Senators born abroad. Nine Representatives were born in Europe.
6
Bill, resolution, concurrent resolution, and simple resolution. ‘Companion’ bill is used to describe a bill, introduced in one
House of Congress, similar or identical to a bill introduced in the other.
7
The House and Senate must pass exactly the same version of any bill before it becomes law. Once both House and Senate agree,
the bill is either signed or vetoed by the US President.
11EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
CongressionalWashington: CapitolHill,
buildings on Capitol HillWashington DC
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Union Station S
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Aven
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Independence Avenue
Rayburn Cannon Madison
O’Neill Longworth
Second Street
Ford
Third Street
Office buildings for
White House Senate
Capitol Hill House of Representatives
Washington, DC
Library of Congress
Metro station
Railway station
DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT
This document is prepared for, and addressed to, the Members and staff of the European Parliament as background material to
assistthem in their parliamentary work. The content of the document is the sole responsibility of its author(s) and any opinions
expressed herein should not be taken to represent an official position of the Parliament.
Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the
European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy.
© European Union, 2020.
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