Questions and Answers About Congress  

How many members of Congress are there?
There are in 535 Members of Congress. Congress is split into two branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 435 Representatives in the House (called Congressmen or Congresswomen) and 100 Senators in the Senate.

The number of House Members used to expand as the population expanded, but in 1913, 435 became the set number for Members. There are two Senators for each state.

How many members of each party are there in Congress?
There are 222 Republicans, 211 Democrats, and two Independents in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, there are 50 Democrats and 49 Republicans and one Independent.

If there is ever a 50-50 tie on a Senate vote, the President of the Senate, Vice President Dick Cheney, can cast a vote to break the tie.

Is it common for Congress members to switch parties?
It is not very common Members of Congress to switch political parties. In fact, in the last two years, only one Senator has switched parties. Senator James Jeffords switched from being a Republican to being an Independent.

In the last Congress, one Republican Senator, Bob Smith of New Hampshire, became an Independent but then returned to the Republican Party. In the House, one Republican, Michael Forbes, became a Democrat (he was defeated for re-election) and Virgil Goode, once a Democrat, became Independent, in January 1, 1999.

Why aren't all U.S. Representatives allowed to vote in Congress?
In the House of Representatives, there are a few Members of Congress who are not permitted to vote. They are called Delegates and include: Eni F.H. Faleomavaega of American Samoa, Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington DC, Robert Underwood of Guam, Anibal Acevedo-Villa of Puerto Rico (called a Resident Commissioner), and Donna Christian-Christensen of the Virgin Islands. They are all Democrats. The Republican majority does not permit them to vote. In protest, many residents of the District of Columbia have license plates that proclaim "Taxation Without Representation."

How often are Members of Congress up for re-election?
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election every two years, in even-numbered years.
Senators are elected for six-year terms. Unlike the House where everyone is up for re-election at the same time, about 1/3 of the Senators are up for re-election every two years.

How many people do Members of Congress represent?
Members of the House of Representatives each represent a Congressional District made up of about 600,000 people. Every state has two Senators who each represent the entire state.

The number of Representatives each state has is based on population, but each state has at least one. There are seven states that only have one Representative in the House.  They are: Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, South Dakota, Alaska, and Wyoming.

What is a "Constituent"?
All elected officials have constituents. Constituents are residents of the State/District that elected officials represent. Constituents vote for their representatives and are the ultimate judges of the Member of Congress' job performance.

Do the House and Senate operate the same way?
In the House, the party with the majority number of seats has the power. The House conducts most of its important business by passing bills on how to proceed. Because this is done through voting, the party with the most votes -- the majority -- has the most influence on the passage of the bill. The same is not completely true of the Senate.

While the majority still has more authority in the Senate, any single Senator has the power to stop anything on their own. The Senate conducts business through something called unanimous consent agreements. Everyone must agree or they cannot proceed.

What is the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and how long has it been a part of Congress?
The CBC is a coalition of African American Members of the House of Representatives. The CBC works to positively influence the course of events pertinent to African Americans and others of similar experience and situation and to achieve greater equality for persons of African descent in the design and content of domestic and international programs and services. While the CBC has been primarily focused on the concerns of African Americans, the Caucus has also been at the forefront of legislative campaigns for human and civil rights for all citizens.

In January 1969, newly elected African-American representatives of the 77th Congress joined incumbents to form the "Democratic Select Committee." The Committee was renamed the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the CBC was born in 1971. The thirteen founding members were: Representatives Shirley Chisholm, William Clay, George Collins, John Conyers, Ronald Dellums, Charles Diggs, Augustus Hawkins, Ralph Metcaife, Parren Mitchell, Robert Nix, Charles Rangel, Louis Stokes, and Walter Fauntroy. Congressmen Conyers and Rangel still serve in Congress.

How many bills are introduced every year?
In 1999, there were 5,514 bills introduced in Congress. Almost 2,000 bills were introduced in the Senate and about 3,500 bills were introduced in the House. Fewer than 300 bills became law.