80th United States Congress

80th United States Congress
79th ← → 81st
United States Capitol (1956)
January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949
Senate President	Vacant
Senate Pres. pro tem:	Arthur H. Vandenberg (R)
House Speaker:	Joseph William Martin, Jr. (R)
Members:	96 Senators 435 Representatives 3 Non-voting members
Senate Majority:	Republican
House Majority:	Republican
Sessions
1st: January 3, 1947 – December 19, 1947 Special: November 17, 1947 – December 19, 1947 2nd: January 6, 1948 – December 31, 1948 Special: July 26, 1948 – August 7, 1948

The Eightieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947 to January 3, 1949, during the third and fourth years of Harry S. Truman's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Republicans gained a majority in both chambers for this Congress having gained thirteen Senate seats and fifty-seven House seats. Although the 80th Congress passed a total of 906 public bills, President Truman nicknamed it the "Do Nothing Congress" and, during the 1948 election, campaigned as much against it as against his formal opponent, Thomas Dewey. The 80th Congress passed several significant pro-business bills, most famously the Taft–Hartley Act, but it opposed most of Truman's Fair Deal bills. Truman's campaign strategy worked, and the Republicans lost nine Senate seats and seventy-three seats in the House, allowing the Democrats to begin the 81st Congress with twenty-one more seats than they had had at the end of the 79th Congress.

From the beginning to the end of this Congress, there was no net change in party power. The Democrats lost one seat, which remained vacant until the next Congress.

[ Section contents: Senate: Majority (R), Minority (D) • House: Majority (R), Minority (D) ]

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