United States Congress

United States Congress
115th United States Congress
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Senate House of Representatives
History
Founded	March 4, 1789 (227 years ago) (1789-03-04)
Preceded by	Congress of the Confederation
New session started	January 3, 2017
Leadership
President of the Senate	Mike Pence (R) Since January 20, 2017
Speaker of the House of Representatives	Paul Ryan (R) Since October 29, 2015
President pro tempore of the Senate	Orrin Hatch (R) Since January 6, 2015
Structure
Seats	535 voting members: 100 senators 435 representatives 6 non-voting members
House of Representatives political groups	Republican (241)      Democratic (194)      Vacant (0)
Senate political groups	Republican (52)      Democratic (46)      Independent (2) (caucusing with Democrats)
Elections
House of Representatives last election	November 8, 2016
Senate last election	November 8, 2016
Meeting place
United States Capitol Washington, D.C., United States
Website
www.congress.gov

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States consisting of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a gubernatorial appointment. Members are usually affiliated to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party, and only rarely to a third party or as independents. Congress has 535 voting members: 435 Representatives and 100 Senators. The House of Representatives has six non-voting members in addition to its 435 voting members. These members can, however, sit on congressional committees and introduce legislation. These members represent Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms representing the people of a single constituency, known as a "district". Congressional districts are apportioned to states by population using the United States Census results, provided that each state has at least one congressional representative. Each state, regardless of population or size, has two senators. Currently, there are 100 senators representing the 50 states. Each senator is elected at-large in their state for a six-year term, with terms staggered, so every two years approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election.