The 119th United States Congress is the current term of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened on January 3, 2025, during the last weeks of Joe Biden's presidency and the first two years of Donald Trump's second presidency.

Following the 2024 elections, the Republican Party retained its slim majority in the House though the party lost 2 seats in the election and thus ended up with a 5-seat majority instead of its previous 9-seat majority. The Republican Party also won a 3-seat majority in the Senate after winning 4 seats in the 2024 elections. With Trump's second inauguration on January 20, 2025, the Republican Party has an overall federal government trifecta for the first time since the 115th Congress (2017–2019), which was in session during Trump's first term.

The 119th Congress features the slimmest majority in the House for any party since the 72nd Congress (1931–1933), and the first openly transgender member of Congress in history (Representative Sarah McBride of Delaware). It also featured the fewest split Senate delegations since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment which established the direct election of U.S. Senators.

History

In the 2024 elections, the Republican Party retained control of the House of Representatives and gained control of the Senate, while Republican nominee Donald Trump won the presidential election, securing a second non-consecutive term. The results of the election were attributed to economic conditions of voters and concerns over immigration, particularly the Mexico–United States border crisis.

The Senate flipped to a 53–47 Republican majority, and in their leadership elections, John Thune was elected to succeed Mitch McConnell, who had been in power for 18 years.

The House assumed a 220–215 Republican majority, the narrowest controlling majority in House history with the 65th Congress. Mike Johnson was re-elected as speaker on the first ballot after initially not receiving enough votes on the roll call, with the vote remaining open until enough members changed votes to support him.

On January 6, a joint session convened to count the presidential Electoral College votes. The proceedings were peaceful, four years after the January 6 Capitol attack, in which supporters of Trump entered the Capitol and disrupted Joe Biden's certification as president. In response to the attack and Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Congress has passed revisions to the Electoral Count Act that prevent the vice president from altering the results.

Major events

  • January 3, 2025, 12 p.m. EST: Congress convenes. Members-elect of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives are sworn in. Mike Johnson (R) was re-elected as speaker on the first ballot after initially not receiving enough votes on the roll call, with Ralph Norman and Keith Self changing their votes to support him.
  • January 6, 2025: A joint session to count the presidential Electoral College votes was held, four years after the January 6 Capitol attack, in which supporters of Trump entered the Capitol and disrupted Joe Biden's certification as president.
  • January 9, 2025: The funeral of former president Jimmy Carter takes place.
  • January 20, 2025: The second inauguration of Donald Trump takes place. The Republicans gain a trifecta.
  • January 24, 2025: Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. This was the second time in United States history that a cabinet confirmation was tied in the Senate and required a tie-breaking vote.
  • March 4, 2025: President Trump addresses a joint session of Congress.
  • March 5, 2025: Representative Sylvester Turner (D) of Texas dies.
  • March 6, 2025: The House votes 224–198 (2 present) to censure Representative Al Green (D) of Texas for speaking out of turn at President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress.
  • March 13, 2025: Representative Raúl Grijalva (D) of Arizona dies.
  • March 31 – April 1, 2025: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey breaks the record for the longest Senate speech protesting President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Major legislation

Enacted

  • January 29, 2025: Laken Riley Act, S. 5
  • March 15, 2025: Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, H.R. 1968

Proposed (but not enacted)

  • H.R. 23: Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (passed House, Senate cloture motion failed)
  • H.R. 28: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (passed House, Senate cloture motion failed)

Major resolutions

Adopted

  • H.Res. 5: Setting the Rules of the House this Congress, with changes from the previous Congress.
  • S.Con.Res. 3: Allowing the Capitol rotunda to be used for Jimmy Carter's lying in state.

Proposed

  • H.Res. 24: Expunging the first impeachment of Donald Trump.
  • H.Res. 25: Expunging the second impeachment of Donald Trump.

Party summary

Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section:

Senate party summary

House party summary

Leadership

Note: Democrats refer to themselves as a "caucus"; Republicans refer to themselves as a "conference".

Senate leadership

Senate presiding officers

  • President:
    • Kamala Harris (D) – until January 20, 2025
    • JD Vance (R) – since January 20, 2025
  • President pro tempore: Chuck Grassley (R)

Senate Majority (Republican) leadership

  • Majority Leader: John Thune (SD)
    • Counselors: Steve Daines (MT), Markwayne Mullin (OK), John Cornyn (TX), and Marsha Blackburn (TN)
  • Majority Whip: John Barrasso (WY)
  • Chair of the Senate Republican Conference: Tom Cotton (AR)
  • Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee: Shelley Moore Capito (WV)
  • Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference: James Lankford (OK)
  • Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee: Tim Scott (SC)
  • Chair of the Senate Republican Steering Committee: Rick Scott (FL)
  • Chief Deputy Whip: Mike Crapo (ID)
    • Deputy Whips: Jim Banks (IN), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Katie Britt (AL), John Cornyn (TX), Deb Fischer (NE), Markwayne Mullin (OK), Dan Sullivan (AK), Thom Tillis (NC), and Todd Young (IN)

Senate Minority (Democratic) leadership

  • Minority Leader and Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus: Chuck Schumer (NY)
  • Minority Whip: Dick Durbin (IL)
  • Chair of Steering and Policy Committee: Amy Klobuchar (MN)
  • Chair of the Strategic Communications Committee: Cory Booker (NJ)
  • Vice Chairs of the Senate Democratic Caucus: Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Mark Warner (VA)
  • Chair of the Senate Democratic Outreach Committee: Bernie Sanders (VT)
  • Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus: Tammy Baldwin (WI)
  • Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
  • Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Outreach Committee: Catherine Cortez Masto (NV)
  • Deputy Secretaries of the Senate Democratic Caucus: Brian Schatz (HI) and Chris Murphy (CT)
  • Vice Chair of Steering and Policy Committee: Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
  • Vice Chair of the Strategic Communications Committee: Tina Smith (MN)
  • Chief Deputy Whip: Brian Schatz (HI)
    • Deputy Whips: Ben Ray Luján (NM), Jeff Merkley (OR), Jacky Rosen (NV), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE)
  • President pro tempore emerita: Patty Murray (WA)

House leadership

House presiding officer

  • Speaker: Mike Johnson (R)

House Majority (Republican) leadership

  • Majority Leader: Steve Scalise (LA 1)
  • Majority Whip: Tom Emmer (MN 6)
  • Chair of the House Republican Conference: Lisa McClain (MI 9)
  • Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee: Richard Hudson (NC 9)
  • Chair of the House Republican Policy Committee: Kevin Hern (OK 1)
  • Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference: Blake Moore (UT 1)
  • Secretary of the House Republican Conference: Erin Houchin (IN 9)
  • Chairwoman of House Republican Leadership: Elise Stefanik (NY 21)
  • Chief Deputy Whip: Guy Reschenthaler (PA 14)
  • Sophomore Elected Leadership Committee Representative: Russell Fry (SC 7)
  • Freshman Elected Leadership Committee Representative: Riley Moore (WV 2)

House Minority (Democratic) leadership

  • Minority Leader and Chair of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee: Hakeem Jeffries (NY 8)
  • Minority Whip: Katherine Clark (MA 5)
  • Chair of the House Democratic Caucus: Pete Aguilar (CA 33)
  • Assistant Democratic Leader: Joe Neguse (CO 2)
  • Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus: Ted Lieu (CA 36)
  • Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: Suzan DelBene (WA 1)
  • Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee: Debbie Dingell (MI 6)
  • Co-Chairs of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee: Maxwell Frost (FL 10), Lori Trahan (MA 3), and Lauren Underwood (IL 14)
  • Junior Caucus Leadership Representative: Robert Garcia (CA 42)
  • Battleground Leadership Representative: Susie Lee (NV 3)
  • Freshman Class Leadership Representative: Luz Rivas (CA 29)
  • Co-Chairs of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee: Nanette Barragán (CA 44), Robin Kelly (IL 2), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL 25)
  • Speaker emerita: Nancy Pelosi (CA 11)

Members

Senate membership

The numbers refer to their Senate classes. All class 1 seats were contested in the November 2024 elections. In this Congress, class 1 means their term commenced in the current Congress, requiring re-election in 2030; class 2 means their term ends with this Congress, requiring re-election in 2026; and class 3 means their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 2028.

House membership

All seats were filled by election in November 2024.

Changes in membership

Senate membership changes

House membership changes

Committees

Senate committees

House committees

Joint committees

Senior staff

Officers
  • Architect of the Capitol: Thomas Austin
  • Attending Physician: Brian P. Monahan
Organizations
  • Capitol Police: J. Thomas Manger
  • Congressional Budget Office: Phillip Swagel
  • Government Accountability Office: Gene Dodaro
  • Government Printing Office: Hugh Halpern
  • Library of Congress: Carla Hayden
    • Congressional Research Service: Karen Donfried
    • Copyright Office: Shira Perlmutter
    • Federal Research Division: Annie Rorem
    • Law Library of Congress: Aslihan Bulut

Senate senior staff

Officers
  • Secretary: Jackie Barber
  • Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper: Jennifer Hemingway
  • Parliamentarian: Elizabeth MacDonough
  • Party Secretary for the Majority: Robert Duncan (R)
  • Party Secretary for the Minority: Gary B. Myrick (D)
  • Chaplain: Barry Black
Officials
  • Curator: Melinda Smith
  • Historian: Katherine Scott
  • Librarian: Meghan Dunn

House senior staff

Officers
  • Chaplain: Margaret G. Kibben
  • Chief Administrative Officer: Catherine Szpindor
  • Clerk: Kevin McCumber
  • Sergeant at Arms: William McFarland
Officials
  • General Counsel: Matthew Berry
  • Historian: Matthew Wasniewski
  • Inspector General: Joseph Picolla
  • Parliamentarian: Jason Smith
  • Reading Clerks: Susan Cole (R) and Tylease Alli (D)
Organizations
  • Office of Congressional Conduct: Omar Ashmawy
  • Office of Interparliamentary Affairs: Kate Knudson
  • Office of the Law Revision Counsel: Ralph Seep
  • Office of the Legislative Counsel: Warren Burke
  • Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds: Shanna Devine
  • Office of Congressional Workplace Rights: Martin Crane

Elections

  • 2024 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
    • 2024 United States Senate elections
    • 2024 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 2026 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
    • 2026 United States Senate elections
    • 2026 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

References


119th Congress

Preparing for the 119th Congress

How ‘representative’ is the 118th Congress?

Video The 118th Congress is one of the least functional ever ABC News

For Congress U.S. GAO