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2019–2021 meeting of U.S. legislature From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2019, and ended on January 3, 2021, during the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. Senators elected to regular terms in 2014 finished their terms in this Congress, and House seats were apportioned based on the 2010 census.
116th United States Congress | |
---|---|
115th ← → 117th | |
![]() United States Capitol (2020) | |
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 | |
Members | 100 senators 435 representatives 6 non-voting delegates |
Senate majority | Republican |
Senate President | Mike Pence (R) |
House majority | Democratic |
House Speaker | Nancy Pelosi (D) |
Sessions | |
1st: January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2020 2nd: January 3, 2020 – January 3, 2021 |
In the November 2018 midterm elections, the Democratic Party won a new majority in the House, while the Republican Party increased its majority in the Senate. Consequently, this was the first split Congress since the 113th Congress of 2013–2015, and the first Republican Senate–Democratic House split since the 99th Congress of 1985–1987. This Congress was the youngest incoming class by mean age, compared to the previous three the incoming class of freshman representatives,[1] and the most demographically diverse in history.
Upon joining the Libertarian Party on May 1, 2020,[2] Justin Amash became the first member of Congress to represent a political party other than the Democrats or the Republicans since Rep. William Carney, who served as a Conservative before switching to the Republican Party in 1985. Before joining the Libertarian Party, Amash had been serving as an independent since his departure from the Republican Party on July 4, 2019.[3] Paul Mitchell also left the Republicans in December 2020, becoming an independent.[4] Neither incumbent ran for re-election.
Affiliation | Party (shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Independent (caucusing with Democrats) |
Republican | |||||
End of previous Congress | 47 | 2 | 50 | 99 | 1 | ||
Begin (January 3, 2019) | 45 | 2 | 52 | 99 | 1 | ||
January 8, 2019[lower-alpha 1] | 53 | 100 | 0 | ||||
December 31, 2019[lower-alpha 2] | 52 | 99 | 1 | ||||
January 6, 2020[lower-alpha 2] | 53 | 100 | 0 | ||||
December 2, 2020[lower-alpha 3] | 46 | 52 | |||||
Final voting share | 48.0% | 52.0% | |||||
Beginning of the next Congress | 46 | 2 | 51 | 99 | 1 |
Affiliation | Party (shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | Vacant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Independent | Libertarian | Republican | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
End of previous Congress | 196 | 0 | 0 | 236 | 432 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Begin (January 3, 2019)[lower-alpha 4] | 235 | 0 | 0 | 199 | 434 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January 23, 2019[lower-alpha 5] | 198 | 433 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February 10, 2019[lower-alpha 6] | 197 | 432 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
May 21, 2019[lower-alpha 5] | 198 | 433 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
July 4, 2019[lower-alpha 7] | 1 | 197 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 10, 2019[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 6] | 199 | 435 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 23, 2019[lower-alpha 8] | 198 | 434 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
October 1, 2019[lower-alpha 9] | 197 | 433 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
October 17, 2019[lower-alpha 10] | 234 | 432 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November 3, 2019[lower-alpha 11] | 233 | 431 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 19, 2019[lower-alpha 12] | 232 | 198 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January 13, 2020[lower-alpha 13] | 197 | 430 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March 30, 2020[lower-alpha 14] | 196 | 429 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April 29, 2020[lower-alpha 10] | 233 | 430 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
May 1, 2020[lower-alpha 7] | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
May 12, 2020[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 8] | 198 | 432 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
May 22, 2020[lower-alpha 15] | 197 | 431 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
June 23, 2020[lower-alpha 9] | 198 | 432 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
July 17, 2020[lower-alpha 16] | 232 | 431 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
October 4, 2020[lower-alpha 17] | 197 | 430 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 1, 2020[lower-alpha 16] | 233 | 431 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 7, 2020[lower-alpha 18] | 196 | 430 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 14, 2020[lower-alpha 19] | 1 | 195 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Final voting share | 54.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 45.3% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-voting members | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beginning of the next Congress | 222 | 0 | 0 | 211 | 433 | 2 |
Most members of this Congress were Christian (88.2%), with approximately half being Protestant and 30.5% being Catholic. Jewish membership is 6.4%. Other religions represented included Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. One senator said that she was religiously unaffiliated, while the number of members refusing to specify their religious affiliation increased.[29][30][31]
Roughly 96% of members held college degrees. All but 128 members were white and all but 131 members were men.[32]
The Senate included 74 men and 26 women, the most women to date. In 6 states, both senators were women; 14 states were represented by 1 man and 1 woman; and 30 states were represented by 2 men. During this Congress, Johnny Isakson retired for health reasons and Kelly Loeffler was appointed, which increased the number of women from 25 after the 2018 elections to 26. There were 91 non-Hispanic white, 4 Hispanic, 2 Black, 2 Asian, and 1 multiracial (Black/Asian) senators. Additionally, 2 senators were LGBTQ+.[1][33][better source needed] The average age of Senators at the beginning of this congress was 62.9 years.[32]
There were 101 women in the House, the largest number in history.[34] There were 313 non-Hispanic white, 56 Black, 44 Hispanic, 15 Asian, and 4 Native American congress members. Eight were LGBTQ+.[35] Two Democrats — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Donna Shalala — were the youngest (30) and oldest (78) freshmen women in history.[36] Freshmen Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN) were the first two Muslim women and freshmen Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Deb Haaland (D-NM) were the first two Native American women elected as well.[37] The average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 116th Congress was 57.6 years.[32]
With the election of Carolyn Maloney as the first woman to chair the House Oversight Committee,[38] women chaired a record six House committees in a single Congress (out of 26 women to ever chair House committees in the history of Congress), including House members Maxine Waters (Financial Services), Nita Lowey (Appropriations), Zoe Lofgren (Administration), Eddie Bernice Johnson (Science, Space and Technology) and Nydia Velázquez (Small Business), as well as Kathy Castor, who chaired the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.[38] In addition, women chaired a record 39 House subcommittees. Lowey and Kay Granger were also the first women to serve as chair and ranking member of the same committee in the same Congress since the since-defunct Select Committee on the House Beauty Shop, which was chaired and populated entirely by congresswomen during its existence from 1967 to 1977.
The demographics of the 116th U.S. Congress freshmen were more diverse than any previous incoming class.[39][40][41]
At least 25 new congressional representatives were Hispanic, Native American, or people of color, and the incoming class included the first Native American women, the first Muslim women, and the two youngest women ever elected.[39] The 116th Congress included more women elected to the House than any previous Congress.[40][41]
The numbers refer to their Senate classes. All class 1 seats were contested in the November 2018 elections. In this Congress, class 1 means their term commenced in the current Congress, requiring re-election in 2024; class 2 means their term ends with this Congress, requiring re-election in 2020; and class 3 means their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 2022.
State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 25] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Florida (1) |
Vacant | Senator-elect chose to wait until finishing term as Governor of Florida.[42] | Rick Scott (R) |
January 8, 2019 |
Georgia (3) |
Johnny Isakson (R) |
Incumbent resigned December 31, 2019.[43] Successor was appointed the same day[lower-alpha 20] to continue the term.[43] |
Kelly Loeffler (R) |
January 6, 2020[54] |
Arizona (3) |
Martha McSally (R) |
Appointee lost special election to finish the term. Successor elected November 3, 2020. |
Mark Kelly (D) |
December 2, 2020[55] |
District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 25] |
---|---|---|---|---|
North Carolina 9 | Vacant | Vacant from the start of the term as allegations of fraud in the 2018 general election prevented the results from being certified. A special election was held September 10, 2019.[56] |
Dan Bishop (R) |
September 17, 2019[57] |
Pennsylvania 12 | Tom Marino (R) |
Resigned January 23, 2019, to take job in private sector.[51] A special election was held May 21, 2019.[58] |
Fred Keller (R) |
June 3, 2019 |
North Carolina 3 | Walter B. Jones Jr. (R) |
Died February 10, 2019. A special election was held September 10, 2019.[59] |
Greg Murphy (R) |
September 17, 2019[60] |
Michigan 3 | Justin Amash (R) |
Changed party July 4, 2019.[8] | Justin Amash (I) |
July 4, 2019 |
Wisconsin 7 | Sean Duffy (R) |
Resigned September 23, 2019. A special election was held May 12, 2020.[61] |
Tom Tiffany (R) |
May 19, 2020 |
New York 27 | Chris Collins (R) |
Resigned October 1, 2019. A special election was held June 23, 2020.[62] |
Chris Jacobs (R) |
July 21, 2020 |
Maryland 7 | Elijah Cummings (D) |
Died October 17, 2019. A special election was held April 28, 2020.[48][63] |
Kweisi Mfume (D) |
May 5, 2020 |
California 25 | Katie Hill (D) |
Resigned November 3, 2019, due to allegations of improper relationships with staffer. A special election was held March 3, 2020, and a runoff election was held May 12, 2020.[64][65] |
Mike Garcia (R) |
May 19, 2020 |
New Jersey 2 | Jeff Van Drew (D) |
Changed party December 19, 2019.[66] | Jeff Van Drew (R) |
December 19, 2019 |
California 50 | Duncan D. Hunter (R) |
Resigned January 13, 2020, following felony indictment.[67] | Vacant until the next Congress | |
North Carolina 11 | Mark Meadows (R) |
Resigned March 30, 2020, to become White House Chief of Staff.[68][69] | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Michigan 3 | Justin Amash (I) |
Changed party May 1, 2020.[2] | Justin Amash (L) |
May 1, 2020 |
Texas 4 | John Ratcliffe (R) |
Resigned May 22, 2020, to become Director of National Intelligence. | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Georgia 5 | John Lewis (D) |
Died July 17, 2020. A special election runoff was held December 1, 2020.[70] |
Kwanza Hall (D) |
December 3, 2020 |
Georgia 14 | Tom Graves (R) |
Resigned October 4, 2020. | Vacant until the next Congress | |
California 8 | Paul Cook (R) |
Resigned December 7, 2020, after being elected a member of the San Bernardino County Supervisors. | Vacant until the next Congress | |
Michigan 10 | Paul Mitchell (R) |
Changed party December 14, 2020. | Paul Mitchell (I) |
December 14, 2020 |
Section contents: Senate, House, Joint
Committee | Chair | Vice Chair | Ranking Member | Vice Ranking Member |
---|---|---|---|---|
Economic | Mike Lee (R-UT) | Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) (until January 16, 2020) Don Beyer (D-VA) (from January 16, 2020) |
David Schweikert (R-AZ) | Martin Heinrich (D-NM) |
Inaugural Ceremonies (Special) | Roy Blunt (R-MO) | Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) | Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) | Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) |
Library | Roy Blunt (R-MO) | Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) | Rodney Davis (R-IL) | Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) |
Printing | Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) | Roy Blunt (R-MO) | Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) | Rodney Davis (R-IL) |
Taxation[lower-alpha 26] | Richard Neal (D-MA) | Chuck Grassley (R-IA) | Ron Wyden (D-OR) | Kevin Brady (R-TX) |
Also called "elected" or "appointed" officials, there are many employees of the House and Senate whose leaders are included here.[75]
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