118th United States Congress
The 118th United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
President Joe Biden (D) has issued 12 vetoes during the 118th Congress. For more information on vetoes issued during the Biden administration, click here.
New members were elected on November 3, 2022. The 118th Congress convened on January 3, 2023, and will conclude on January 3, 2025.
The Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution specifies that the changeover for members of Congress occurs on January 3 at noon. It also states that Congress itself should convene on that date unless it established a different date by law. Congress passed the 20th Amendment in 1932, and states completed ratifying it in 1933.
Leadership
- See also: U.S. Senate leadership elections, 2023
- See also: U.S. House leadership elections, 2023
Senate
| U.S. Senate leadership | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Representative | Party |
| President of the Senate | Kamala Harris |  Democratic
|
| Senate Majority Leadership | ||
| President pro tempore | Patty Murray | Democratic
|
| Senate Majority Leader | Chuck Schumer | Democratic
|
| Senate Majority Whip | Dick Durbin | Democratic
|
| Senate Minority Leadership | ||
| Senate Minority Leader | Mitch McConnell |  Republican
|
| Senate Minority Whip | John Thune | Republican
|
House of Representatives
| U.S. House leadership | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Representative | Party |
| Speaker of the House | Mike Johnson | 
|
| House Majority Leadership | ||
| House Majority Leader | Steve Scalise |
|
| House Majority Whip | Tom Emmer |
|
| House Minority Leadership | ||
| House Minority Leader | Hakeem Jeffries | 
|
| House Minority Whip | Katherine Clark |
|
Members
For a full list of all the new members of Congress, click here.
The number of new members in previous sessions of Congress were:
- 117th Congress—nine new Senators and 62 new Representatives
- 116th Congress—nine new Senators and 93 new Representatives
- 115th Congress—seven new Senators and 55 new Representatives
Partisan balance
Of the seven new senators in Congress, five are Republican and two are Democratic. Of the 77 new representatives, 42 are Republican and 35 are Democratic.
| Partisan composition, U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| 118th Congress | ||
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 47 | |
| Republican | 49 | |
| Independent | 4[1] | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | |
| Partisan composition, U.S. House | ||
|---|---|---|
| 118th Congress | ||
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 213 | |
| Republican | 220 | |
| Vacancies | 2 | |
| Total | 435 | |
Congressional committees
U.S. Senate
Congressional committees (Senate)
U.S. House
Congressional committees (House)
Joint committees
Congressional committees (Joint)
Analysis
Salary
As of 2024, members of Congress are paid $174,000 per year. Senate majority and minority leaders, as well as the president pro tempore, receive $193,400. The Speaker of the House receives $223,500.[2]
Some historical facts about the salary of United States Congress members:
- In 1789, members of the Congress received $6 per diem[2]
- In 1874, members of the Congress earned $5,000 per year[2]
- In 1990, members of the Congress earned $98,400 per year[2]
- From 2000-2006, the salary of a member of the United States Congress increased every year, going from $141,300-$165,200 in that time span.[2]
Key legislation in the 118th Congress
This section provides links to coverage of key federal legislation considered during the 118th Congress. To be included, the bill must have met several of the following qualifying factors:
- Collaboration between the president and congressional leadership on the bill
- Use of the reconciliation process to pass the bill
- Changes to the congressional procedure to pass the bill
- Estimated cost of the bill as evaluated by the Congressional Budget Office
- Extent of public relations campaign to promote the bill
- Domestic and international policy ramifications
Legislation
- H.R.815: Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.
- Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
- H.J.Res.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.
- H.J.Res.30: Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights"
Noteworthy events
House vote in favor of articles of impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas (2024)
- See also: Impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, 2024
On April 17, 2024, the U.S. Senate dismissed two articles of impeachment against U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. In two votes along party lines, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing the motions, the Senate voted that the allegations in the articles of impeachment did not meet the definition of high crimes and misdemeanors.[3]
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on February 13, 2024. The vote was 214-213, with 214 Republicans voting in favor. Three Republicans, Reps. Michael Gallagher (R-Wis.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), and 210 Democrats voted against impeachment. This was the second time the articles of impeachment were put up for a vote, following a failed vote on February 6, 2024. The House transmitted the articles of impeachment to the U.S. Senate on April 16, 2024.
The articles of impeachment alleged that Mayorkas "willfully and systemically refused to comply with the immigration laws, failed to control the border to the detriment of national security, compromised public safety, and violated the rule of law and separation of powers in the Constitution" and breached the public trust "by knowingly making false statements to Congress and the American people and avoiding lawful oversight in order to obscure the devastating consequences of his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and carry out his statutory duties."[4]
Mayorkas responded to the House Committee on Homeland Security's vote to approve the impeachment articles, saying, "I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service mission to which I have devoted most of my career and to which I remain devoted."[5]
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced the articles of impeachment on November 13, 2023. The articles were amended by the House Committee on Homeland Security, and passed the committee in a vote along party lines, with all Republicans voting in favor, on January 31, 2024.[4]
This was the first time the House voted on articles of impeachment against a Cabinet secretary since 1876. In 1876, Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached for "criminally disregarding his duty as Secretary of War and basely prostituting his high office to his lust for private gain."[6][7]
See also
- United States Congress elections, 2024
- United States Senate elections, 2024
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
- U.S. House leadership elections, 2023
- 118th Congress legislative calendar
- 117th United States Congress
- United States Congress
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
Footnotes
- ↑ Three independents caucus with the Democratic Party. Another independent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, counts toward the Democratic majority for committee purposes.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 U.S. Senate, "Salaries," accessed May 29, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsenate41724 - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Congress.gov, "H.Res.863 - Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors." accessed February 6, 2024
- ↑ Axios, "Mayorkas mounts 11th-hour defense against GOP impeachment effort," January 30, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "House Republicans are ready to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. Vote will be close," February 6, 2024
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Impeachment Trial of Secretary of War William Belknap, 1876," accessed February 6, 2024
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