As the lawmaking body of Congress, the legislative branch of the United States government is perhaps the most crucial in terms of helping public affairs professionals create lasting legislative change for their organizations.
However, beyond its primary functions, there are many interesting facts about the legislative branch that many people may not be aware of. Knowing the intricacies of the legislative branch and its members can help public affairs professionals develop deeper relationships with Congress.
The following article covers some facts about Congress, along with some fun facts about the legislative branch that can help public affairs professionals understand the body on a more significant level.
What Do You Already Know About the U.S. Congress?
It’s been a long time since high school civics for most of us, so before bwe dive into the lesser-known details, let's briefly recap some basics about the U.S. Congress.
Congress is responsible for making laws, levying taxes, regulating commerce, declaring war and more. It consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The House has 435 voting members, while the Senate has 100. Together, they form the legislative body of the federal government.
Interesting Facts About Congress
From campaign finance to rules and regulations, here are ten interesting facts about Congress to help you gain a better understanding of the inner workings of the legislative branch.
10 Facts about the House
- It Takes a Lot of Money to Win an Election: House candidates spent a median of $2.1 million during the 2022 election cycle, working out to about $2,800 per day. This money is generally used to spread a candidate’s message to households, television and digital channels, along with paying for staff, polling, yard signs and other needs. However, higher political spending doesn’t always ensure success.
- The Rules Committee Holds Outsize Power: The Rules Committee controls what bills go to the House floor and the terms of debate. Laws fly or die as a result of the committee and, as such, the group stands as one of the most powerful in Congress. Since the late 1970s, the Rules Committee has been made up of 9 majority and 4 minority members to ensure a balanced weight of decision-making.
- Women are Increasingly Being Elected to the House: Women now make up over a quarter of the House delegation, a 59% increase from a decade ago. Despite this change, there still exists a significant gender gap in the legislative body, although current trends may see this change in the near future.
- They Have Districts: Members of the House represent specific geographic areas known as congressional districts. The apportion of representation for each district undergoes the process of redistricting every ten years following the distribution of the decennial United States census. This process can be controversial at times, with much criticism over the use of gerrymandering to form districts that hold outsize power for the governing party.
- The House is More Diverse Than Ever: The 118th Congress is the most racially and ethnically diverse in history. Currently, 133 lawmakers identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian, Alaska Native or multiracial, making up about a quarter of Congress, including 28% of the House of Representatives. However, the body still lacks the diversity of the general population, where non-White voters make up about 59%.
- Gen-Z is In the House: With the election of then-27-year-old Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) in 2022, generation Z gained its first member to hold office in Congress. Over the next decade, Congress will likely see an increase in younger elected members, which could result in a change of priorities as the legislative branch takes on more issues important to younger generations.
- The House Can Decide the Presidency: The House holds the power to elect the president in case of an Electoral College tie, according to Article II of the U.S. Constitution. This power has only been invoked twice, such as in 1800 after a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, and in 1824, when the House named John Quincy Adams president despite Andrew Jackson winning the popular vote.
- Fewer Military Veterans Make Up Congress: The 118th Congress contains 80 members who have served in the military at some level, less than 20% of the total House membership. While this is a slight uptick from the 75 military veterans who represented the last Congress, it’s still low by historical standards. However, this mirrors the general population, where about 6% of Americans have served in the military, compared to 18% in 1980, according to the U.S. Census.
- Most House Members Have College Degrees: About 94% of current House members hold a degree in higher education, including 64% that hold a bachelor’s degree as their highest form of education. Five representatives have an associate degree, while 22 members do not have a degree. This number echoes the increase in college degrees among the general U.S. population.
- House Staff Levels are Growing: Staffing levels in House offices grew from 8,831 to 9,247, or 4.71% between 1977 and 2023. This growth occurred as more staffers increasingly occupied the personal offices of members. Despite recent growth, the current number is still lower than the staff peaks in the 1990s.
10 Facts about the Senate
- The Senate is Getting Older: While the House saw a decrease in age this past election, the Senate continued to increase in age, with the average Senate age now reaching 65.3 years, compared to 62.4 in the 115th Congress.
- Their Term Lengths are Longer: Senators serve staggered six-year terms, with approximately one-third of the Senate up for reelection every two years.
- Men Outnumber Women: The gender balance in the Senate has historically been skewed toward men, but efforts to increase female representation have been ongoing.
- The Senate is Less Diverse: Just 12% of members of the Senate are people of color, compared to 28% of the House. This number ticked up a bit from the last Congress, where 11% of the body was composed of people of color.
- The Senate Has Some Unique Powers: The Senate shares legislative responsibilities with the House, but it also has unique powers, such as confirming presidential appointments and ratifying treaties.
- A Senate Seat is More Expensive Than the House: The top five most competitive Senate seats in the 2022 midterm elections totaled nearly $1.3 billion, according to OpenSecrets. Nearly $375 million was spent on one race between Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and former television host Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Republican.
- They Also Have Committees: Like the House, much of the Senate's legislative work occurs within committees, which play a vital role in shaping policy and conducting oversight.
- Role in Impeachment: The Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials for federal officials, including the president.
- Historical Traditions: The Senate is known for its traditions, including the filibuster, cloture and the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominees.
- Underrepresentation in the Senate: Due to how senators are elected, the body is often criticized for underrepresenting the larger U.S. population. Since every state is apportioned two senators, states with lower, and more White, populations hold the same power as those with higher populations and racial diversity.
10 Fun Facts about Congress
While Congress is primarily known for its legislative duties, there are some lesser-known, fun facts about Congress worth noting:
- Longest Filibuster: In 1957, Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina set a record for the longest filibuster in Senate history, speaking for over 24 hours straight in opposition to civil rights legislation. At the time, he was a Democrat, although he became a Republican in the next decade.
- Youngest Member: William Charles Cole Claiborne was probably the youngest person ever elected to Congress, serving in the House at the age of 22 (although reliable sources differ about his age).
- Oldest Member: On the other end of the spectrum, Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) (making a second appearance) turned 100 years old on Dec. 5, 2002 while still in office, making him the oldest person to ever serve in the U.S. Senate.
- Congressional Cafeterias: Congress has its own dining facilities, including cafeterias and restaurants, where members can dine with colleagues and staff.
- They have their own Subway: The United States Capitol subway system is a private subway under the Capitol building that was launched in 1901.
- Sen. MarkWayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a member of the Cherokee Tribe, is the first Native American to serve in the U.S. Senate.
- Former Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has made five cameo appearances in Batman movies and voiced one for an animated episode. Leahy gave all royalties to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, where he read comic books as a child.
- Members of Congress have broad immunity from legal threat or even prosecution through the Constitution’s “speech and debate clause” if their actions are considered “purely legislative activities”. The constitutional provision was informed by the precedent of England creating an independent parliament.
- Hiram R. Revels (R-Miss.) was the first African-American senator, serving from 1870 to 1871.
- The first woman to be elected to the Senate was Hattie Caraway (D-Ark.) in 1932, while the first woman to serve in the Senate was Rebecca Felton (D-Ga.), who was appointed in 1922.
Turning Facts About Congress Into Action
Understanding these interesting facts about the legislative branch can offer valuable insights into the inner workings of Congress. For professionals engaged in advocacy or lobbying efforts, knowing the ins and outs of Congress, including its key players and procedural quirks, is essential for developing meaningful relationships with members of Congress to create an impact for your organization.
Public affairs software, such as LegiStorm, provides comprehensive congressional staff contact information for state legislatures and Congress, along with lists of town halls, press releases, congressional hearings and more to better inform your work and help you strategically engage with lawmakers and their staff to advance your organization's objectives.
Originally published May 28, 2024, updated September 26, 2024
Sources
- https://issueone.org/articles/the-congressional-fundraising-treadmill-2022-election/
- https://www.npr.org/2023/11/01/1205728664/campaign-finance-donations-election-fec-fundraising-ad-spending
- https://rules.house.gov/
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/01/03/118th-congress-has-a-record-number-of-women/#:~:text=Counting%20both%20the%20House%20of,of%20the%20overall%20U.S.%20population.
- https://www.census.gov/
- https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/gerrymandering-explained
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/07/the-changing-face-of-congress/
- https://guides.loc.gov/presidential-election-1800
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/12/07/new-congress-will-have-a-few-more-veterans-but-their-share-of-lawmakers-is-still-near-a-record-low/
- https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2021.S2101?q=S2101
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/02/nearly-all-members-of-the-118th-congress-have-a-bachelors-degree-and-most-have-a-graduate-degree-too/
- https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/beyond-bls/explaining-changes-in-educational-attainment-over-time.htm
- https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R43947#:~:text=Staff%20levels%20in%20House%20Member,have%20declined%205.38%25%20since%202004.
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/01/30/house-gets-younger-senate-gets-older-a-look-at-the-age-and-generation-of-lawmakers-in-the-118th-congress/
- https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/most-expensive-races?cycle=2022&display=allcandsout
- https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/impeachment.htm#:~:text=After%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives,as%20prosecutors%20before%20the%20Senate.
- https://www.congressionalresearch.org/SenateProblem.html
- https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/23/this-day-in-politics-nov-23-1817-251106
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