117th United States Congress
The 117th 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.
New members were elected on November 3, 2020. The 117th Congress convened on January 3, 2021, and concluded on January 3, 2023.
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.
Members
Seventy-one new members won election to the 117th Congress: nine to the Senate and 62 to the House. This includes Rep.-elect Luke Letlow (R-La.), who died from complications related to COVID-19 on December 29, 2020.
Heading into the 2020 elections, there were 53 open seats—four in the Senate and 49 in the House—where it was certain that a new member would be elected. Forty were open because the incumbent did not seek re-election. Eight were open because the incumbent was defeated in a primary or convention. Five seats were vacant after the previous incumbent died, resigned, or was appointed to another position.
Five senators, one Democrat and four Republicans, were defeated by candidates of the opposing party. Thirteen members of the U.S. House, all Democrats, were defeated by Republican challengers.
For a full list of all the new members of Congress, click here.
The number of new members in previous sessions of Congress were:
- 116th Congress—nine new Senators and 93 new Representatives
- 115th Congress—seven new Senators and 55 new Representatives
Partisan balance
| U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After the 2022 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 48[1] | 48 | |
| Republican Party | 50 | 49 | |
| Independent | 2[1] | 3 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
| U.S. House Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After the 2022 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 220 | 213 | |
| Republican Party | 212 | 222 | |
| Vacancies | 3 | 0[2] | |
| Total | 435 | 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.[3]
Some historical facts about the salary of United States Congress members:
- In 1789, members of the Congress received $6 per diem[3]
- In 1874, members of the Congress earned $5,000 per year[3]
- In 1990, members of the Congress earned $98,400 per year[3]
- 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.[3]
Key legislation in the 117th Congress
This section provides links to coverage of key federal legislation considered during the 117th 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
- Respect for Marriage Act of 2022
- Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022
- Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022
- Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (amendment to H.R. 5746: NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021)
- American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
- Build Back Better Act
- Congressional Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2022
- For the People Act of 2021
- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021
See also
- United States Congress elections, 2022
- United States Senate elections, 2022
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2022
- U.S. House leadership elections, 2021
- 117th Congress legislative calendar
- 116th United States Congress
- United States Congress
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Independent Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine) caucus with the Democratic Party.
- ↑ Rep. Donald McEachin (D) died on November 28, 2022, after winning re-election. Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D) won a special election on Feb. 21 to fill McEachin's seat and was sworn in on March 7.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 U.S. Senate, "Salaries," accessed May 29, 2012
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