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United States Congress

Background Color#22427b
Text Color#FFFFFF
NameUnited States Congress
Legislature112th United States Congress
Coa PicSeal_of_the_Unites_States_Congress.svg
Coa Res130px
House TypeBicameral
HousesSenate
House of Representatives
Leader1 TypePresident of the Senate
Leader1Joe Biden
Party1(D)
Election1January 20, 2009
Leader2 TypePresident pro tempore of the Senate
Leader2Daniel Inouye
Party2(D)
Election2June 28, 2010
Leader3 TypeSpeaker of the House
Leader3John Boehner
Party3(R)
Election3January 5, 2011
Members535
100 Senators
435 Representatives
5 Delegates
1 Resident Commissioner
House1House of Representatives
House2Senate
Structure1112USHouseStructure.svg
Structure1 Res250px
Structure2112USSenateStructure.svg
Structure2 Res250px
Political Groups1  Democratic Party
  Republican Party
Political Groups2  Democratic Party
  Independent (caucused with Democrats)
  Republican Party
Last Election1November 2, 2010
Last Election2November 2, 2010
Session RoomObama Health Care Speech to Joint Session of Congress.jpg
Session Res250px
Meeting PlaceUnited States Capitol

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The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election. Each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives represents a district and serves a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population. Each state, regardless of population, has two senators; since there are fifty states, there are one hundred senators who serve six-year terms. The terms are staggered, so every two years, approximately one-third of the Senate is up for election. While it's theoretically possible to have total turnover in the House every two years and in the Senate every six years, actual turnover is much less, since most incumbents seek re-election, and their historical likelihood of winning subsequent elections exceeds 90%.


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