What the U.S. Congress Is: The U.S. Congress is the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Federal government. It has a House of
Representatives , which represent each state based on the population of that state, and the Senate ,
which has only two representatives from each state.
Every two years, voters elect all 435 representatives and a third of the senators. A new Congress
begins in January following Congressional elections. Since the First Congress, which met from 1789
to 1791, all Congresses have been numbered in order. Congress meets once every year and usually
lasts from January 3rd to July 31st, but in special cases, a session can last longer.
The U.S. Congress also has the following support services: the Government Printing Office (GPO), the Library of Congress (LC), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) , the General Accounting Office (GAO), and the Architect of the Capitol.
What the U.S. Congress Does: The primary duty of Congress is to write, debate, and pass bills, (formally introduced legislation). Bills
can originate in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Other congressional duties
include investigating pressing national issues and supervising the executive and judicial branches.
Federal Government, immigration and naturalization cases, and land titles. These bills become
private laws if approved and signed.
Public bills deal with general questions and become Public Laws, or Acts, if approved by Congress
and signed by the President. Private bills deal with individual matters such as claims against the
Federal Government, immigration and naturalization cases, and land titles. These bills become
private laws if approved and signed.
How the U.S. Congress Affects the U.S. Economy: Everything the Congress does affects the U.S. economy in some way. Some of the most important
ways Congress affects the economy is in their control of the Federal budget, framing foreign policy
and trade, and in their control over the military. This power is shared with the Executive Branch, or
President.
How the U.S. Congress Affects You: In addition to Congress’ impact on the economy in general, Congress constantly adds new laws that
affect you in all kinds of ways. Find out more about The U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S.
Senate .
