115th United States Congress

The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the United States [House of Representatives|House of Representatives]. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019, during the final weeks of Barack Obama's presidency and the first two years of Donald Trump's first presidency. The seats in the House were apportioned based on the 2010 United States census.
The Republican Party retained their majority in both the [|House] and the [|Senate], and, with the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, 2017, attained an overall federal government trifecta, a position they had last attained in 2005 with the 109th Congress.
Several political scientists described the legislative accomplishments of this Congress as modest, considering that both Congress and the presidency were under unified Republican Party control.
This is the most recent Congress with Democratic senators from the states of Florida, Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota, all of whom lost re-election in 2018.

Major events

January 3, 2017: 115th Congress officially begins.
January 5, 2017: House of Representatives condemned United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.
January 6, 2017: A joint session to count the presidential Electoral College votes is held.
January 11–12, 2017: Senate, in an all-night session, took first steps to repeal the Affordable Care Act,. The final vote was 51 to 48 to approve a budget resolution to allow "broad swaths of the Affordable Care Act to be repealed through a process known as budget reconciliation."
January 20, 2017: The first inauguration of Donald Trump takes place. The Republicans gain a trifecta.
February 7, 2017: Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. This was the first time in United States history that a cabinet confirmation was tied in the Senate and required a tie-breaking vote.
February 28, 2017: President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress.
April 6, 2017: Senate invoked the "nuclear option" to weaken Supreme Court filibusters. Nominee Neil Gorsuch was then confirmed the next day.
June 14, 2017: Majority Whip Steve Scalise and several staffers were shot during the Congressional baseball shooting. They were practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game.
September 1, 2017: The Parliamentarian of the United States Senate decreed that the Senate had until the end of the month to pass ACA repeal via the reconciliation process, or the option would no longer be viable.
October 24 – December 14, 2017: 2017 United States political sexual scandals from the "Me too" movement:
* Allegations that Democratic Congressman Ruben Kihuen sexually harassed a campaign staffer led some in congressional leadership to call for his resignation. Kihuen later announced he would not seek another term in office.
* Democratic senator Al Franken announced he would resign "in the coming weeks" after photographs were made public suggesting that he sexually assaulted a Los Angeles-based radio personality during a USO tour in Iraq in 2006. He was also accused by multiple female constituents of groping at various Minnesota fair appearances that he attended.
* Three members of Congress either resigned or announced their impending resignations.
* Allegations that President Donald Trump previously raped and sexually harassed at least nineteen women, one girl, and Miss Teen USA contestants resulted in calls by members of Congress for him to resign.
* Allegations that Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore previously raped and sexually harassed at least eight women and one girl contributed to his defeat by Democrat Doug Jones in a special Senate election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
* Allegations that House member Blake Farenthold sexually harassed a former staffer resulted in the commencement of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee and his announcement he would not seek re-election in 2018. He subsequently resigned on April 6, 2018.
January 20–22, 2018: United States federal government shutdown of January 2018
January 30, 2018: President Trump delivers the 2018 State of the Union Address.
February 9, 2018: United States federal government funding gap
April 9, 2018: FBI raids the office of Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
October 6, 2018: Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
November 28, 2018: Senate discharges from committee and calendars, bill that ends US intervention in the Yemeni Civil War.
November 30, 2018: Former president George H. W. Bush dies at 94 years old.
December 5, 2018: The funeral of former President George H. W. Bush took place.
December 22, 2018 – January 25, 2019: 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown

Major legislation

Enacted

January 31, 2017: GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2017,
February 28, 2017: Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act,
February 28, 2017: INSPIRE Women Act,
March 28, 2017: Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017,
April 4, 2017: 2017 Broadband Consumer Privacy Proposal repeal
April 18, 2017: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017,
May 5, 2017: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017,,
August 2, 2017: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act,,
October 18, 2017: Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017
November 2, 2017: Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017,
December 12, 2017: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018,,
December 22, 2017: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017,,
February 9, 2018: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018,,
February 14, 2018: Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017,
March 16, 2018: Taiwan Travel Act,,
March 23, 2018: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018,,
April 11, 2018: Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act,,
May 9, 2018: Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act,
May 24, 2018: Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act,,
May 30, 2018: Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017,,
August 13, 2018: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019,,
October 5, 2018: FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018,,
October 9, 2018: Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act,
October 11, 2018: Music Modernization Act,,
October 23, 2018: America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018,,
October 24, 2018: SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act,,
November 16, 2018: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act,,
December 7, 2018: Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018,
December 11, 2018: Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018,
December 20, 2018: Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018,,
December 21, 2018: National Quantum Initiative Act,
December 21, 2018: FIRST STEP Act,,
January 14, 2019: Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018,
January 14, 2019: Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018,
November 1, 2017:

Proposed

May 4, 2017: American Health Care Act, passed House May 4, 2017
June 8, 2017: Financial CHOICE Act, passed House June 8, 2017

Leadership

Senate

President: Joe Biden, until January 20, 2017
* Mike Pence, from January 20, 2017
President pro tempore: Orrin Hatch

Majority (Republican) leadership

Minority (Democratic) leadership

Minority Leader: Chuck Schumer
Minority Whip: Dick Durbin
Assistant Minority Leader: Patty Murray
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Chuck Schumer
Policy Committee Chairwoman: Debbie Stabenow
Democratic Caucus Vice Chairs: Mark Warner and Elizabeth Warren
Democratic Caucus Secretary: Tammy Baldwin
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Chris Van Hollen
Policy Committee Vice Chairman: Joe Manchin
Steering Committee Chairwoman: Amy Klobuchar
Outreach Chair: Bernie Sanders
Senate Democratic Chief Deputy Whips: Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, and Brian Schatz

House of Representatives

Speaker: Paul Ryan

Majority (Republican) leadership

Minority (Democratic) leadership

Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi
Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer
Assistant Minority Leader: Jim Clyburn
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Joseph Crowley
Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairwoman: Linda Sánchez
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Ben Ray Luján
Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chairs: Rosa DeLauro and Eric Swalwell
Policy and Communications Chairmen: Cheri Bustos, David Cicilline, and Hakeem Jeffries

Demographics

The average age of members of the House of Representatives during the 115th Congress was 57.8 years, while the average age of U.S. senators was 61.8 years.
The most common occupation of senators prior to being elected to their posts was law, followed by public service/politics and business. In the House of Representatives, business was the dominant prior occupation, followed by public service/politics and law. In the 115th Congress, 94.1% of House members and 100% of senators had attained a bachelor's degree or a higher degree; this was a historically high level of education for a United States Congress. In addition, 167 members of the House and 55 members of the Senate had law degrees. Only 18 members of Congress had no college education.
Ethnic minorities in the 115th Congress consisted of 52 African American members, 45 Hispanic or Latino members, 18 Asian-American or Pacific Islander members, and two members of Native American ancestry. Women comprised 20.1% of the membership in the 115th Congress, which had 109 women and 326 men. This represented an increase of 21 women from the 114th Congress.
Seven openly LGBT members served in the 115th Congress. Tammy Baldwin, Jared Polis, Sean Patrick Maloney, Mark Takano, David Cicilline, and Mark Pocan are openly gay, while Kyrsten Sinema is openly bisexual.
The majority of the 115th Congress was religiously affiliated, with 90.7% identifying as Christians. Approximately half of the Christians were Protestant. Other religious faiths of congressmembers in the 115th Congress included Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.

Members

Senate

The numbers refer to their Senate classes. All of the class 3 seats were contested in the November 2016 elections. Class 1 terms end with this Congress, requiring re-election in 2018; Class 2 began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 2020; and Class 3 began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 2022.

Delaware">List of United States senators from Delaware">Delaware

Kansas">List of United States senators from Kansas">Kansas

Mississippi">List of United States senators from Mississippi">Mississippi

New York">List of United States senators from New York">New York

South Carolina">List of United States senators from South Carolina">South Carolina

West Virginia">List of United States senators from West Virginia">West Virginia

House of Representatives

All 435 seats were filled by the regular elections on November 8, 2016, or subsequent special elections thereafter.

Delaware">List of United States representatives from Delaware">Delaware

Kansas">List of United States representatives from Kansas">Kansas

Mississippi">List of United States representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi

New York">List of United States representatives from New York">New York

South Carolina">List of United States representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina

West Virginia">List of United States representatives from West Virginia">West Virginia

Committees

Section contents: Senate, House, Joint

Senate

Committee	Chair	Ranking Member
Aging	Susan Collins	Bob Casey Jr.
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry	Pat Roberts	Debbie Stabenow
Appropriations	Richard Shelby	Patrick Leahy
Armed Services	John McCain Jim Inhofe	Jack Reed
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs	Mike Crapo	Sherrod Brown
Budget	Mike Enzi	Bernie Sanders
Commerce, Science and Transportation	John Thune	Bill Nelson
Energy and Natural Resources	Lisa Murkowski	Maria Cantwell
Environment and Public Works	John Barrasso	Tom Carper
Ethics	Johnny Isakson	Chris Coons
Finance	Orrin Hatch	Ron Wyden
Foreign Relations	Bob Corker	Bob Menendez
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions	Lamar Alexander	Patty Murray
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs	Ron Johnson	Claire McCaskill
Indian Affairs	John Hoeven	Tom Udall
Intelligence	Richard Burr	Mark Warner
International Narcotics Control	Chuck Grassley	Dianne Feinstein
Judiciary	Chuck Grassley	Dianne Feinstein
Rules and Administration	Roy Blunt	Amy Klobuchar
Small Business and Entrepreneurship	Jim Risch	Jeanne Shaheen
Veterans' Affairs	Johnny Isakson	Jon Tester

House of Representatives

Committee	Chairman	Ranking Member
Agriculture
Appropriations
Armed Services
Budget	, until January 11, 2018 , from January 11, 2018
Education and the Workforce
Energy and Commerce
Ethics
Financial Services
Foreign Affairs
Homeland Security
House Administration
Judiciary		, until November 26, 2017 Jerrold Nadler, from November 26, 2017
Natural Resources
Oversight and Government Reform	, until June 13, 2017 , from June 13, 2017
Rules		, until March 16, 2018 Jim McGovern, from March 17, 2018
Science, Space and Technology
Small Business
Transportation and Infrastructure
Veterans' Affairs
Ways and Means
Human Rights (Lantos Commission)
Intelligence (Permanent Select)

Joint

Committee	Chairman	Ranking Member
Economic	Rep., until January 11, 2018 Rep., from January 11, 2018	Sen.
Library	Sen.	Sen.
Printing	Sen.	Rep.
Taxation	Rep.	Sen.
Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (Select)	Rep. Rep.	Sen.
Inaugural Ceremonies (Special)	Sen.	Rep.
Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)	Sen.	Rep.
Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans (Select)	Sen. Sen.	Rep.

Employees and legislative agency directors

Senate

Chaplain: Barry C. Black
Curator: Melinda Smith
Historian: Betty Koed
Librarian: Leona I. Faust
Parliamentarian: Elizabeth MacDonough
Secretary: Julie E. Adams
Sergeant at Arms: Frank J. Larkin, until April 16, 2018
* Michael C. Stenger, starting April 16, 2018
Secretary for the Majority: Laura Dove
Secretary for the Minority: Gary B. Myrick

House of Representatives

Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States#United States Congress">Legislative branch agency directors

Architect of the Capitol: Stephen T. Ayers, until November 25, 2018
* Christine A. Merdon, starting November 25, 2018
Attending Physician of the United States Congress: Brian P. Monahan
Comptroller General of the United States: Eugene Louis Dodaro
Director of the Congressional Budget Office: Keith Hall
Librarian of Congress: Carla Diane Hayden
Public Printer of the United States: Jim Bradley

Elections

Membership lists

List of new members of the 115th United States Congress