Your Guide to Congress

The U.S. president may get a lot of attention today, but back in 1787, Congress was the focal point. The nation’s founders considered the legislative, or lawmaking, branch of the government so important that they devoted almost the entire first half of the Constitution to establishing it—ahead of the presidency and the Supreme Court.

The founders set up Congress to give Americans a voice in the government. They created two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Representation in the House is based on state population,* while representation in the Senate is the same for every state—each gets two senators. 

The biggest job of the House and Senate is to make laws for the entire country. But the Constitution also tasks Congress with everything from printing money to punishing pirates. (Yes, pirates!) Surprised? There’s actually a lot that many Americans don’t know about Congress, despite its key role in our government. Luckily, this guide will fill you in. Read on!

Both chambers write, debate, and pass bills (proposals for new laws). But they have separate roles too. The Senate approves or rejects treaties with other nations and confirms presidential nominees for high-level jobs. The House has the sole power to introduce bills related to raising money for the government, though such bills also need Senate approval to take effect. 

The House and Senate meet at the U.S. Capitol. But lawmakers typically also spend several days a week in their own states. They meet with constituents to find out what they need. Then they push for solutions in Congress. Many lawmakers also devote time to fund-raising for their next election. 

The founders wanted laws to have wide support. That’s why bills need approval from a majority in both the House and the Senate—and from the president—to become law in most cases.

The process involves research, heated debate, and rewrites, and it usually ends in failure. Only 344 of the 16,601 bills proposed between January 2019 and January 2021 became law.

Another reason for the low success rate? Many lawmakers introduce bills to show where they stand, even if there isn’t support for them to pass.

The political party with the most seats in a chamber gets to pick a lawmaker to run that chamber. The Speaker of the House sets the agenda for what the House will discuss. In the Senate, the majority leader gets to speak first—and can prioritize certain bills that way.