What is the U.S. Congress?

The U.S. Congress is the part of the U.S. government that makes laws. 

There are two parts of Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators represent all people who live in a specific state. Representatives represent all people who live in a smaller region of a state. Senators are elected every 6 years, and Representatives are elected every 2 years.  

There are 100 Senators in the Senate and 435 Representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives. You can find your Senator here and your Representative here. 

How does the U.S. Congress make laws? 

Both Senators and Representatives can introduce “bills” in Congress if they would like to change a current law or make a new law. A bill is a proposal for a new law. 

Senators and Representatives introduce many bills each year. Before a bill can become a law, it must (1) receive enough votes in the Senate, (2) receive enough votes in the House of Representatives, and (3) be signed by the U.S. President. 

This process is very challenging, and many bills never become laws.

What are the other parts of the U.S. government?

Besides the U.S. Congress, there are two other parts of the U.S. government: the federal courts and the Executive Branch. 

Most of the government’s work happens through the Executive Branch. The Executive Branch includes the President, the White House, and many government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

In addition to the U.S. federal government, there are 50 U.S. states. Each state has its own government. Cities and towns also have their own governments. 

What is “appropriations”?

Every year, the U.S. Congress decides how much money U.S. government agencies should receive for the year, and what the government agencies should spend it on. This process is called “appropriations.” 

Both the Senate and the House have Appropriations Committees that focus on the appropriations process. These Committees each draft bills proposing how to give money to U.S. government agencies. Once this type of bill is drafted, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees vote to approve. If the Committee approves the bill, the next step is for the entire U.S. Senate or the entire U.S. House of Representatives to vote on it. 

If the House and the Senate approve different appropriations bills and cannot agree, a separate process happens called “reconciliation.” During reconciliation, a group of Senators and Representatives negotiate a new bill that both the House and the Senate can agree to. Before an appropriations bill can become a law, the bill must be voted on and approved by a majority of the Senate and a majority of the House of Representatives, and it must be signed by the U.S. President. 

The U.S. Congress is supposed to make appropriations decisions before October, because they are deciding how much money the government will have to operate from October through September. However, it often takes much longer for Congress to reach an agreement. When this happens, there can be a “government shutdown” that affects many government services.