The 119th United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened on January 3, 2025, for the last 17 days of Joe Biden's presidency and continued during the first two years of Donald Trump's second presidency.
Following the 2024 elections, the Republican Party retained its slim majority in the House of Representatives (albeit with losing two net seats to end up with a three-seat majority). The Republican Party also won a three-seat majority in the Senate after winning four net seats. Upon Trump's second inauguration on January 20, 2025, the Republican Party has an overall federal government trifecta for the first time since the 115th Congress (2017–2019), which was in session during Trump's first term.
The 119th Congress features the slimmest majority in the House for any party since the 72nd Congress (1931–1933), and the first openly transgender member of Congress in history, Representative Sarah McBride (D-DE). It also features the fewest split Senate delegations since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment, which established the direct election of U.S. senators.
Despite a trifecta, the first year of the Congress saw the lowest number of House votes in a nonelection year since the 101st Congress in 1990.
As of 2025, the 119th Congress been one of the least productive when it comes to passing bills. History
In the 2024 elections, the Republican Party retained control of the House of Representatives and gained control of the Senate, while Republican nominee Donald Trump won the presidential election, securing a second non-consecutive term. The results of the election were attributed to economic conditions of voters and concerns over immigration, particularly the Mexico–United States border crisis.
The Senate flipped to a 53–47 Republican majority, and in their leadership elections, Senator John Thune of South Dakota was elected to succeed Mitch McConnell, who had been in power for 18 years.
The House assumed a 220–215 Republican majority, among the narrowest controlling majorities in House history with the 65th Congress. Mike Johnson was re-elected as speaker on the first ballot after initially not receiving enough votes on the roll call, with the vote remaining open until enough members changed votes to support him.
On January 6, a joint session convened to count the presidential Electoral College votes. The proceedings were peaceful, four years after the January 6 Capitol attack, in which supporters of Trump entered the Capitol and disrupted Joe Biden's certification as president. In response to the attack and Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Congress has passed revisions to the Electoral Count Act that prevent the vice president from altering the results and significantly raises the bar for certification objections.
Comprising 80% of the membership of the House of Representatives and 89% of the Senate, Baby boomers and Generation X remained the largest generations represented in Congress after having comprised more than 80% of the membership of both chambers since at least the 115th United States Congress and Baby boomers alone comprising the majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate since the 106th United States Congress and the 111th United States Congress respectively.
Major events
January 3, 2025, 12 p.m. EST: Congress convenes. Members-elect of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives are sworn in. Mike Johnson (R) is re-elected as speaker on the first ballot after initially not receiving enough votes on the roll call, with Ralph Norman and Keith Self changing their votes to support him. January 6, 2025: A joint session to count the presidential Electoral College votes is held. January 9, 2025: The funeral of former president Jimmy Carter takes place. January 20, 2025: The second inauguration of Donald Trump takes place. The Republicans gain a trifecta. January 24, 2025: Vice President JD Vance casts the tie-breaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. This was the second time in United States history that a cabinet confirmation was tied in the Senate and required a tie-breaking vote. The first was when Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education in Trump's first term. March 4, 2025: President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress. March 5, 2025: Representative Sylvester Turner (D) of Texas dies. March 6, 2025: The House votes 224–198 (2 present) to censure Representative Al Green (D) of Texas for repeatedly disrupting (by speaking out of turn) President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress. March 13, 2025: Representative Raúl Grijalva (D) of Arizona dies. March 31 – April 1, 2025: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey breaks the record for the longest Senate speech, protesting President Donald Trump's agenda. May 21, 2025: Representative Gerry Connolly (D) of Virginia dies. July 3, 2025: House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York breaks the record for the longest House magic minute speech while speaking against the "One Big Beautiful Bill". July 20, 2025: Representative Mark Green (R) of Tennessee resigns. October 1 – November 12, 2025: The federal government shuts down as a result of Congress not approving a budget. November 12, 2025: Representative Adelita Grijalva (D) of Arizona is sworn in 50 days after winning the 2025 Arizona's 7th congressional district special election, setting the new record for the longest delay of a representative to be sworn in. November 20, 2025: Representative Mikie Sherrill (D) of New Jersey resigns after winning the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election. January 5, 2026: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) of Georgia resigns. January 6, 2026: Representative Doug LaMalfa (R) of California dies. January 31 – February 3, 2026: The federal government partially shuts down as a result of Congress not approving a budget. February 14 – April 30, 2026: A second shutdown occurs, affecting only the Department of Homeland Security as a result of Congress not approving a budget. February 24, 2026: President Trump delivers the 2026 State of the Union Address. March 9, 2026: Representative Kevin Kiley of California leaves the Republican Party and registers as an independent. March 23, 2026: Senator Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma resigns after being confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security. April 14, 2026: Following allegations of sexual misconduct, Representatives Tony Gonzales (R) of Texas and Eric Swalwell (D) of California resign. April 21, 2026: Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) of Florida resigns following the House Ethics Committee investigation and a grand jury indicting her for financial fraud. April 22, 2026: Representative David Scott (D) of Georgia dies. April 28, 2026: King Charles III addresses a joint session of Congress, becoming the first British monarch to do so since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991. July 11, 2026: Senator Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina dies. September 1, 2026: The House votes 413–2 to censure Representative Chuck Edwards (R) of North Carolina, following a House Ethics Committee investigation that concluded he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers.
Major legislation
Enacted
January 29, 2025: Laken Riley Act, March 15, 2025: Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, May 19, 2025: TAKE IT DOWN Act, June 12, 2025: Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, July 4, 2025: One Big Beautiful Bill Act, July 7, 2025: Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act, July 7, 2025: Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025, July 15, 2025: Apex Area Technical Corrections Act, July 15, 2025: Salem Maritime National Historical Park Redesignation and Boundary Study Act, July 16, 2025: HALT Fentanyl Act, July 18, 2025: GENIUS Act, July 24, 2025: Rescissions Act of 2025, July 24, 2025: Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act, July 24, 2025: Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge Act, July 30, 2025: VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, August 14, 2025: ACES Act of 2025, August 14, 2025: PRO Veterans Act of 2025, August 19, 2025: Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, September 5, 2025: Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, November 12, 2025: Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, November 19, 2025: Epstein Files Transparency Act, November 25, 2025: Internal Revenue Service Math and Taxpayer Help Act, December 1, 2025: Medal of Honor Act, December 12, 2025: Fairness for Servicemembers and their Families Act of 2025, December 12, 2025: Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserves Tuition Fairness Act of 2025, December 18, 2025: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, December 19, 2025: Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, December 26, 2025: Disaster Related Extension of Deadlines Act, January 20, 2026: Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act, February 3, 2026: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, June 10, 2026: Secure America Act, July 11, 2026: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, September 18, 2026: Sanctioning Russia Act,
Proposed (but not enacted)
Passed in Congress, but vetoed by President : Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, 2026 : Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, 2026
Bills passed in the House waiting for the Senate : Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act : Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act : Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act : Protecting American Energy Production Act : Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act : Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act : Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act : United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act : Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act : MEGOBARI Act : Midnight Rules Relief Act : Tennessee Valley Authority Salary Transparency Act : Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act : Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act : Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience Act of 2025 : Hershel Woody Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act : Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act of 2025 : Securities and Exchange Commission Real Estate Leasing Authority Revocation Act : Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act : Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act of 2025 : Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act : Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act of 2025 : Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act : Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2025 : Gulf of America Act : Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025 : Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025 : Chinese Currency Accountability Act of 2025 : Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act : Fix Our Forests Act : Subterranean Border Defense Act : Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2025 : Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act : China Exchange Rate Transparency Act of 2023 : DHS Biodetection Improvement Act : Strategic Homeland Intelligence and Enforcement Legislation to Defend Against the CCP Act : Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act : Protect Small Businesses from Excessive Paperwork Act of 2025 : Investing in Main Street Act of 2025 : Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2025 : Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act of 2025 : DOE and SBA Research Act : Rural Small Business Resilience Act : Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform Act of 2025 : Assisting Small Businesses Not Fraudsters Act : Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act : Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2025