110th United States Congress
Generated by DeepSeek V3.2Expansion Funnel Raw 87 → Dedup 0 → NER 0 → Enqueued 0
| 110th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
 Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain · source | |
| Number | 110th |
| Caption | The United States Capitol (2007) |
| Term start | January 3, 2007 |
| Term end | January 3, 2009 |
| President pro tempore | Robert Byrd (D) |
| Senate majority leader | Harry Reid (D) |
| Senate majority whip | Dick Durbin (D) |
| House speaker | Nancy Pelosi (D) |
| House majority leader | Steny Hoyer (D) |
| House majority whip | Jim Clyburn (D) |
| Sessionnumber1 | 1st |
| Sessionstart1 | January 4, 2007 |
| Sessionend1 | December 19, 2007 |
| Sessionnumber2 | 2nd |
| Sessionstart2 | January 3, 2008 |
| Sessionend2 | January 3, 2009 |
110th United States Congress convened in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2009, during the final two years of George W. Bush's presidency. It was a historic session where the Democratic Party regained control of both the House and Senate following the 2006 midterm elections. This shift in power led to significant legislative battles over the Iraq War, economic policy, and responses to the emerging financial crisis.
Major legislation
The session produced several landmark laws, often enacted through compromises with the White House. Key economic measures included the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, which provided tax rebates, and the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a massive bailout for financial institutions passed in response to the Subprime mortgage crisis. Other major enactments were the 2008 Farm Bill, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008. Significant foreign policy legislation included the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act and the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act.
Leadership
Nancy Pelosi of California made history as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, with Steny Hoyer of Maryland as House Majority Leader and Jim Clyburn of South Carolina as House Majority Whip. The Republican minority in the House was led by John Boehner of Ohio as Minority Leader. In the United States Senate, Harry Reid of Nevada served as Senate Majority Leader, with Dick Durbin of Illinois as Senate Majority Whip. The Senate Minority Leader was Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, with Trent Lott and later Jon Kyl of Arizona serving as Senate Minority Whip.
Party summary
Following the 2006 Senate elections, Democrats held a narrow 51–49 majority, which later became a 49–49 split with two independents, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, caucusing with the Democrats. In the House, Democrats secured a robust 233–202 majority. This realignment ended twelve years of unified Republican control of Congress and significantly altered the legislative dynamic with the Bush Administration.
Major events
The period was dominated by the ongoing Iraq War surge and subsequent congressional debates over war funding and withdrawal timelines. The Financial crisis of 2007–2008 intensified, marked by the collapse of Bear Stearns and the Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Other notable events included the confirmation of Michael Mukasey as United States Attorney General, the passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, and the congressional response to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. The 2008 presidential election also unfolded during the second session.
Committees
Significant committee leadership changed hands with the new Democratic majority. Key Senate panels included the Committee on Appropriations chaired by Robert Byrd, the Committee on Finance under Max Baucus of Montana, and the Committee on Foreign Relations led by Joe Biden of Delaware. In the House, influential committees were the Committee on Appropriations under David R. Obey of Wisconsin, the Committee on Ways and Means chaired by Charles B. Rangel of New York, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce led by John Dingell of Michigan.
Members
This Congress included many notable figures who would later play prominent national roles. Senators included presidential candidates Barack Obama of Illinois, Hillary Clinton of New York, and John McCain of Arizona. The freshman class in the House featured future Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Other notable members were Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, and Chuck Schumer of New York, along with Representatives Henry Waxman of California and John Lewis of Georgia.