115th United States Congress

115th United States Congress
Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	115th United States Congress
Term	January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
House	Senate and House of Representatives
Senate control	Republican Party
House control	Republican Party
Senate leader	Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
House speaker	Paul Ryan

115th United States Congress was the federal legislative term convening January 3, 2017 to January 3, 2019, overlapping the presidency of Donald Trump and engaging with actors such as Mike Pence, Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, and institutions including the Supreme Court of the United States and the Federal Reserve. Major interactions involved high-profile figures like Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Chuck Schumer, and events such as the 2016 United States presidential election, the 2017–18 United States federal government shutdowns, and the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch. Legislative and oversight activity intersected with issues involving Affordable Care Act, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Hurricane Maria, and investigations connected to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Membership

The chamber composition included 100 senators and 435 representatives plus non-voting delegates, featuring long-tenured senators such as Orrin Hatch, Chuck Grassley, Dianne Feinstein, and junior members like Kamala Harris's contemporaries; members included representatives such as John Conyers, John Lewis, Steny Hoyer, and freshmen elected alongside figures from the 2016 United States House of Representatives elections. The Senate caucus encompassed Republicans like Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Democrats such as Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and independents like Angus King who caucused with Democrats. The House delegation included committee chairs drawn from members like Kevin McCarthy, Gregg Harper, Bob Goodlatte, and ranking members like Jerrold Nadler, Nancy Pelosi, and Maxine Waters; demographic and regional representation included delegates from territories linked to Puerto Rico and leaders connected to Midwest United States delegations. Special members and delegates such as Eleanor Holmes Norton and territory delegates from Guam and American Samoa participated in committee work.

Leadership and Party Control

Republican control of both chambers placed figures Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan at the center, with party leadership teams including John Cornyn, Roy Blunt, Steve Scalise, and Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Richard Neal. Leadership battles and whip operations involved actors such as Steve Scalise's restoration after the Congressional baseball shooting (2017), and intra-party negotiations referenced senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney contemporaneously. Party control shaped confirmations like Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States and nominations such as Rex Tillerson and Betsy DeVos tied to cabinet battles involving Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Finance Committee dynamics.

Major Legislation and Policy Actions

Major enactments included passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, affecting statutory provisions and drawn into debates with figures like Steven Mnuchin, Paul Ryan, Orrin Hatch, and critics including Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer. Repeal-and-replace efforts targeting the Affordable Care Act involved legislative maneuvers by Tom Price-era policies and senators such as John McCain casting decisive votes during the 2017 Health Care Vote. Disaster response and appropriations for Hurricane Maria relief intersected with delegations from Puerto Rico and testimony before appropriations panels by officials from Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Housing and Urban Development. Oversight and subpoenas tied to investigations of alleged contacts with Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections implicated hearings featuring James Comey, Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, and testimony coordinated with Special Counsel Robert Mueller activities.

Committees and Oversight

Standing committees such as the House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and Senate Appropriations Committee conducted markup, hearings, and subpoenas; chairs included members like Kevin Brady, Orrin Hatch, Robert Goodlatte, and Chuck Grassley. High-profile oversight activities included hearings with James Comey before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, confirmation oversight by the Senate Armed Services Committee for nominees such as James Mattis, and subpoenas issued by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee targeting administration officials and agencies including Environmental Protection Agency leadership and Department of Justice officials. Select investigations and probes engaged select committees and special counsels, involving coordination with inspectors general and legal actors such as Rod Rosenstein.

Congressional Sessions and Timeline

The term comprised two Congresses sessions spanning calendar years 2017 and 2018, beginning with the opening ceremonies featuring oaths administered by Chief Justice John Roberts and presided events with leaders like Paul Ryan and concluding with transitions linked to the 2018 United States elections. Legislative calendar moments included budget deadlines, continuing resolutions negotiated with the White House and Office of Management and Budget, and high-tension episodes like the late-2018 appropriations negotiations that preceded a short-lived 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown. Key dates featured confirmation timelines for judicial nominees, passage of the tax bill in December 2017, and midterm election preparations throughout 2018.

Vacancies, Special Elections, and Succession

Vacancies arose from resignations, deaths, and appointments such as the retirement of long-serving members like John Conyers and replacements through special elections or gubernatorial appointments exemplified by state actions in Alabama, Mississippi, and Arizona; notable special elections included contests in districts formerly held by figures such as Tom Price and Ruben Kihuen contexts. Senate succession procedures invoked gubernatorial appointments under state laws seen in states like Missouri and Alaska, while House vacancies prompted scheduled special elections governed by statutes and state secretaries of state, affecting party margins and committee seniority calculations.

Category:United States Congresses