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How Congress Is Organized

Apportion: The process of dividing something, such as money, amongst a group. Biennial: Occurring once every other year. Census: An official count of a population, often including other data or information about that population. Words to Understand

T he United States federal government is made up of three unique branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Working together, the three branches form a powerful system for evolving our country’s laws to meet new challenges while upholding the rights and responsibilities guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Working indepen- dently, no single branch is stronger than the other two, which ensures a balance of power and renders all three equally important. The core of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government is called Congress . This is the branch responsible for introducing and preparing legislation that may become new law. Congress is supported by over a dozen agencies housed within the legislative branch, including the Library of Congress, the Con- gressional Research Service (CRS), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The diagram on the right breaks down what the party affiliations of the 115th Congress looked like. In the 2018 midterm elections, the Democratic Party took back control of the House.

How laws are passed