Amid the fiery fight for the presidency between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump — which the latter has won comfortably — there has not been much focus on the race to control Congress.
Congress is a crucial part of American politics as it is the legislative branch of the US government. It comprises two parts: the US Senate and the US House of Representatives.
As of Wednesday evening, Republicans have won the Senate and the bid to control the House continues.
Here is a look at the two chambers of Congress, their functions, the status of the elections, and what winning control of Congress means for the president.
What is the House of Representatives?
The House is the lower chamber of Congress which is composed of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. This means that states with large populations have more representatives than small states have. There are also six non-voting members who represent the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the US: American Samoa, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, according to the official website of the White House.
The House is headed by the Speaker of the House who is elected by representatives. Usually, whichever party has a majority in the House gets to choose the Speaker.
Each representative is elected to a two-year term. They must be at least 25 years old, a US citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state (but not necessarily the district) they represent.
What is the Senate?
The Senate is the upper chamber of Congress which comprises 100 Senators — two for each state. Until the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1913, Senators were elected by the state legislature and not through popular vote. However, after the amendment was enacted, Senators began to be elected to six-year terms by the people of each state. About one-third of the Senate goes for reelection every two years. A person needs to be at least 30 years old to become a Senator, and they must be a US citizen for at least nine years, and a resident of the state they represent.
The Vice President serves as President of the Senate and may cast the decisive vote in the event of a tie in the Senate.
What do the House and Senate do?
The House and Senate together make and pass federal laws, introduce bills and resolutions, and enact amendments. The members of the two chambers also serve on different committees to develop specialised knowledge on the matters under that committee’s jurisdiction, according to a report by The Policy Circle, a non-profit organisation based in the US.
There are, however, some differences in the powers of the two chambers. For instance, the House has the exclusive power to initiate revenue Bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the president in case of an Electoral tie.
The Senate, on the other hand, has the sole power to approve or reject treaties, and confirm or deny the President’s appointments — such as that of Supreme Court justices — that require consent. There are two exceptions to this: the House must also approve appointments to the Vice Presidency and any treaty that involves foreign trade, the White House website said. The Senate also tries impeachment cases for federal officials referred to it by the House.
What is the status of the elections?
On November 5, 34 seats in the Senate and the entirety of the House of Representatives were up for elections.
Republicans got back control of the Senate after four years by pushing their tally to 52 — a party requires 50 seats to get the majority. Before Wednesday, Democrats had a thin majority in the Senate. They had 48 Senators and the support of three independent senators who backed the party on important votes.
In the race for the House, Republicans are leading Democrats by around 20 seats as of Wednesday evening, according to The New York Times. While Republicans have 197 seats in their account, Democrats have 177 — the majority mark is 218. As the race is expected to be close, it could take days or even weeks to count enough votes to assess the final winner.
How does winning control of Congress help the president’s agenda?
With polarisation running deep in American politics, especially in recent years, it has become increasingly important for the president to have their party’s control over both the Senate and House. A divided Congress could force the president to ignore some campaign promises and focus on bipartisan priorities, and enact desired legislation through executive actions.
Having control of the Senate is also crucial. For instance, it can allow the president to appoint judges in different courts, including the Supreme Court. Notably, during his first term, Trump was able to get 234 judges confirmed, including the three who now sit on the Supreme Court who proved integral to overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a report by Vox.
A majority in the House helps advance the president’s legislative agenda. For example, Republicans are eyeing to take control of the lower chamber to renew the tax cuts that they passed in 2017.
However, while presidents often first sweep into office with their party controlling both the House and Senate along with the executive branch, every president since 1980 has faced divided government.
United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the United States Congress. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) 
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