Encyclopedia
114th United States Congress
2015-2017 U.S. legislative term
The 114th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2015, to January 3, 2017, during the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency. The seats in the House were apportioned based on the 2010 United States census.
The 2014 elections gave the Republicans control of the Senate and the House for the first time since the 109th Congress. With 248 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 seats in the Senate, this Congress began with the largest Republican majority since the 71st Congress of 1929-1931. As of 2025, this was the most recent Congress in which the Senate was controlled by the opposing party of the president for its entire session.
01Major events
- January 6, 2015: Incumbent Speaker of the House John Boehner was re-elected even though several members of his own party once again chose not to vote for him. He received 216 votes, a majority of the votes cast, but two votes shy of a majority of the full membership.
- January 20, 2015: 2015 State of the Union Address
- March 3, 2015: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress regarding sanctions against Iran. Speaker John Boehner had invited Netanyahu without consulting President Obama.
- March 9, 2015: U.S. Senator Tom Cotton wrote and sent a letter to the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed by 47 of the Senate's 54 Republicans, attempting to cast doubt on the Obama administration's authority to engage in nuclear-proliferation negotiations with Iran.
- March 25, 2015: President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani addressed a joint session of Congress.
- April 29, 2015: Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe addressed a joint session of Congress, becoming the first Japanese leader to do so.
- September 24, 2015: Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress, becoming the first Pope to do so.
- September 25, 2015: John Boehner announced that he would resign from Congress at the end of October 2015. Subsequently, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the presumptive favorite to succeed John Boehner as Speaker of the House, unexpectedly withdrew his candidacy for the office.
- October 29, 2015: Paul Ryan was elected to succeed John Boehner as Speaker of the House receiving 236 votes (of 432 votes cast), becoming the youngest Speaker since James G. Blaine in 1869.
- January 12, 2016: 2016 State of the Union Address
- June 8, 2016: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint session of Congress.
- June 10, 2016: The murder of Christina Grimmie occurs in Orlando, which prompts debates on Universal background checks.
- June 22-23, 2016: In the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting, Congress debated gun control reform. The U.S. House recessed for the July 4 holiday during a sit-in protest held by Democrats that halted business in the chamber for more than 24 hours.
- November 8, 2016: Donald Trump and Mike Pence elected as president and vice-president in presidential elections, while the Republicans retain majority at both Senate and House of Representatives.
02Major legislation
Enacted
- January 12, 2015: Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-1 (text) (PDF)
- February 27, 2015: Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act, Pub.L. 114-3
- March 4, 2015: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015, Pub.L. 114-4
- April 16, 2015: Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-10 (text) (PDF)
- May 22, 2015: Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-17 (text) (PDF)
- May 29, 2015: Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-22 (text) (PDF)
- June 2, 2015: USA FREEDOM Act: Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-23 (text) (PDF)
- June 29, 2015: Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-27 (text) (PDF)
- July 6, 2015: Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act, Pub. L. 114-29 (text) (PDF)
- September 25, 2015: Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015, Pub.L. 114-50
- September 30, 2015: National Winstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015, Pub.L. 114-52
- November 2, 2015: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-74 (text) (PDF)
- November 5, 2015: Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-86 (text) (PDF)
- November 25, 2015: SPACE Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-90 (text) (PDF)
- November 25, 2015: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, Pub.L. 114-92
- December 4, 2015: Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, Pub. L. 114-94 (text) (PDF)
- December 10, 2015: Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub. L. 114-95 (text) (PDF)
- December 18, 2015: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (including the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015), Pub. L. 114-113 (text) (PDF)
- December 28, 2015: Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-114 (text) (PDF)
- January 28, 2016: Grants Oversight and New Efficiency (GONE) Act, Pub.L. 114-117
- February 8, 2016: International Megan's Law to Prevent Sexual Exploitation and Other Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders, Pub.L. 114-119
- February 8, 2016: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-120 (text) (PDF)
- February 24, 2016: Internet Tax Freedom Act contained in Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-125 (text) (PDF)
- May 9, 2016: Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act, Pub.L. 114-151
- June 28, 2016: Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, Pub. L. 114-182
- June 30, 2016: Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), Pub.L. 114-187
- July 20, 2016: Global Food Security Act of 2016, Pub. L. 114-195 (text) (PDF)
- July 29, 2016: Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiences (MEGABYTE) Act of 2016, Pub.L. 114-210
- September 28, 2016: Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, Pub. L. 114-222 (text) (PDF)
- September 29, 2016: Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act, Pub.L. 114-223
- October 7, 2016: Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, Pub. L. 114-236 (text) (PDF)
- December 10, 2016: Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017, Pub.L. 114-254
- December 13, 2016: 21st Century Cures Act, Pub. L. 114-255 (text) (PDF)
- December 14, 2016: First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act, Pub.L. 114-268
- December 14, 2016: Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, Pub.L. 114-274
- December 16, 2016: Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, Pub. L. 114-281
- December 16, 2016: United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016, Pub.L. 114-304
- December 16, 2016: Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act of 2016, Pub.L. 114-308
- December 16, 2016: Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act, Pub.L. 114-319
- December 23, 2016: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Pub.L. 114-328
- January 6, 2017: American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, Pub.L. 114-329
Proposed
Vetoed
- February 24, 2015: Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act (S. 1)
- March 31, 2015: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the National Labor Relations Board relating to representation case procedures. (S.J.Res. 8)
- October 22, 2015: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (H.R. 1735)
- December 19, 2015: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" (S.J.Res. 23)
- December 19, 2015: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" (S.J.Res. 24)
- January 8, 2016: The Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 (H.R. 3762)
- January 19, 2016: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the definition of "waters of the United States" under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (S.J.Res. 22)
- June 8, 2016: A joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to the definition of the term "Fiduciary" (H.J.Res. 88)
- July 22, 2016: Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2016 (H.R. 1777)
- September 23, 2016: Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (S. 2040) (Passed over Veto)
03Party summary
- Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section, below.
Senate
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Independent (caucusing with Democrats) |
Republican | ||||
| End of previous Congress | 53 | 2 | 45 | 100 | 0 | |
| Begin (January 3, 2015) | 44 | 2 | 54 | 100 | 0 | |
| Final voting share | 46.0% | 54.0% | ||||
| Beginning of the next Congress | 46 | 2 | 52 | 100 | 0 | |
House of Representatives
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Independent | Republican | |||
| End of previous Congress | 201 | 0 | 234 | 435 | 0 |
| Begin (January 3, 2015) | 188 | 0 | 247 | 435 | 0 |
| January 5, 2015 | 246 | 434 | 1 | ||
| February 6, 2015 | 245 | 433 | 2 | ||
| March 31, 2015 | 244 | 432 | 3 | ||
| May 5, 2015 | 245 | 433 | 2 | ||
| June 2, 2015 | 246 | 434 | 1 | ||
| September 10, 2015 | 247 | 435 | 0 | ||
| October 31, 2015 | 246 | 434 | 1 | ||
| June 7, 2016 | 247 | 435 | 0 | ||
| June 23, 2016 | 187 | 434 | 1 | ||
| July 20, 2016 | 186 | 433 | 2 | ||
| September 6, 2016 | 246 | 432 | 3 | ||
| November 8, 2016 | 188 | 247 | 435 | 0 | |
| December 4, 2016 | 187 | 434 | 1 | ||
| December 31, 2016 | 246 | 433 | 2 | ||
| Final voting share | 43.2% | 0.0% | 56.8% | ||
| Non-voting members | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Beginning of the next Congress | 194 | 0 | 241 | 435 | 0 |
04Leadership
Section contents: Senate: Majority (R), Minority (D) • House: Majority (R), Minority (D)
Senate
- President: Joe Biden (D)
- President pro tempore: Orrin Hatch (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
- Majority Leader: Mitch McConnell
- Assistant Majority Leader (Majority Whip): John Cornyn
- Chief Deputy Whip: Mike Crapo
- Deputy Whips: [data missing]
- Republican Conference Chairman: John Thune
- Republican Conference Vice Chairman: Roy Blunt
- Senatorial Committee Chairman: Roger Wicker
- Policy Committee Chairman: John Barrasso
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Minority Leader: Harry Reid
- Assistant Minority Leader (Minority Whip): Dick Durbin
- Chief Deputy Whip: Barbara Boxer
- Deputy Whips: [data missing]
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Harry Reid
- Democratic Caucus Vice Chair and Policy Committee Chairman: Chuck Schumer
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Patty Murray
- Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman: Jon Tester
- Policy Committee Vice Chairwoman: Debbie Stabenow
- Policy Committee Strategic Policy Adviser: Elizabeth Warren
- Policy Committee Policy Development Adviser: Mark Warner
- Steering and Outreach Committee Chairwoman: Amy Klobuchar
- Steering and Outreach Committee Vice Chairwoman: Jeanne Shaheen
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John Boehner (R), until October 29, 2015
- Paul Ryan (R), from October 29, 2015
Majority (Republican) leadership
- Majority Leader: Kevin McCarthy
- Majority Whip: Steve Scalise
- Majority Chief Deputy Whip: Patrick McHenry
- Senior Deputy Whips: Kristi Noem, Dennis Ross, Aaron Schock (until March 31, 2015), Steve Stivers, Ann Wagner
- Republican Conference Chairwoman: Cathy McMorris Rodgers
- Republican Conference Vice-Chairwoman: Lynn Jenkins
- Republican Conference Secretary: Virginia Foxx
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Greg Walden
- Policy Committee Chairman: Luke Messer
- Republican Campaign Committee Deputy Chairman: Lynn Westmoreland
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi
- Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer
- Assistant Democratic Leader: Jim Clyburn
- Senior Chief Deputy Minority Whip: John Lewis
- Chief Deputy Minority Whips: G. K. Butterfield, Diana DeGette, Keith Ellison, Jan Schakowsky, Kyrsten Sinema, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Peter Welch
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Xavier Becerra
- Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairman: Joe Crowley
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Ben Ray Luján
- Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chairs: Rosa DeLauro (Steering) and Donna Edwards (Policy)
- Organization, Study, and Review Chairwoman: Karen Bass
- Policy and Communications Chairman: Steve Israel
05Members
Senate
Senators are listed by state and then by Senate classes, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 2016; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 2018; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 2020.
House of Representatives
Contents- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Non-voting members
06Changes in membership
Senate
There were no changes in Senate membership during this Congress.
House of Representatives
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York 11th | Michael Grimm (R) |
Incumbent resigned January 5, 2015, following a guilty plea on one count of felony tax evasion. A special election was held May 5, 2015. |
Dan Donovan (R) |
May 12, 2015 |
| Mississippi 1st | Alan Nunnelee (R) |
Incumbent died February 6, 2015. A special election runoff was held June 2, 2015. |
Trent Kelly (R) |
June 9, 2015 |
| Illinois 18th | Aaron Schock (R) |
Incumbent resigned March 31, 2015, following a spending scandal. A special election was held September 10, 2015. |
Darin LaHood (R) |
September 17, 2015 |
| Ohio 8th | John Boehner (R) |
Incumbent resigned October 31, 2015. A special election was held June 7, 2016. |
Warren Davidson (R) |
June 9, 2016 |
| Pennsylvania 2nd | Chaka Fattah (D) |
Incumbent resigned June 23, 2016, following a conviction of corruption charges. A special election was held November 8, 2016. |
Dwight Evans (D) |
November 14, 2016 |
| Hawaii 1st | Mark Takai (D) |
Incumbent died July 20, 2016. A special election was held November 8, 2016. |
Colleen Hanabusa (D) |
November 14, 2016 |
| Kentucky 1st | Ed Whitfield (R) |
Incumbent resigned September 6, 2016, following an ethics investigation. A special election was held November 8, 2016. |
James Comer (R) |
November 14, 2016 |
| California 44th | Janice Hahn (D) |
Incumbent resigned December 4, 2016, to become a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. No special election was held and the seat remained vacant until the next Congress. Hahn did not run for re-election in 2016. |
Vacant until the next Congress | |
| Michigan's 10th | Candice Miller (R) |
Incumbent resigned December 31, 2016, to become Macomb County Public Works Commissioner. No special election was held and the seat remained vacant until the next Congress. Miller did not run for re-election in 2016. | ||
07Committees
[Section contents: Senate, House, Joint ]
Senate
House of Representatives
Joint committees
| Committee | Chairman | Vice Chairman |
|---|---|---|
| Joint Economic Committee | Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) | Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH) |
| Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (Special) | Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) | Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) |
| Joint Committee on the Library | Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) | Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) |
| Joint Committee on Printing | Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) | Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) |
| Joint Committee on Taxation | Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) | Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) |
08Employees
Senate
Source: "Senate Organization Chart for the 114th Congress". Senate.gov. US Senate. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- Chaplain: Barry C. Black (Seventh-day Adventist)
- Curator: Melinda Smith
- Librarian: Leona I. Faust
- Historian: Donald A. Ritchie, until June 1, 2015
- Betty Koed, starting June 1, 2015
- Parliamentarian: Elizabeth MacDonough
- Secretary: Julie E. Adams
- Sergeant at Arms: Frank J. Larkin
- Secretary for the Majority: Laura Dove
- Secretary for the Minority: Gary B. Myrick
House of Representatives
Source: "Officers and Organizations of the House". House.gov. US House. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- Chaplain: Patrick J. Conroy (Roman Catholic)
- Chief Administrative Officer: Ed Cassidy, until December 31, 2015
- Will Plaster, January 1, 2016, August 1, 2016
- Phil Kiko, from August 1, 2016
- Clerk: Karen L. Haas
- Historian: Matthew Wasniewski
- Inspector General: Theresa M. Grafenstine
- Parliamentarian: Thomas J. Wickham Jr.
- Reading Clerks: Susan Cole (R) and Joseph Novotny (D)
- Sergeant at Arms: Paul D. Irving
Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: Stephen T. Ayers
- Attending Physician of the United States Congress: Brian P. Monahan
- Comptroller General of the United States: Eugene Louis Dodaro
- Director of the Congressional Budget Office: Douglas Elmendorf, until March 31, 2015
- Keith Hall, from April 1, 2015
- Librarian of Congress: James H. Billington, until September 30, 2015
- David S. Mao (acting), October 1, 2015, September 14, 2016
- Carla Diane Hayden, from September 14, 2016
- Public Printer of the United States: Davita Vance-Cooks
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “114th United States Congress”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- U.S. Capitol - March 28, 2016 (25666928564).jpg by USCapitol, Public domain
- 114th Congress House Member Pin.png by United States Congress, Public domain
- President Obama delivers the State of the Union address Jan. 20, 2015.jpg by Pete Souza, Public domain
- Benjamin netanyahu congress speech 2015.jpg by US Congress, Public domain
- John Kerry, Ernest Moniz and Jack Lew defending the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (19759429878).jpg by U.S. Department of State, Public domain
- Pope Francis Visits the United States Capitol (22153720701).jpg by USCapitol, Public domain
- 114th United States Senate.svg by Nick.mon, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 114thHouse.svg by PeterMGrund, CC BY-SA 4.0
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