House of Representatives – The lower House

House of Representatives – Member Requirements and Term Specifications 

The United States House of Representatives is comprised of 435 members, apportioned by a state’s population, who are elected for a two-year term to represent a congressional district.

Members of the House are all part of the same class and come up for re-election every two years. They have no term limits imposed on them and can serve as many terms as they desire if they can continually be elected by voters.

Joe Biden 'contributing' to Ron DeSantis' bid as POTUS makes '2024 play' in Florida visit
Joe Biden ‘contributing’ to Ron DeSantis’ bid as POTUS makes ‘2024 play’ in Florida visit

House members must be at least 25 years of age, a citizen of the United States for seven years, and a resident of the state they seek to represent.

They are authorized to receive compensation for their services paid out of the treasury of the United States. As with members of the Senate, they are prohibited from being appointed to any civil office whose position was created or whose compensation was increased during their term of service.

While senators were originally chosen by the state legislature, apart from a direct vote, House members have always been elected by a direct vote.

Although the House is generally considered to possess less authority, power, and prestige than the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives is by far the most powerful position in the United States Congress, third in line to the presidency if needed.

It is also the only governmental body to draft legislation regarding taxation or revenue. 

House of Representatives – Powers and Responsibilities 

The House of Representatives is not involved in the advisement or approval process for any Supreme Court justices, ambassadors, ministers, or other civil officials.

Midterm elections are sometimes regarded as a referendum on the sitting president's and/or incumbent party's performance
Midterm elections are sometimes regarded as a referendum

It does not have a presiding officer apart from the body itself to cast a deciding vote in the case of a tie since tie votes would rarely occur.

The House can overturn a president’s veto in conjunction with the Senate if two-thirds of members from both houses vote to do so.

What is Congress

The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the United States Capitol in Washington DC.

Through legislative debate, compromise, and vociferous lobbying, the US Congress makes laws that influence our daily lives.
 
It holds hearings to inform the legislative process, conducts investigations to oversee the executive branch, and serves as the voice of the people and the states in the federal government.
 
While both bodies share the same general responsibility for drafting and passing laws, they are given separate functions within the legislative process.
 
They also differ in overall size, term lengths served by members, and qualifications for service in the bodies. More information is available at the House website.

Congress

House of Representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Capitol insurrection is also seeking information and testimony from Jenna Ellis, left, Sidney Powell, centre, and Boris Epshteyn

Speaker of the House

Library Of Congress

Library Of Congress

Library Of Congress What is the Library of Congress?  The Library of Congress (LC) is the research library that serves the US Congress

Majority Leader

Majority Leader

Majority Leader

Majority Leader The Majority Leader is the leader of the political party that has the most members in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives

Minority Leader

Minority Leader

Minority Leader

Minority Leader The Minority Leader is the leader of the political party that has the least members in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives

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FAQ

FAQ's about the House of Representatives

What do the House of Representatives?

The U.S. House of Representatives makes and passes federal laws. The House is one of Congress's two chambers (the other is the U.S. Senate), and part of the federal government's legislative branch.

Who makes up the House of representative?

The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population.

How long can you be a House of Representatives?

There isn't a limit in terms of years. However, No person who has been elected for a full term to the House of Representatives six consecutive times shall be eligible for election to the House of Representatives for a seventh consecutive term.

What is the six-year itch?

The losses suffered during a president's second midterm elections tend to be more pronounced than during their first midterm and are referred to as the six-year itch.