Possibility of Republican dominance in both houses of Congress from the White House after several decadesThe Republican Party got a clear majority in the Senate with 51 seats.The position of Republicans in the House of Representatives also appears to be very strong.
After many decades, the Republican Party is going to hoist such a flag in the American elections, which has not happened recently. This will be the first time in a long time that the Republican Party candidate will not only be sitting in the White House as President, but will also be the majority party in the Senate, the upper house of the US Congress. He seems to be moving towards majority in the House of Representatives also. In America, it is rare for a single party to dominate all three places.
By 12 noon, Donald Trump has come far ahead in the counting of electoral votes. If he got 247 electoral votes, then Kamala Harris got 214. If we go by the projection with the latest trends, then Trump is going to get a bumper victory with 306 electoral votes. Kamala Harris will be far behind with 232 electoral votes.
Whereas in the Senate of 100 members, the Republican Party has achieved majority by winning 51 seats. So it can be said that they have captured the main house of the American Parliament. The Democratic Party has 42 seats there.
Whereas in the House of Representatives, the Republican Party has so far won 186 seats while the Democrats have been able to reach 160 seats there. Which party will get 218 seats here. He will get majority. If in America the Republican Party will have dominance in both the Houses along with the President, then everything will become very easy for Donald Trump.
Let us know what the two houses of the American Congress are. What is their number of members and how do they work? In fact, the US Congress i.e. the American Parliament is divided into two legislative bodies, just as our Parliament is divided into the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
One is the upper house i.e. the US Senate, which has 100 senators. They reach this level by electing two senators from every American state. Their tenure is of 06 years. In 2024, elections are being held for 34 of these 100 seats.
The lower house of the Congress is called the House of Representatives. In which there are 435 members, their tenure is for two years. This means that on Tuesday America is not voting only to elect the President but for the entire House. There are 6 non-voting seats in it.
According to the states, the seats of the House of Representatives are as follows
– Large states: California (52), Texas (38), Florida (27), New York (27)
– Small states: Alaska (1), Delaware (1), Montana (1), North Dakota (1), South Dakota (1), Vermont (1), Wyoming (1)
The number of representatives in each state may change after each census, as seats are reallocated to districts as population changes.
What is the current situation in the Senate?
In America, every two years, one-third of the Senate seats are elected, i.e. 33-34 seats.
Presently the status of seats is as follows
– Republican Party – 49 seats
– Democratic Party – 47 seats
– Independents who are with the Democrats – 4 seats
How will the terms of one-third of the Senate seats now expire?
First batch – term will end in 2025
Second batch – term will end in 2027
Third batch – term will end in 2029
What is the US Senate?
Number of Members – 100 senators (2 from each of the 50 states)
– The tenure of a senator is for 6 years
– Only two senators are elected from each state
Responsibilities
1. Lawmaking- introducing, debating and voting on bills
2. Advice and Consent – Approving presidential appointments (Supreme Court justices, federal judges, cabinet members)
– The Senate plays an important role in shaping the country’s laws, policies and judiciary, ensuring equal representation for each state.
3. Approving treaties – The President approves the treaties negotiated.
4. Impeachment Trial – To conduct an impeachment trial initiated by the House.
5. Budgeting – approving federal spending and taxation
There are two types of senators
1. Junior Senator – A senator with fewer years of service from a state
2. Senior Senator – A senator with more years of service from a state.
House of Representatives
In the House of Representatives, members from each state are elected proportionally on the basis of the population there. For example, California, America’s most populous state, has the highest number of representatives in this House. Their number is 52. A handful of states like Wyoming and Vermont are represented by only one member in the House. This is the lower house of Congress
Number of members – 435 members
– Each member represents a congressional district within a state
– The number of representatives per state is decided on the basis of population.
– Members serve a tenure of 2 years
Responsibilities
1. Lawmaking: debating, introducing, and voting on bills
2. Budgeting: Approving federal spending and taxation
3. Inspection: Investigating and hearing
4. Impeachment: Initiating impeachment proceedings against federal officials
Sometimes more power than the President
Some members of the US Congress are incredibly influential in both party and policy politics. Sometimes they have more influential powers than even the President.
FIRST PUBLISHED : November 6, 2024, 12:13 IST