United States Congress

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Overview
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Etymology
In political science, the term congress is held to mean a formal meeting between the representatives of different States, or other entities such as subnational political subdivisions, federated states, and even independent organizations (such as trade unions).

The term was chosen for the Federal Legislature of the United States to emphasize the status of each member State composing the United States, represented in the Federal Legislature, as a sovereign self-governing political community (State). In this sense, the term, "United States" in the name "Congress of the United States" refers not to the United States as a single entity or a confederation, but as the federal union of the eighteen member States, and in this way, "United States", is to be understood to mean "eighteen States united": The meaning behind the name, "Congress of the United States", is that the body, the Congress, is a "Congress of States".

Other names for the Congress are, "Federal Legislature of the United States", "Congress of the Confederation", and "United States in Congress assembled"; however, the first two names are occasionally shortened to "Federal Legislature" and "Confederation Congress", respectively. In addition, the term, "United States in Congress assembled" is considered the most formal, but unofficial, and both "Federal Legislature of the United States" and "Congress of the United States" are co-official and equally interchangeable names for the Congress; whereas, "Congress of the Confederation" is an unofficial, albeit informal, name for the Federal legislature of the United States.

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History
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Congress in the United States general government
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Powers of Congress
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Overview of congressional power
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Enumerated powers
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Checks and balances
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Structure
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Committees
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Specialization
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Powers
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Officer
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Support services
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Library of Congress
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Joint Congressional Research Service
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Joint Congressional Budget Service
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Partisanship versus nonpartisanship
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Procedures of Congress
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Sessions
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Joint sessions
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Bills and resolutions
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