United States Congress

The Congress of the United States, also officially known as the Federal Legislature of the United States, unofficially but formally the United States in Congress assembled, and unofficially and informally the Congress of the Confederation, is the federal legislature of the Union of eighteen North Aegean States. The Congress is bicameral, consisting of a State-appointed Senate, and a directly-elected House of Representatives. The United States in Congress assembled meet in the United States Capitol, the Senate in the north wing, and the House of Representatives in the south wing.

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, or 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, "[the] United States", is to be understood to mean "[the] eighteen States united": The meaning behind the name, "Congress of the United States", is that the body, the Congress, is a "Congress of the [eighteen] States". The same concept applies to the term, "United States in Congress assembled": substitute "eighteen" for "United" and the true meaning becomes clear, e.g., "eighteen States in Congress assembled".

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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Senate
The Senate represents the governments of the respective States, and its members, called Senators, are members of their State's government, and are appointed in each State by the Executive Authority thereof, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Legislature of the same. Senators are serve at the pleasure of the State's Executive Authority (e.g., the State Governor in every State but Hawaiʻi; King in the case of Hawaiʻi).

The presiding officer of the Senate is their President, who is elected from within their membership for a Term of six Years, and the President of the Senate is ipso facto the Vice-President of the United States.

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House of Representatives
The House of Representatives represents the people of the several States.

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Structure
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Parliamentary groups
The parliamentary groups of the United States Congress are groups of Members of the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, organized by political party or by coalition of parties (in the House of Representatives) or by State (in the Senate). Their function is both political and administrative. The Members of Congress in a group are expected to cooperate in promoting the policies of their group, while the group is allocated offices and technical support in the Senate by the Secretary of the Senate and in the House of Representatives by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, respectively, and each may hire additional support for their Members at their own expense (or that of their parent party or coalition).

At least five Members are required to form a parliamentary group, who must all come from the same party or electoral coalition and must not all have been elected in the same constituency. Only one parliamentary group may be formed per party or coalition. Members who cannot join a normal parliamentary group —for example, because they have left their party, or because their party does not have at least five Members in at least two constituencies—are organized into the "mixed group" for administrative purposes.

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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