/tiles/non-collection/C/Chamber_PA2015_06_0082.xmlCollection of the U.S. House of RepresentativesThe House Chamber was remodeled in 1950 and updated with electronic voting in 1972.
Congress Overview
After picking up 41 seats in the 2018 midterm elections, the Democratic Party held the House majority for the 116th Congress (2019–2021) for the first time in eight years. The Membership of the House on Opening Day was the most diverse in American history up to that point, and included record numbers of women, Black American, Hispanic American, Asian Pacific American, and American Indian lawmakers. Amid a divided government—Republicans controlled the Senate and the presidency—the 116th Congress re-opened federal agencies following a partial shutdown from the previous Congress and went on to pass 344 measures into law, including the bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which expanded protections for America’s public lands and opened access to the outdoors. On December 18, 2019, the House impeached President Donald J. Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate later acquitted Trump. Beginning in March 2020, Congress confronted the global coronavirus pandemic, enacting far-reaching public health policies as well as the CARES Act, a $2 trillion stimulus to bolster the economy. Because of the pandemic’s social-distancing requirements, the House’s operating processes changed markedly. Many Members’ offices switched to remote work, committees held virtual hearings, and the House allowed lawmakers to vote remotely by proxy.
