What Does Congress Do? The Five Core Jobs of the House and Senate

Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. The House of Representatives and the Senate write, debate and pass federal laws, control federal spending, oversee the executive branch agencies that carry those laws out, confirm many presidential appointees, ratify treaties and can impeach federal officials. The Constitution sets out these jobs in Article I, and every bill and vote is recorded on Congress.gov.

This guide walks through each of the five core jobs, what the Constitution says about them and how they show up in practice. If you want the step-by-step route a bill takes, start with how a bill becomes a law.

The Two Chambers in Brief

Congress has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, each elected from a single district for a two-year term, so the whole chamber faces voters every two years. The Senate has 100 members, two from each state, serving six-year terms staggered so that about a third of the seats are contested in any given election cycle. Together that makes 535 voting members.

The chambers are equal partners in most things, but not all. Revenue bills must start in the House, and the Senate has special powers over treaties, presidential nominations and impeachment trials. Most of what Congress does requires both chambers to agree on the same text.

Job One: Making Laws

Article I, Section 1 vests all federal legislative power in Congress. Section 8 then lists the specific powers, including the power to tax and borrow, to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, to coin money, to establish post offices, to raise and support armies and to declare war. It also gives Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying those powers into effect.

A proposal becomes law only when both chambers pass identical text and the President signs it, or when Congress overrides a veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber. Proposals take the form of bills, joint resolutions and simple or concurrent resolutions. For the difference between a bill and a resolution, see what is a bill and what is a resolution.

Job Two: Controlling the Money

The power of the purse is often described as Congress's most important lever. Article I, Section 9 says no money may be drawn from the Treasury except in consequence of appropriations made by law. In practice this means that every dollar a federal agency spends has to be authorised and funded by Congress.

Congress is supposed to pass twelve annual appropriations bills before the federal fiscal year begins on 1 October. When it does not, it usually passes a continuing resolution that keeps government running at existing funding levels for a set period. That is why shutdown deadlines get so much attention. The mechanics are covered in continuing resolution explained, and the committees that write the spending bills are described in congressional committees explained.

Job Three: Overseeing the Executive Branch

Beyond writing laws, Congress checks how they are carried out. Committees hold hearings, request documents, commission reports from agencies such as the Government Accountability Office and issue subpoenas when witnesses refuse to cooperate. The Congressional Research Service's Congressional Oversight Manual sets out the tools in detail.

Oversight is often bipartisan in form but partisan in practice. When one party controls the presidency and the other controls a chamber of Congress, the chamber in opposition tends to use its oversight powers more often. The budget is the strongest tool: an agency that is at odds with Congress can find its funding cut or its programmes restricted in the next appropriations bill.

Job Four: Confirming Appointments and Ratifying Treaties

Under Article II, Section 2, the Senate gives advice and consent to presidential appointments. Cabinet secretaries, federal judges including Supreme Court justices, ambassadors and senior agency heads all need Senate confirmation. Treaties also need the consent of two-thirds of senators present before the United States can ratify them. Most nominations need only a simple majority to end debate, as explained in what is cloture.

Job Five: Impeachment

Impeachment is the constitutional process for removing federal officials for treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours. The House has the sole power to impeach, which means approving articles of impeachment by a simple majority. The Senate has the sole power to try impeachments, and conviction requires a two-thirds vote of senators present. Only three presidents have been impeached by the House, and none has been removed by the Senate.

What Congress Does Not Do

Congress does not carry out the laws it passes; that is the job of the executive branch. It does not decide individual court cases, though it can change the courts' structure and jurisdiction. Federal agencies write detailed regulations, but they do so under authority Congress has delegated, and Congress can narrow or repeal that authority by statute.

Why the Five Jobs Matter When You Track a Bill

Most bills you can follow on Bill100 are part of the first job, making law, but the other four shape what happens next. A spending bill, a nomination or an oversight hearing can all change the outcome of a policy that started as a bill. The understanding bill status guide explains what each stage on a Congress.gov record means.