who am i

I am the only officer in the House of Reps specifically mention in the Constitution. I am the most powerful person in the House and I am elected by the entire House at the beginning of the New Congress. I am also next in line to command the nation should the President and Vice President not be able to command.

Speaker of the House / Paul Ryan

I am the leader of the minority party in Congress. I am elected by the fellow members of my party. Specifically, I am the most recent Democratic Speaker of the House and am also the first female Speaker of the House.

House Minority Leader / Nancy Pelosi

I am the second most important person in the House of Representatives following the Speaker of the House. I am generally responsible for legislative strategy.

House Majority Leader / Kevin McCarthy

We are elected by our fellow party members in caucuses, and our job is to ensure that fellow Democrats or Republicans are on board with partisan issues.

Majority Whip / Steve Scalise
Minority Whip / Steny Hoyer

My job is to serve as spokesman for the parties' positions on the issues in the Senate. I also speak for the Senate as an institution and I work with the committee chairs and ranking members, schedule business on the floor by calling bills from the calendar and keep members of the party advised about the daily legislative program.

Senate Majority Leader / Mitch McConnell

I am the current presiding officer of the Senate and I ONLY get to vote as the tie breaker in the Senate because I am technically not a member of the Senate.

Vice President / Mike Pence

I am the official chair of the Senate. I get this position by being the longest serving member of the majority party.

President Pro Tempore / Orrin Hatch

I am not necessarily a 'person', but rather a term that describes the 'first and last place Bills end up'

Committee

Our job is to elect floor leaders, make committee assignments, and set legislative agendas with regards to committee meetings

Conference Committee Chair

1 of 4: I am a type of committee whereby bills continue from one congress to the next. For example, when the 114th Congress meets in Jan of 2015, bills from the 113th Congress will still be in discussion.

Standing Committees

1 of 4: This type of committee includes members from BOTH houses of Congress. It is set up to help focus public attention on major matters such as economy, taxation, or scandals, which is why members of both houses help to conduct investigations or special studies.

Joint Committees

1 of 4: This special joint committee helps to reconcile differences / "iron out" bills passed by the House and Senate.

Conference Committee

1 of 4: This is a temporary committee appointed for specific purposes such as "indian affairs" or a "Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina"

Select / Special Committee

I am the head of a committee or subcommittee. I am always a member of the party in power and I preside over committee meetings. Some would argue that we are the real sources of power in Congress because we have the power to pass or thwart legislation.

Committee Chairman

I am the senior minority party member on a committee. The amount of power I have depends heavily on my relationship with my counterpart on the committee from the majority party.

Ranking Minority Member