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112th United States Congress

The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 days before the end of the presidential term to which Barack Obama was elected in 2008. Senators elected to regular terms in 2006 completed those terms in this Congress. This Congress included the last House of Representatives elected from congressional districts that were apportioned based on the 2000 census.[1][2]

112th United States Congress
111th ←
→ 113th
United States Capitol (2011)
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Members100 senators
435 representatives
6 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityDemocratic
Senate PresidentJoe Biden (D)
House majorityRepublican
House SpeakerJohn Boehner (R)
Sessions
1st: January 5, 2011 – January 3, 2012
2nd: January 3, 2012 – January 3, 2013
House of Representatives member pin for the 112th U.S. Congress

In the 2010 midterm elections, the Republican Party won the majority in the House of Representatives. While the Democrats kept their Senate majority, it was reduced from the previous Congress.[3]

This was the first Congress in which the House and Senate were controlled by different parties since the 107th Congress (2001–2003), and the first Congress to begin that way since the 99th Congress (1985–1987).[citation needed] It was also the first Congress since the 36th Congress, over 150 years, in which the Republican Party held the House but not the Senate. In this Congress, the House of Representatives had the largest number of Republican members, 242, since the 80th Congress (1947–1949).[4] This was the only Congress between the 79th (1945–1947) and the 117th (2021–2023) that did not include a member of the Kennedy family.

As of 2022, this is the most recent Congress in which Democrats held a Senate seat in Nebraska or a House seat in Arkansas, the last in which Republicans held both Senate seats in Maine, and the last in which Democrats did not hold all seats in Connecticut.

Major events

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President Obama delivered the 2011 State of the Union Address on January 25, 2011
 
After delivering the 2012 State of the Union Address on January 24, 2012, President Obama embraces Representative Gabby Giffords, who had been shot the previous year.
Main articles: 2011 in the United States, 2012 in the United States, and 2013 in the United States

Potential government shutdown

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A failure to pass a 2011 federal budget nearly led to a shutdown of non-essential government services on April 9, 2011, with the furlough of 800,000 government employees appearing imminent.[9] President Obama met Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner in the days preceding the deadline but was unable to come to an agreement to pass a budget.[citation needed] A one-week budget was proposed to avoid a government shutdown and allow more time for negotiations; however, proposals from both parties could not be accommodated.[citation needed] Obama said he would veto a proposed Republican budget over Republican social spending cuts.[citation needed] This was also backed by Senate Democrats who objected to such cuts as that of Planned Parenthood.[10][11][12] However, an agreement was reached between the two parties for a one-week budget to allow for more time to negotiate after Republicans dropped their stance on the Planned Parenthood issue.[11] The two parties ultimately agreed on a 2011 federal budget the following week.[citation needed]

There were many reactions to the possible shutdown with some saying the economy could be hurt during a fragile recovery[13] and others saying the lack of an unnecessary bureaucracy would not be noticed.[14] There was also criticism that while senators and representatives would continue to get paid others such as the police and military personnel would either not be paid for their work or have their payments deferred.[15]

Debt limit crisis

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Speaker Boehner meeting with President Obama at the White House during the 2011 debt ceiling crisis
 
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Main article: United States debt-ceiling crisis of 2011

On August 2, 2011, the United States public debt was projected to reach its statutory maximum. Without an increase in that limit the U.S. Treasury would be unable to borrow money to pay its bills. Although previous statutory increases have been routine, conservative members of the House refused to allow an increase without drastically reducing government spending. Over several weeks and months, negotiators from both parties, both houses, and the White House worked to forge a compromise. The compromise bill, the Budget Control Act of 2011, was enacted on August 2.

Major legislation

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Enacted

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Main article: List of acts of the 112th United States Congress

Proposed

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See also: Active Legislation, 112th Congress, via senate.gov

Party summary

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Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section, below.

Senate

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Final Senate Membership
     51 Democrats
     47 Republicans

     2 Independents, caucusing with Democrats
Party
(shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total Vacant
Democratic Independent
(caucusing with
Democrats) 		Republican
End of previous Congress 56 2 42 100 0
Begin 51 2 47 100 0
May 3, 2011 46 99 1
May 9, 2011 47 100 0
December 17, 2012 50 99 1
December 26, 2012 51 100 0
January 1, 2013 46 99 1
January 2, 2013 47 100 0
Final voting share 53% 47%
Beginning of the next Congress 53 2 45 100 0

House of Representatives

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Final House Membership
     191 Democrats
     240 Republicans

     4 Vacant
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total Vacant
Democratic Republican
End of previous Congress 255 179 434 1
Begin 193 242 435 0
February 9, 2011 241 434 1
February 28, 2011 192 433 2
May 9, 2011 240 432 3
May 24, 2011 193 433 2
June 21, 2011 192 432 3
July 12, 2011 193 433 2
August 3, 2011 192 432 3
September 13, 2011 242 434 1
January 25, 2012 191 433 2
January 31, 2012 192 434 1
March 6, 2012 191 433 2
March 20, 2012 190 432 3
June 12, 2012 191 433 2
July 7, 2012 241 432 3
July 31, 2012 240 431 4
August 15, 2012 190 430 5
November 13, 2012 192 241 433 2
November 15, 2012 193 434 1
November 21, 2012 192 433 2
December 3, 2012 191 432 3
January 2, 2013 240 431 4
Final voting share 44.3% 55.7%
Non-voting members 6 0 6 0
Beginning of next Congress 200 233 433 2

Leadership

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Section contents: Senate: Majority (D), Minority (R) • House: Majority (R), Minority (D)

Senate

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Senate President
 
Joe Biden (D)
Senate President pro Tempore
 
Daniel Inouye (D)
(until December 17, 2012)
 
Patrick Leahy (D)
(from December 17, 2012)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

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Minority (Republican) leadership

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House of Representatives

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Speaker of the House
 
John Boehner (R)

Majority (Republican) leadership

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Minority (Democratic) leadership

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Members

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For the first time in the history of Congress, over half its members were millionaires as of 2012; Democrats had a median net worth of $1.04 million, while the Republicans median was "almost exactly" $1.00 million.[21][22] In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 2012; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 2014; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 2016.

Senate

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House of Representatives

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For maps of congressional districts, see List of United States congressional districts.

Changes in membership

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Senate

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Senate changes
State
(class) 		Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[b]
Nevada
(1) 		John Ensign
(R) 		Resigned May 3, 2011, due to an Ethics Committee investigation.[27]
Successor appointed April 27, 2011 and later elected for a full six-year term. 		Dean Heller
(R)[28] 		May 9, 2011[29]
Hawaii
(3) 		Daniel Inouye
(D) 		Died December 17, 2012 [30]
Successor appointed December 26, 2012, to serve until a special election was held to finish the term ending January 3, 2017. 		Brian Schatz
(D) 		December 27, 2012
South Carolina
(3) 		Jim DeMint
(R) 		Resigned January 1, 2013, to run The Heritage Foundation[31]
Successor appointed January 2, 2013, to serve until a special election was held to finish the term ending January 3, 2017. 		Tim Scott
(R) 		January 2, 2013[32]

House of Representatives

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See also: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
House changes
District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[b]
New York 26th Christopher Lee
(R) 		Resigned February 9, 2011, due to a personal scandal.[33]
A special election was held May 24, 2011.[34] 		Kathy Hochul
(D) 		June 1, 2011
California 36th Jane Harman
(D) 		Resigned February 28, 2011, to become the head of the Woodrow Wilson Center.[35]
A special election was held July 12, 2011.[36] 		Janice Hahn
(D) 		July 19, 2011
Nevada 2nd Dean Heller
(R) 		Resigned May 9, 2011, when appointed to the Senate.[28]
A special election was held September 13, 2011.[37] 		Mark Amodei
(R) 		September 15, 2011
New York 9th Anthony Weiner
(D) 		Resigned June 21, 2011, due to a personal scandal.[38]
A special election was held September 13, 2011.[39] 		Bob Turner
(R) 		September 15, 2011
Oregon 1st David Wu
(D) 		Resigned August 3, 2011, due to a personal scandal.
A special election was held January 31, 2012.[40] 		Suzanne Bonamici
(D) 		February 7, 2012
Arizona 8th Gabby Giffords
(D) 		Resigned January 25, 2012, to focus on recovery from 2011 Tucson shooting.[41]
A special election was held June 12, 2012.[42] 		Ron Barber
(D) 		June 19, 2012
New Jersey 10th Donald M. Payne
(D) 		Died March 6, 2012.[43]
A special election was held November 6, 2012.[44] 		Donald Payne Jr.
(D) 		November 15, 2012[24]
Washington 1st Jay Inslee
(D) 		Resigned March 20, 2012, to focus on gubernatorial campaign.[45]
A special election was held November 6, 2012.[46] 		Suzan DelBene
(D) 		November 13, 2012[23]
Michigan 11th Thaddeus McCotter
(R) 		Resigned July 6, 2012, for personal reasons.[47]
A special election was held November 6, 2012.[48] 		David Curson
(D) 		November 13, 2012[23]
Kentucky 4th Geoff Davis
(R) 		Resigned July 31, 2012, for personal reasons.[49]
A special election was held November 6, 2012.[50] 		Thomas Massie
(R) 		November 13, 2012[23]
California 18th Dennis Cardoza
(D) 		Resigned August 15, 2012, for personal reasons.[51] Vacant until the next Congress
Illinois 2nd Jesse Jackson Jr.
(D) 		Resigned November 21, 2012, due to a personal scandal.
California 51st Bob Filner
(D) 		Resigned December 3, 2012, to become mayor of San Diego.
South Carolina 1st Tim Scott
(R) 		Resigned January 2, 2013, when appointed to the United States Senate.[25]

Committees

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[ Section contents: Senate, House, Joint ]

Senate

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Main article: List of United States Senate committees

House of Representatives

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Main article: List of United States House of Representatives committees

Joint appointments

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Main article: List of United States congressional joint committees

Caucuses

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Main article: Caucuses of the United States Congress

Employees

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Legislative branch agency directors

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Senate

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House of Representatives

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See also

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Elections

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Membership lists

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) and the North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party (D-NPL) are the Minnesota and North Dakota affiliates of the U.S. Democratic Party and are counted as Democrats.
  2. ^ a b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

References

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  1. ^ Pub. L. 111–289 (text) (PDF)
  2. ^ Senate Calendar for January 20, 2012.
  3. ^ Zeleny, Jeff (November 2, 2010). "G.O.P. Captures House, but Not Senate". New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  4. ^ Abramowitz, Alan (December 12, 2010). "Get ready for the most conservative Congress ever". Salon.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  5. ^ Yadron, Danny (January 6, 2011). "House Reads Constitution, Gets Civics Lesson". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  6. ^ Jeremiah Gertler (March 30, 2011). "Operation Odyssey Dawn (Libya): Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service.
  7. ^ "US troops complete their withdrawal from Iraq". Herald Sun. Australia. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  8. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (January 24, 2013). "Senator Unveils Bill to Limit Semiautomatic Arms". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  9. ^ Rowley, James (April 7, 2011). "U.S. Government Shutdown Threatens 800,000 People As Obama Seeks Solution". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  10. ^ "US budget talks remain deadlocked". Al Jazeera. April 8, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Davis, Julie Hirschfeld; Faler, Brian (April 9, 2011). "Wrangle Over U.S. Budget Compromise Defines Next Two Years' Fiscal Debate". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  12. ^ "Pres. Obama and Congressional Leaders Reach Budget Deal". C-SPAN. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on April 14, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  13. ^ Dodge, Catherine; Goldman, Julianna (April 8, 2011). "Long Government Shutdown Would Harm U.S. Economy, Hit Washington Hardest". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  14. ^ "Editorial: Government shutdown survival guide". The Washington Times. April 7, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  15. ^ Goldman, Julianna (April 7, 2011). "Boehner Gets Paid While Soldiers Wait When Congress Shuts Down Government". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 10, 2011. Members of Congress 'shouldn't be getting paid, just like federal employees shouldn't be getting paid' during a shutdown, Boehner said today on ABC's 'Good Morning America'
  16. ^ "U.S. Senate, Democratic Committees". Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  17. ^ "U.S. Senate Conference Secretaries". Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  18. ^ a b c "U.S. Senate, Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee". Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  19. ^ Office of the Speaker of the House (December 2, 2010). "Pelosi Announces Steering and Policy Committee Members". PR Newswire. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  20. ^ "Congressman Capuano's Update". FN Online. February 3, 2011. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  21. ^ "Millionaires' Club: For First Time, Most Lawmakers are Worth $1 Million-Plus". OpenSecrets. OpenSecrets. January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  22. ^ "Half of US Congressional politicians are millionaires". BBC News. January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  23. ^ a b c d e f "House Floor Activities: Legislative Day of November 13, 2012". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  24. ^ a b "House Floor Activities: Legislative Day of November 15, 2012". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  25. ^ a b 2012 Congressional Record, Vol. 158, Page H7467 (December 30, 2012)
  26. ^ Access Denied. NationalJournal.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  27. ^ "Nevada Sen. John Ensign announces resignation". Politico. April 21, 2011.
  28. ^ a b Murray, Mark (April 27, 2011). "Sandoval appoints Heller to fill Ensign seat". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011.
  29. ^ Heller in transition: One foot in House, one foot in Senate | Las Vegas Review-Journal. Lvrj.com (May 3, 2011). Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  30. ^ "Sen. Daniel Inouye dies of respiratory complications". MSN News. Associated Press. December 17, 2012. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012.
  31. ^ "South Carolina Republican US Sen. Jim DeMint resigning to take over at Heritage Foundation". The Washington Post. December 6, 2012. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  32. ^ Scott's appointment took effect January 2, 2013, upon his resignation from the House of Representatives; he took the oath of office on January 3, 2013.[1]
  33. ^ "Lee Resigns After Photos Surface". Political Wire. February 9, 2011. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  34. ^ "Governor Cuomo Signs Bill to Ensure Military Voters are Treated Fairly in Special Elections, Calls Special Election in 26th Congressional District". Governor of New York's Press Office. March 9, 2011. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  35. ^ Allen, Mike; Cohen, Richard E. (February 7, 2011). "Rep. Jane Harman to resign from House". Politico.com. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  36. ^ "Governor Brown Issues Proclamation Declaring Special Election for 36th Congressional District". Governor of California Press Release. March 14, 2011. Archived from the original on June 2, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  37. ^ "Sandoval Sets Fall Special to Fill Heller's Seat". Roll Call. April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  38. ^ Camia, Catalina (June 20, 2011). "Anthony Weiner Officially Steps Down Tuesday". USA Today. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  39. ^ "Governor Cuomo Sets Special Elections for September 13 to Coincide with Statewide Primary Day". Governor of New York's Press Office. July 1, 2011. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  40. ^ Freking, Kevin (August 4, 2011). "Wu notifies governor, speaker of resignation". San Diego Union Tribune. Associated Press.
  41. ^ "Giffords resigns House seat to focus on recovery". Associated Press. January 25, 2012. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012.
  42. ^ Nowicki, Dan (January 27, 2012). "Brewer sets Giffords seat election dates". AZCentral.com. The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  43. ^ "U.S. Representative Donald Payne dead at 77". New Jersey Real. March 6, 2012.
  44. ^ Livingston, Abby (March 30, 2012). "New Jersey: Special Election Dates For Payne Seat Set". Roll Call. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  45. ^ "Inslee resigning House seat for governor's race". Politico.com. March 10, 2012.
  46. ^ Cornfield, Jerry (March 29, 2012). "Gregoire: Election in works to replace Inslee". HeraldNet. The Daily Herald. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  47. ^ "Rep. Thaddeus McCotter resigns from Congress". Abcnews.com. July 6, 2012.
  48. ^ Toeplitz, Shira (July 10, 2012). "Michigan: Governor Calls Special Election for Thaddeus McCotter Seat". Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  49. ^ "Statement from congressman geoff davis". July 31, 2012. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  50. ^ Associated Press (August 17, 2012). "Beshear calls special election to replace Davis".
  51. ^ Doyle, Michael (August 14, 2012). "Capitol Alert: Rep. Dennis Cardoza announces resignation". Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  52. ^ S.Res. 5, 112th Congress
  53. ^ a b c d H.Res. 1, Electing officers of the House of Representatives, 112th Congress
  54. ^ "VIDEO: Speaker Boehner Swears In Father Patrick J. Conroy as House Chaplain". May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  55. ^ Matthew A. Wasniewski (Matt) - Congressional Staffer Salary Data. Legistorm.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  56. ^ Sergeant at Arms-United States House of Representatives
  57. ^ See: Rules of the House: "Other officers and officials" Archived June 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

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