Lesson 3 · 18 min
Learn how Congress makes federal laws, how the Senate and the House of Representatives are different, and how to find the people who represent you.
The legislative branch writes the federal (national) laws. This branch is called Congress, or the national legislature. Congress meets in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Congress has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. A new law usually starts as a bill (a written proposal). Both the Senate and the House must approve the same bill before it goes to the President to sign.
Congress has other important powers too. It declares war, and it makes the federal budget, which means it decides how the government collects and spends money. It can also collect taxes and approve treaties and judges (the Senate does these last two).
There are 100 U.S. senators, two from each of the 50 states. A senator is elected for a term of six years. There is no limit on how many terms a senator can serve.
A senator represents all the people of his or her state. The citizens of that state elect their senators. Elections are spread out, so about one-third of the Senate is elected every two years.
Why does every state have two senators, big or small? When the Constitution was written in 1787, large states wanted power based on population, and small states wanted equal power. The Great Compromise (also called the Connecticut Compromise) gave every state equal representation in the Senate and gave the House representation based on population.
The House of Representatives has 435 voting members. Each state is divided into areas called congressional districts, and each district elects one representative. A representative represents the people of his or her district.
States with more people have more representatives. Every ten years, the census counts the population, and the 435 seats are shared again among the states. Every state has at least one representative.
A representative is elected for a term of two years. This short term means representatives face voters often, so they more closely follow public opinion (what the people think). Senators have longer terms so the Senate can be more stable.
Washington, D.C. and the U.S. territories also send delegates to the House. These delegates can speak and work on laws, but they cannot vote on final passage of bills.
On the test you may be asked to name one of your state’s U.S. senators and your U.S. representative. These answers depend on where you live, and they can change after elections. Your representative depends on your congressional district, not only your state.
You can find your senators on the official Senate website (senate.gov) and your representative on the official House website (house.gov) by entering your address or ZIP code. If you live in Washington, D.C. or a U.S. territory, you have no U.S. senators, and you can name your delegate to the House.
The Speaker of the House is the leader of the House of Representatives. The members of the House choose the Speaker. The Speaker can change, so check the USCIS test updates page (https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates) for the current name before your interview.
Congress is the legislative branch, and "legislate" means to make laws. Members of Congress write bills and vote on them. Congress meets in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Congress has two parts, also called two houses or chambers. The Senate has 100 members and the House of Representatives has 435 voting members. A bill must pass both houses before it can become a law.
Congress has the powers listed in Article I of the Constitution. It makes laws, controls government money, and is the only part of government that can declare war. The president leads the military, but only Congress can declare war.
Every state has two senators, and there are 50 states. So 2 times 50 equals 100 senators. This number only changes if a new state joins the country.
A senator is elected for six years. Elections are spread out, so about one-third of the Senate is elected every two years. There is no limit on how many terms a senator can serve.
[District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. senators.]
Your answer depends on the state where you live. Each state has two U.S. senators, and you only need to name one. To find them, go to senate.gov and choose your state, or look at usa.gov. If you live in Washington, D.C. or a U.S. territory, say that D.C. (or your territory) has no U.S. senators.
The House of Representatives has 435 voting members. This number has been fixed by law for about 100 years. There are also a few nonvoting members who speak for Washington, D.C. and the U.S. territories.
A member of the House is elected for two years. All 435 seats are up for election every two years, in even-numbered years. There is no limit on how many terms a representative can serve.
Representatives face voters every two years. If they do not listen to what people want, voters can soon replace them. So the House stays close to public opinion, while senators have longer terms to focus on long-term issues.
Every state has exactly two senators. It does not matter if the state is big or small, or has many people or few. Memory hook: in the Senate, all states are equal.
When the Constitution was written in 1787, big states wanted more votes in Congress, and small states wanted equal votes. The Great Compromise gave both: the House is based on population, and in the Senate every state gets two. It is also called the Connecticut Compromise because delegates from Connecticut proposed it.
[Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) representatives in Congress.]
Your answer depends on where you live. Each state is divided into congressional districts, and each district has one representative. Go to house.gov and enter your ZIP code or address to find yours, or look at usa.gov. If you live in a U.S. territory, you may name your nonvoting Delegate or Resident Commissioner, or say the territory has no voting representative in Congress.
Current answer listed by USCIS: Mike Johnson / Johnson / James Michael Johnson (birth name)
From the USCIS test updates page (updated September 18, 2025), checked October 31, 2026. Answer with the official serving on your interview day: check USCIS.
The Speaker is the leader of the House of Representatives. House members choose the Speaker, usually from the party with the most seats. The Speaker is second in line to become president, after the Vice President. The name can change, so check the current name on the USCIS test updates page (uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates) before your interview.
A U.S. senator speaks for the whole state, not just one city or district. The senator works for everyone in the state, even people who did not vote for them.
Voters in the whole state elect their two senators. Before 1913, state lawmakers chose senators. The 17th Amendment changed this so the people vote for senators directly.
Each state is divided into congressional districts based on population. A representative speaks for the people in one district. A state with only one representative is one big district.
The voters who live in a congressional district elect that district's representative. They vote every two years. You can only vote for the representative of your own district.
Seats in the House are shared out by population. The country counts its people every 10 years in the census, and states with more people get more representatives. Memory hook: Alaska is the largest state by land, but it has only one representative because few people live there.
Congress makes federal laws. Congress has two parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives, and it is also called the national legislature. Congress meets in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Congress has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both parts must pass a bill before it can go to the President. The Senate has 100 members and the House has 435 voting members.
There are 100 U.S. Senators. Each of the 50 states has two Senators, no matter how many people live there. Memory hook: 50 states times 2 equals 100.
A U.S. Senator is elected for a term of six years. There is no limit on how many terms a Senator can serve. About one third of the Senate is elected every two years.
[District of Columbia residents and residents of U.S. territories should answer that D.C. (or the territory where the applicant lives) has no U.S. Senators.]
The answer depends on the state where you live. Each state has two U.S. Senators, and you only need to name one. To find them, go to senate.gov and choose your state, or look on usa.gov. If you live in Washington, D.C. or a U.S. territory, the correct answer is that you have no U.S. Senators.
The House of Representatives has 435 voting members. The number is set by law, and the seats are divided among the states by population. Washington, D.C. and the territories also send members to the House, but they cannot vote on final passage of bills.
A U.S. Representative is elected for two years. Because the term is short, the whole House is elected every two years, in even-numbered years. Compare: Senators serve six years.
[Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]
The answer depends on where you live. Go to house.gov and enter your home address or ZIP code in the "Find Your Representative" tool, or look on usa.gov. If you live in a territory with a nonvoting Delegate or Resident Commissioner, you may name that person, or say that the territory has no voting Representative. Washington, D.C. also has a nonvoting Delegate.
A U.S. Senator represents every person in the whole state. This includes people who did not vote for the Senator and people who cannot vote. Representatives, in contrast, represent one district of the state.
The number of Representatives a state has depends on how many people live there. States with more people get more seats in the House. The government counts the population in a census every ten years.
Current answer listed by USCIS: Mike Johnson / Johnson / James Michael Johnson (birth name)
From the USCIS test updates page (updated September 18, 2025), checked October 31, 2026. Answer with the official serving on your interview day: check USCIS.
This answer can change when the House chooses a new Speaker, for example when a new Congress begins. Before your interview, check the USCIS test updates page (uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates) for the current name.
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Lesson text is original study material based on the USCIS 2025 Civics Test Study Guide topics. Editorial status: draft, pending expert review.