Majority and Minority Party Membership in Congress
Overview
Majority and Minority Party Membership in Congress
Although political parties are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, they play a central
role in how Congress operates. In Congress, the majority party is recognized as the party with the
most seats in a chamber, while the minority party has fewer seats. The majority party in each
chamber enjoys advantages over the minority regarding leadership posts, the number of party
members assigned to each committee and subcommittee, and committee chairs. At the start of
each new Congress, the majority and minority party elect their own leaders by secret ballot in
their respective party conference or caucus. The party leaders then bear the responsibility for
managing the day to day activities of a Congress member while attempting to create and advance
the legislative agenda of their party.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the most powerful member of that
chamber and serves as presiding officer, per Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. Chosen
by the majority party, the Speaker balances administrative, partisan, and representative duties as
an elected House member. The other top leadership offices are the majority leader, the minority
leader, and the whips. The majority leader advances party goals by consulting with fellow party
members to gauge party sentiment, planning the legislative agenda, and scheduling legislation
for floor consideration. The minority leader is equivalent to the Speaker in the minority party
and works to advance the minority party’s positions while serving as its floor leader. Whips
from both parties assist their leaders by persuading party members to support the party line on
pending legislation. The personal interaction of whips with party members allows majority and
minority leaders to adjust legislation, mediate amendments, or even pressure members to gain
the necessary support for favored bills.
The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 3) designates the Vice President as “President of
the Senate”, and also requires the chamber to elect a president pro tempore, who acts as the
presiding officer in the Vice President’s absence. Unlike the House, where rules for debate are
strictly controlled, the Senate allows for more open debate, making the power of the presiding
officer more limited. Party leaders in the Senate work with party committees, committee chairs,
and ranking members to coordinate strategy and advance their legislative agendas. The majority
leader determines the order of business by selecting bills for floor debate. While deliberating
with the minority leader, the majority leader crafts unanimous consent agreements to divide
debate time between the parties. If there is a conflict over time limits for deliberation, the
majority leader may make a motion for cloture, which requires a 3/5 vote to limit debate on
Senate bills and end a filibuster. A filibuster occurs when a Senator attempts to delay action on a
bill through obstruction, and represents a major difference when comparing procedural rules
between the Senate and House. When multiple Senators are seeking recognition at the same
time, the majority leader gets precedence, which permits the authority to suggest amendments or
motions before other members. Whips also assist the majority and minority leaders in the Senate
as they do in the House.
The powers of the majority and minority leaders are not outlined in the Constitution; their
powers are derived from their respective parties. The majority party enjoys significant
advantages over the minority party in the Congressional committee system. Only majority party
members may chair standing and select committees in Congress. Moreover, the majority party in
a chamber is also awarded with the largest number of members on all standing and select
committees, which fosters the ability of the majority party to control the legislative agenda.
Although providing extensive powers to party leaders can help advance preferred legislation and
improve a party’s standing, it can also backfire when those goals contrast with the priorities of
individual members and their constituents. Party members who go against their leadership can be
punished by party leaders withholding favors or allocating less desirable committee assignments
to members who do not toe the party line while loyal party members may be rewarded with party
leadership posts and committee chairs.
While political parties are mentioned nowhere in the U.S. Constitution, they provide
organized leadership for the complex legislative process in Congress that affords the majority
party a strategic advantage in influencing the legislative agenda while at the same time giving the
minority party opportunities to organize around policy positions and to play an integrative role in
the legislative process.