ABSTRACT
Members of both houses have the opportunity of casting votes in committees and on the floor of their chambers on numerous bills and resolutions every year. As the Senate and the House of Representatives are elected by different constituencies and for different terms there can be a different party in control of each. From 1981-87 the Republicans controlled the Senate while the Democrats had a majority in the House of Representatives. From May 2001 the Democrats controlled the Senate, albeit by one vote, while the House had a narrow Republican majority. The Democrats have been in control of both houses of Congress for most of the period since 1933, with the exception of the years 1947-48, 1953-54 and, most recently, from 1995 to 2001 and since 2003. Differences between the chambers in political control have not been as common as those which have often existed between Congress and the presidency (see Chapter 3 for discussion of divided party government).
