Majority Leader of the
United States House of Representatives
Democratic Leader
| | | | Style | Representative | | Inaugural holder | Oscar W. Underwood | | Formation | 1911 | | Minority Leader of the
United States House of Representatives
Republican Leader
| | | | Style | Representative | | Inaugural holder | James Mann | | Formation | 1911 | | | | Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door caucus. The Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives acts as the leader of the party that has a majority of the seats in the house (currently at least 218 of the 435 seats). They work with the Speaker of the House and the Majority Whip to coordinate ideas and maintain support for legislation. The role of the majority leader has been defined by history and tradition. This officer is charged with scheduling legislation for floor consideration; planning the daily, weekly, and annual legislative agendas; consulting with Members to gauge party sentiment; and, in general, working to advance the goals of the majority party. The office of Majority Leader was created in 1899 by Speaker David B. Henderson for Sereno Payne. Henderson saw a need for a party leader on the House floor separate from the Speaker, as the role of Speaker had become more nationally prominent and the size of the House had grown from 105 at the beginning of the century to 356. In addition to distributing responsibility for running the House, the existence of the Majority Leader allows the Speaker to criticize their own party if they consider it politically necessary. Before 1899, the majority party floor leader had traditionally been the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the most powerful committee in the House, as it generates the Bills of Revenue specified in the Constitution as the House's unique power.[1] The Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives serves as floor leader of the opposition party, and is the minority counterpart to the Majority Leader. Generally, the minority leader is on the ballot for Speaker of the House during the convening of the Congress. They usually are the party's top choice for Speaker if party control flips after an election. The minority leader usually meets with the Majority Leader and the Speaker to discuss agreements on controversial issues. The current House majority leader is Democrat Steny Hoyer, while the current House minority leader is Republican John Boehner. [edit] List of Party Leaders (Names in Bold indicate The Majority Leaders, names in Italics indicate Speakers of the House for context.) [edit] External links
 United States Congress
(House of Representatives, Senate — 111th Congress — Members of the 111th United States Congress ) | | | Members | Members of Congress: Current ( by length of service, freshmen, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, delegates, longest-serving members ever) Senate: Current by seniority, Current by age, Dean of the Senate, former Senators, living former Senators, Earliest serving, Earliest living, Expelled/censured, Classes, House: Current by seniority, Dean of the House, former Representatives, oldest living, expelled, censured, and reprimanded Representatives, Women and minority members: African American members, Hispanic members, Asian Pacific American members, Congressional Member Organizations (caucuses), House Women, Senate Women List of congressional districts ( congressional apportionment, districts by area, obsolete districts) Privileges and benefits: Representatives' salaries, Senators' salaries, franking, congressional immunity | | | Party leaders | Senate: Majority and Minority Leaders, assistant party leaders, Democratic Caucus ( Chair, Secretary, Policy Committee Chair), Republican Conference ( Chair, Vice-Chair, Policy Committee Chair) House: Speaker ( list), Majority and Minority Leaders, party whips, Democratic Caucus, Republican Conference | | Offices,
officers,
& employees | Congress: Government Accountability Office ( Comptroller General), Congressional Budget Office, Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Police ( Capitol Police Board), Capitol Guide Service ( Capitol Guide Board), Office of Compliance, Library of Congress, Government Printing Office; Former: Office of Technology Assessment Senate constitutionally-mandated officers: President ( list) ( Vice President of the United States), President pro tempore ( list) Senate elected officers: President pro tempore, Secretary, Chaplain, Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Senate employees: Curator, Historian, Librarian, Parliamentarian, pages Senate offices: Office of the Secretary ( Senate Library, Office of Senate Curator, Senate Historical Office) House elected officers: Clerk, Sergeant at Arms, Chief Administrative Officer, Chaplain. Former: Doorkeeper, Postmaster House employees: Historian, Parliamentarian, Reading Clerk, pages ( House Page Board) House offices: Office of the Law Revision Counsel, Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations, Interparliamentary Affairs | | Powers,
procedure
& customs | Powers: Constitutional authority under Article I ( Enumerated powers ( Taxing and Spending, Commerce, Dormant Commerce, Naturalization, Copyright, Declaration of War Clause); Implied powers: Necessary and Proper Clause); Impeachment; contempt of Congress; Power of enforcement Legislative and parliamentary procedure: Act of Congress ( list), rider, sponsorship, discharge petition, unanimous consent, suspension of the rules, joint resolution, concurrent resolution, appropriation bill, enrolled bill, engrossed bill, budget resolution, continuing resolution, House procedures, expulsion of members, joint session ( list), House closed sessions, Senate closed sessions, lame duck session, cloture, suspension of the rules, reconciliation, veto override Committees: Oversight, hearings, discharge petition, markup, chairman and ranking member, standing committees, select and special committees, joint committees, subcommittees, Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, conference committee, list of Senate committees, list of House committees Senate-specific: Presiding Officer, Jefferson's Manual, Standing Rules of the Senate, Riddick's Senate Procedure, seniority, classes of Senators, Traditions, VPs' tie-breaking votes, advice and consent, recess appointment, executive session, senatorial courtesy, Saxbe fix, nuclear option, filibuster, executive communication, secret hold, ratification of treaties, Senate Journal Items: Mace of the House, gavels | | | History | | | | Capitol Complex | Capitol: Dome, rotunda, crypt, National Statuary Hall, Capitol Visitor Center, The Apotheosis of Washington, Statue of Freedom Office buildings: House: Cannon, Ford, Longworth, Rayburn, O'Neill ( demolished); Senate: Dirksen, Hart, Russell; House Office Building Commission Other buildings and facilities: Botanic Garden, Old Supreme Court Chamber, Senate Staff Health and Fitness Facility, Capitol Power Plant, Old Senate Chamber, House Recording Studio | | | LoC & GPO | Library of Congress: Congressional Research Service ( reports), Law Library, THOMAS, Copyright Office ( Register of Copyrights), Poet Laureate, Jefferson Building, Adams Building, Madison Building; Government Printing Office: Public Printer of the United States, Congressional Record, Official Congressional Directory, United States Statutes at Large, United States Code | | | Media | | | | Miscellaneous | | | | Websites: House of Representatives | Senate | | | Democratic Party Leaders in the United States House of Representatives | | | | | | | Republican Party Leaders in the United States House of Representatives | | | | | | | (i) - interim | | |
