Divided government in the United States - wikipedia Divided government in the United States It has been suggested that Presidents of the United States and control of Congress be merged into this article. ( Discuss ) Proposed since March 2017. In the United States, divided government describes a situation in which one party controls the executive branch while another party controls one or both houses of the legislative branch. Divided government is seen by different groups as a benefit or as an undesirable product of the model of governance used in the U.S. political system. Under said model, known as the separation of powers, the state is divided into different branches. Each branch has separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the others. The model can be contrasted with the fusion of powers in a parliamentary system where the executive and legislature ( and sometimes parts of the judiciary ) are unified. Those in favor of divided government believe that such separations encourage more policing of those in power by the opposition, as well as limiting spending and the expansion of undesirable laws. Opponents, however, argue that divided governments become lethargic, leading to many gridlocks. In the late 1980s, Terry M. Moe, a professor of political science at Stanford University, examined the issue. He concluded that divided governments lead to compromise which can be seen as beneficial. But he also noticed that divided governments subvert performance and politicize the decisions of executive agencies. Early in the 20th century, divided government was rare, but since the 1970s it has become increasingly common. Contents 1 Party control of legislative and executive branches since 1901 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading Party control of legislative and executive branches since 1901 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2013 ) D denotes the Democratic Party and R denotes the Republican Party Year President Senate House 1901 -- 1903 1903 -- 1905 1905 -- 1907 1907 -- 1909 1909 -- 1911 1911 - 1913 1913 -- 1915 1915 -- 1917 1917 -- 1919 1919 - 1921 1921 -- 1923 1923 -- 1925 1925 -- 1927 1927 -- 1929 1929 -- 1931 1931 - 1933 1933 -- 1935 1935 -- 1937 1937 -- 1939 1939 -- 1941 1941 -- 1943 1943 -- 1945 1945 -- 1947 1947 - 1949 1949 -- 1951 1951 -- 1953 1953 -- 1955 1955 - 1957 1957 - 1959 1959 - 1961 1961 -- 1963 1963 -- 1965 1965 -- 1967 1967 -- 1969 1969 - 1971 1971 - 1973 1973 - 1975 1975 - 1977 1977 -- 1979 1979 -- 1981 1981 - 1983 1983 - 1985 1985 - 1987 1987 - 1989 1989 - 1991 1991 - 1993 1993 -- 1995 1995 - 1997 1997 - 1999 1999 - 2001 2001 - 2003 2003 -- 2005 2005 -- 2007 2007 - 2009 2009 -- 2011 2011 - 2013 2013 - 2015 2015 - 2017 2017 - 2019 The 2000 election resulted in a 50 - 50 tie in the Senate, and the Constitution gives tie - breaking power to the Vice President. The Vice President was Democrat Al Gore from January 3, 2001 until the inauguration of Republican Richard Cheney on January 20. Then on May 24, Republican Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont left the Republican Party to caucus with the Democrats as an independent, resulting in another shift of control. See also Party divisions of United States Congresses Political party strength in U.S. states References Jump up ^ `` Would Divided Government Be Better ? ''. Cato Institute. Retrieved 20 September 2015. Jump up ^ Moe, Terry ( 1989 ). `` The Politics of Bureaucratic Structure ''. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 04. Further reading Morris Fiorina, Divided Government, 1996. David R. Mayhew, Divided We Govern, 1991. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Divided_government_in_the_United_States&oldid=778418924 '' Categories : Political science terminology Government of the United States Hidden categories : Articles to be merged from March 2017 All articles to be merged Articles needing additional references from May 2013 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français 한국어 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 3 May 2017, at 00 : 50. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is it called when the president and congress are from different parties
Answer: divided government