The following are given passages.
Passage 1:
2014 United States Senate elections
The 2014 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2014. A total of 36 seats in the 100-member U.S. Senate were contested. Thirty-three Class 2 seats were contested for regular six-year terms to be served from January 3, 2015, to January 3, 2021, and three Class 3 seats were contested in special elections due to Senate vacancies. The elections marked 100 years of direct elections of U.S. senators. Going into the elections, 21 of the contested seats were held by the Democratic Party, while 15 were held by the Republican Party.
The Republicans regained the majority of the Senate in the 114th Congress, which started in January 2015; the Republicans had not controlled the Senate since January 2007. They needed a net gain of at least six seats to obtain a majority and were projected by polls to do so. On election night, they held all of their seats and gained nine Democratic-held seats. Republicans defeated five Democratic incumbents: Mark Begich of Alaska lost to Dan Sullivan, Mark Pryor of Arkansas lost to Tom Cotton, Mark Udall of Colorado lost to Cory Gardner, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana lost to Bill Cassidy, and Kay Hagan of North Carolina lost to Thom Tillis. Republicans also picked up another four open seats in Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Democrats did not pick up any Republican-held seats, but they did hold an open seat in Michigan.
This was the second consecutive election held in a president's sixth year where control of the Senate changed hands, the first being in 2006. This was also the first time that the Democrats lost control of the Senate in a sixth-year midterm since 1918. With a total net gain of nine seats, the Republicans made the largest Senate gain by any party since 1980. This is also the first election since 1980 in which more than two incumbent Democratic Senators were defeated by their Republican challengers. Days after the election, the United States Election Project estimated that 36.4% of eligible voters voted, 4% lower than the 2010 elections, and possibly the lowest turnout rate since the 1942 election.As of 2022, this remains the last time that a Republican has won a U.S. Senate election in Colorado. This is the most recent Senate elections where any Republican flipped an open Democratic-held seat. This is also the most recent election where the party winning control of the Senate won the popular vote. It also remains the last time that the president's party has suffered a net loss of Senate seats in a midterm.

Partisan composition
For a majority, Republicans needed at least 51 seats. Democrats could have retained a majority with 48 seats (assuming the two Independents continued to caucus with them) because the Democratic Vice President Joe Biden would become the tie-breaker. From 1915 to 2013, control of the U.S. Senate flipped in 10 of 50 cycles, or 20% of the time. Republicans had lost ground in the 2012 elections, leading to an internal fight among the Republican leadership over the best strategies and tactics for the 2014 Senate races. By December 2013, eight of the twelve incumbent Republicans running for re-election saw Tea Party challenges. However, Republican incumbents won every primary challenge. Although Democrats saw some opportunities for pickups, the combination of Democratic retirements and numerous Democratic seats up for election in swing states and red states gave Republicans hopes of taking control of the Senate. 7 of the 21 states with Democratic seats up for election in 2014 had voted for Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election compared to just 1 state with a Republican senator that voted for Barack Obama. Democrats also faced the lower voter turnout that accompanies mid-term elections.Poll aggregation website FiveThirtyEight gave the Republican Party a 60% chance of taking control of the Senate as of September 28. Another poll aggregation website, RealClearPolitics, gave the Republican Party a net gain of 7 seats. Due to the closeness of several races, it was initially believed that Senate control might not be decided on election night. Both Louisiana and Georgia were seen as competitive, and both states require a run-off election if no candidate takes a majority of the vote.
Two independent candidates (in Kansas and South Dakota) refused to commit to caucusing with either party. In the final months of the race, polls showed them with viable chances of winning, leading some analysts to speculate on the possibility of an "Independent caucus" that could also include Maine Senator Angus King and possibly Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. However, no Independent won a Senate race in 2014, and King and Sanders continue to caucus with the Democratic Party following the 2014 election.
By midnight ET, most major networks projected that the Republicans would take control of the Senate. The party held all three competitive Republican-held seats (Kentucky, Kansas, and Georgia), and defeated incumbent Democrats in North Carolina, Colorado, and Arkansas. Combined with the pick-ups of open seats in Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia, the Republicans made a net gain of 7 seats before the end of the night. Republicans defeated three incumbent Democrats, a task the party had not accomplished since the 1980 election. Five of the seven confirmed pickups were in states that voted for Mitt Romney in 2012, but two of the seats that Republicans won represent states that voted for Barack Obama in 2012 (Colorado and Iowa). Of the three races that were not called by the end of election night, Alaska and Virginia were still too close to call, while Louisiana held a December 6 run-off election. Virginia declared Democrat Mark Warner the winner of his race by a narrow margin over Republican Ed Gillespie on November 7, and Alaska declared Dan Sullivan the winner against Democratic incumbent Mark Begich a week later, on November 12. Republican Bill Cassidy defeated Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu in the Louisiana runoff on December 6.

Election spending
Altogether, at least $3.67 billion was spent by candidates, parties, committees and outside groups in the 2014 election. Spending on the 2014 Senate elections by outside groups (i.e., organizations other than a candidate's campaign, such as super PACs and "dark money" nonprofit groups) more than doubled from 2010. In the 10 competitive races for which data was available, outside groups accounted for 47% of spending, candidates accounted for 41% of spending, and parties accounted for 12% of spending. The Senate race with the most outside spending was in North Carolina, at $80 million, a new record.The top outside spenders in the 11 most competitive Senate races were the following:

On the Republican side, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Crossroads GPS, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ending Spending Action Fund, Freedom Partners Action Fund, American Crossroads, and the NRA Political Victory Fund.
On the Democratic side, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senate Majority PAC, and NextGen Climate Action Committee.

Results summary
The Republican Party made a net gain of nine U.S. Senate seats in the 2014 elections.Going into the elections, there were 53 Democratic, 45 Republican and 2 independent senators (both of whom caucus with the Democrats). In all, there were 36 elections: 33 senators were up for election this year as class 2 senators, and 3 faced special elections (all from Class 3). Of all these seats, 21 were held by Democrats and 15 were held by Republicans.

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives

Change in composition
Before the elections
After the elections
Gains and losses
Retirements
Four Democrats and two Republicans retired instead of seeking re-election.

Resignations
One Republican resigned four years into his six-year term.

Nomination withdrawn
One Democrat was originally to seek election for a full 6-year term in office but withdrew.

Defeats
Five Democrats sought re-election but lost in the general election.

Race summaries
Special elections during the preceding Congress
In these special elections, the winners were elected during 2014 and seated before January 3, 2015 — except that one was seated on January 3, 2015, the effective date of the predecessor's resignation.

Elections leading to the next Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 2015; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Closest races
In seven races the margin of victory was under 10%.

Final pre-election predictions
Predicted probability of Republican takeover
Several websites used poll aggregation and psephology to estimate the probability that the Republican Party would gain enough seats to take control of the Senate.

Predictions
Republicans needed to win at least six in order to gain a majority of 51 seats and Democrats needed to win at least seven in order to hold a majority of 50 seats (including the two independents who currently caucus with the Democrats) and the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Joe Biden.

Alabama
Three-term incumbent Republican Jeff Sessions had been re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2008. Sessions sought re-election. Democrat Victor Sanchez Williams ran against Sessions as a write-in candidate. Sessions won with 97.3 percent of the vote against assorted write-in candidates.

Alaska
One-term incumbent Democrat Mark Begich had been first elected with 48% of the vote in 2008, defeating six-term Senator Ted Stevens by 3,953 votes (a margin of 1.25%). Begich was 52 years old in 2014 and was seeking re-election to a second term. Stevens, who would have been almost 91 years old at the time of the election, had already filed for a rematch back in 2009, but was killed in a plane crash the following year.
Republican Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell, 2010 nominee Joe Miller, State Natural Resources Commissioner Daniel S. Sullivan, and Air Force veteran John Jaramillo ran for the GOP nomination. In the August 19 primary, Sullivan won the Republican nomination with 40% and defeated Begich in the general election.

Arkansas
Two-term incumbent Democrat Mark Pryor had been re-elected with 80% of the vote without Republican opposition in 2008. Pryor was running for a third term.Freshman Representative Tom Cotton of Arkansas's 4th congressional district was the Republican nominee. In the general election, Cotton defeated Pryor.

Colorado
One-term incumbent Democrat Mark Udall had been elected with 53% of the vote in 2008. Udall was running for re-election.Congressman Cory Gardner of Colorado's 4th congressional district was the Republican nominee; his late entry into the race caused numerous Republicans to withdraw their candidacies. Gaylon Kent was the Libertarian Party nominee. Unity Party of America founder and National Chairman Bill Hammons was the Unity Party nominee.

Delaware
Democrat Chris Coons won in the 2010 United States Senate special election in Delaware caused by Joe Biden's election as Vice President, winning by a 57% to 41% margin. Coons sought re-election. His Republican opponent was engineer Kevin Wade, whom Coons went on to defeat in the general election.

Georgia
Two-term incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss had been re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2008 in a runoff election with former state Representative Jim Martin; Georgia requires run-off elections when no Senate candidate wins over 50% of the vote. Chambliss did not seek a third term.Political activist Derrick Grayson, Representatives Jack Kingston of Georgia's 1st congressional district, Paul Broun of Georgia's 10th congressional district, and Phil Gingrey of Georgia's 11th congressional district all declared their candidacy for the Republican nomination, as did former Secretary of State Karen Handel. In the May 20 primary, no candidate received a majority of votes, so the top two candidates faced each other in a runoff; Perdue narrowly won against Kingston in the runoff primary election on July 22 with 50.9% of the vote.Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light and the daughter of former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, won the Democratic nomination. Other declared Democratic candidates included former State Senator Steen Miles, psychiatrist Branko Radulovacki, and former US Army Ranger Todd Robinson. Amanda Swafford, a former Flowery Branch, Georgia, city councilwoman, received the Libertarian Party of Georgia nomination.

Hawaii (special)
Daniel Inouye, the second longest serving United States Senator in U.S. history, died on December 17, 2012, after respiratory complications. Hawaii law allows the Governor of Hawaii, to appoint an interim Senator "who serves until the next regularly-scheduled general election, chosen from a list of three prospective appointees that the prior incumbent's political party submits". Governor Neil Abercrombie did so, selecting Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz to fill the Senate seat. Inouye had been re-elected in 2010 with 72% of the vote. Schatz was challenged in the Democratic primary by Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa of Hawaii's 1st congressional district, who Inouye had hoped would be his successor. Schatz defeated Hanabusa in the primary with 48.5% to 47.8%.Campbell Cavasso, former State Representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2004 and 2010, was the Republican nominee.

Idaho
One-term incumbent Republican Jim Risch had been elected with 58% of the vote in 2008. Risch sought a second term.Boise attorney Nels Mitchell was the Democratic nominee.

Illinois
Three-term incumbent and Senate Majority Whip Democrat Dick Durbin had been re-elected with 68% of the vote in 2008. Durbin ran for a fourth term.State Senator Jim Oberweis was the Republican nominee. He defeated primary challenger Doug Truax with 56% of the vote.

Iowa
Five-term incumbent Democrat Tom Harkin had been re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2008. Harkin announced on January 26, 2013, that he would not seek a sixth term. Congressman Bruce Braley was the Democratic nominee.State Senator Joni Ernst was the Republican nominee.Doug Butzier, who was the Libertarian Party's nominee, died in a plane crash on October 13, 2014, but still appeared on the ballot.

Kansas
Three-term incumbent Republican Pat Roberts had been re-elected with 60% of the vote in 2008. Roberts sought a fourth term. He faced a primary challenge from radiologist Milton Wolf, a conservative Tea Party supporter. Roberts defeated Wolf in the Republican primary by 48% to 41%. Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor won the Democratic nomination. Randall Batson from Wichita was on the general election ballot as a Libertarian. Also, Greg Orman qualified for the ballot as an independent.On September 3, Taylor announced he was dropping out of the election, leading to speculation that Democrats would support Orman's candidacy. On September 18, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that Taylor's name had to be removed from the ballot.

Kentucky
Five-term Republican incumbent and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had been re-elected with 53% of the vote in 2008. McConnell sought re-election to a sixth term. McConnell defeated businessman Matt Bevin in the Republican primary on May 20.Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, with support from much of Kentucky's Democratic leadership, won the Democratic primary. Actress Ashley Judd publicly claimed to be considering a run for the Democratic nomination, but ultimately decided against it.Ed Marksberry pursued an independent bid after dropping out of the Democratic field in September 2013.

Louisiana
Three-term incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu had been re-elected with 52% of the vote in 2008. Landrieu ran for a fourth term.Louisiana uses a unique jungle primary system that eschews primaries in favor of run-off elections between the top two candidates; this run-off can be avoided if the winning candidate receives over 50% of the vote. Democrats Wayne Ables, Vallian Senegal, and William Waymire ran against Landrieu in the election, as did Republicans Bill Cassidy (representative of Louisiana's 6th congressional district), Thomas Clements (small business owner), and retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness. Electrical Engineer Brannon McMorris ran as a Libertarian.Because Republican candidate Maness took almost 14% of the votes in the primary, there was a runoff election on December 6, 2014, between Landrieu (42%) and Cassidy (41%). Cassidy won the runoff with 56% of the vote.

Maine
Three-term incumbent Republican Susan Collins was seeking a fourth term. Shenna Bellows, former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, was the Democratic nominee.

Massachusetts
Five-term incumbent and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry had been re-elected with 66% of the vote in 2008. Kerry resigned in early 2013 to become U.S. Secretary of State. Governor Deval Patrick appointed Democrat Mo Cowan to the seat. Democratic Congressman Ed Markey beat Republican Gabriel E. Gomez in the June 25, 2013 special election by a 55% to 45% margin. Markey had served the remainder of Kerry's term before running for re-election to a first full term in 2014. Hopkinton Town Selectman Brian Herr was the Republican nominee.

Michigan
Six-term incumbent Senator and Chairman of the Armed Services Committee Democrat Carl Levin, the longest-serving senator in Michigan's history, had been re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2008. Levin announced on March 7, 2013, that he would not seek re-election.
Three term Democratic Representative Gary Peters of MI-14 was the Democratic nominee. He defeated Republican former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land who was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Minnesota
One-term incumbent Democrat Al Franken unseated one-term Republican Norm Coleman by 312 votes in a contested three-way race with 42% of the vote in 2008; the third candidate in the race, former Senator Dean Barkley of the Independence Party of Minnesota, won 15% of the vote. Franken sought re-election. State Representative Jim Abeler, St. Louis County Commissioner Chris Dahlberg, co-CEO of Lazard Middle Market Mike McFadden, bison farmer and former hair salon owner Monti Moreno, state Senator Julianne Ortman, and U.S. Navy reservist Phillip Parrish ran for the Republican nomination. McFadden won the Republican primary and was the Republican nominee in the general election.Hannah Nicollet of the Independence Party of Minnesota also ran.

Mississippi
Six-term incumbent Republican Thad Cochran, re-elected with 62% of the vote in 2008, ran for re-election. Cochran was the last incumbent Senator to declare his plans, leading to widespread speculation that he might announce his retirement.Tea Party candidate Chris McDaniel, a conservative Mississippi state senator, ran against Cochran in the Republican primary. Neither McDaniel nor Cochran was able to get 50% of the vote in the first round of the primary, so a runoff election was held June 24. Cochran won the runoff election by 51% to 49%, with the help of Democratic voters eligible to vote in the state's open primaries who chose Cochran as their preferred Republican. McDaniel filed a lawsuit to challenge the results of the run-off, but the challenge was rejected on appeal by the Supreme Court of Mississippi.Former Congressman Travis Childers was the Democratic nominee.

Montana
Six-term incumbent Democrat Max Baucus, the longest-serving senator in Montana's history, had been re-elected with 73% of the vote in 2008. Baucus announced on April 23, 2013, that he would retire in 2014, rather than seek re-election to a seventh term. Baucus was appointed as the United States Ambassador to China, leading him to resign from the Senate in February 2014.Following Baucus's confirmation as ambassador, Governor Steve Bullock appointed the Lieutenant Governor John Walsh to fill the vacant senate seat. Former Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger was defeated by Walsh in the Democratic primary. Amid controversy over alleged plagiarism in a 2007 research paper, Walsh pulled out of the race. The Montana Democratic Party held a special nominating convention on August 16 to choose a replacement for Walsh. First-term State Representative Amanda Curtis won the nomination, thereby becoming the new Democratic nominee.Congressman Steve Daines won the Republican nomination over state Representative Champ Edmunds of Missoula and David Leaser of Kalispell.

Nebraska
One-term incumbent Republican Mike Johanns had been elected with 58% of the vote in 2008. He did not seek a second term. Term limited Republican Governor Dave Heineman considered running for the Republican nomination, but ultimately decided not to do so. Former state Treasurer Shane Osborn, attorney Bart McLeay, banker Sid Dinsdale, and Midland University President Ben Sasse ran for the Republican nomination. In the May 13 primary, Sasse won the Republican nomination.
Trial lawyer David Domina was the Democratic nominee.

New Hampshire
One-term incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen had been elected with 52% of the vote in 2008. Shaheen ran for re-election. Shaheen defeated Republican nominee Scott Brown, who had represented neighboring Massachusetts in the Senate from 2010 to 2013.

New Jersey
Incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg had been re-elected with 56% of the vote in 2008. After announcing he would not seek re-election, Lautenberg died in June 2013, aged 89, after a long period of ill health.Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, defeated Republican nominee Steve Lonegan by 55%-to-45% in a 2013 special election to replace interim Republican appointee Jeffrey Chiesa. Booker ran for re-election to a full term in 2014. 1978 and 1982 Republican candidate and political operative Jeff Bell was the Republican nominee.

New Mexico
One-term incumbent Democrat Tom Udall had been elected with 61% of the vote in 2008. Former Doña Ana County Republican Party Chairman David Clements and former New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Allen Weh sought the Republican nomination. Weh won the June 3 primary but lost to Udall in the general election.

North Carolina
One-term incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan had been elected with 53% of the vote against incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole in 2008. Hagan was seeking re-election.State House Speaker Thom Tillis was the Republican nominee. Sean Haugh won the Libertarian nomination.

Oklahoma
There were 2 elections in Oklahoma, due to the resignation of Tom Coburn.

Oklahoma (regular)
Three-term incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe had been re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2008. Inhofe sought re-election. Matt Silverstein, an insurance agency owner, ran for the Democratic nomination.

Oklahoma (special)
Two-term incumbent Republican Tom Coburn had been re-elected with 71% of the vote in 2010, and was not scheduled to be up for election again until 2016. However, Coburn announced his intention to resign at the end of the 113th Congress. A special election to fill his seat took place in November 2014, concurrent with the other Senate elections. Congressman James Lankford was the Republican nominee. State Senator Connie Johnson was the Democratic nominee.

Oregon
One-term incumbent Democrat Jeff Merkley was narrowly elected with 49% of the vote in 2008. Merkley was running for a second term. State representative Jason Conger, attorney Tim Crawley, IT consultant Mark Callahan, neurosurgeon Dr. Monica Wehby, and former Linn County Republican Chair Jo Rae Perkins all ran for the Republican nomination, with Wehby ultimately winning the nomination in the May 20 primary.

Rhode Island
Three-term incumbent Democrat Jack Reed had been re-elected with 73% of the vote in 2008. Reed defeated Republican nominee Mark Zaccaria in the 2014 election.

South Carolina
There were 2 elections in South Carolina, due to the resignation of Jim DeMint.

South Carolina (regular)
Two-term Republican Lindsey Graham had been re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2008. Graham won the Republican nomination over a field that included state senator Lee Bright. State Senator Brad Hutto won the Democratic nomination.

South Carolina (special)
Jim DeMint had been elected to a second term in 2010, but resigned from the Senate in January 2013 to become president of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank. Governor Nikki Haley appointed Congressman Tim Scott as DeMint's replacement. Scott, an African-American, was the Republican nominee to serve out the remainder of DeMint's term. Scott is the first African-American Republican since shortly after Reconstruction to represent a Southern state. Richland County Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson won the Democratic nomination.

South Dakota
Three-term incumbent Democrat Tim Johnson had been re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2008. Johnson announced on March 26, 2013, that he would not run for re-election. Former Congressional aide Rick Weiland was the Democratic nominee.Among Republicans, former two-term Governor Mike Rounds announced his candidacy for the GOP nomination on November 29, 2012. Rounds won the Republican nomination over state senator Larry Rhoden, state representative Stace Nelson, and physician Annette Bosworth.Former Republican U.S. Senator Larry Pressler and Republican State Senator Gordon Howie ran as independents. Pressler did not commit to caucusing with either party, while Howie said he would caucus with the Senate Republicans.

Tennessee
Two-term incumbent Republican Lamar Alexander had been re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2008. Alexander sought re-election to a third term. On August 7, 2014, Alexander won the Republican nomination over six challengers, including State Representative Joe Carr.On November 4, 2014, Alexander faced Democratic nominee Gordon Ball, Libertarian Party nominee Joshua James, Constitution Party nominee Joe Wilmothm, and independent Danny Page also ran in the general election.

Texas
Two-term incumbent Republican John Cornyn, the Senate Minority Whip, had been re-elected with 55% of the vote in 2008. Cornyn sought re-election, and won the 2014 Republican primary with 59% of the vote. David Alameel, a dentist, and Kesha Rogers, a volunteer for The Lyndon LaRouche Policy Institute, faced each other in a run-off election for the Democratic nomination. Alameel won the run-off and was the Democratic nominee.

Virginia
One-term incumbent Democrat Mark Warner had been elected with 65% of the vote in 2008; he sought re-election. Ed Gillespie, former RNC Chairman and presidential adviser, ran for the Republican nomination. Robert Sarvis, the Libertarian nominee for Governor in 2013, also ran.

West Virginia
Five-term incumbent Democrat Jay Rockefeller had been re-elected with 64% of the vote in 2008. He announced on January 11, 2013, that he would not seek re-election to a sixth term. Secretary of State Natalie Tennant won the Democratic nomination.On November 26, 2012, Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito announced her plans to run for the seat, in hopes of becoming the first Republican Senator elected from West Virginia since 1956. Moore Capito won the Republican nomination and the general election, the first woman to serve as United States Senator from West Virginia.

Wyoming
Three-term incumbent Republican Mike Enzi had been re-elected with 76% of the vote in 2008. Enzi sought re-election. Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, briefly entered the race for the Republican nomination, but dropped her bid in January 2014. On August 19, Enzi won the Republican primary election with 82% of the vote, and Democrat Charlie Hardy, a former Catholic priest, won his party's primary election with 48% of the vote.

See also
2014 United States elections
2014 United States gubernatorial elections
2014 United States House of Representatives elections
113th United States Congress
114th United States Congress

Notes
Passage 2:
114th United States Congress
The 114th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2015, to January 3, 2017, during the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency. The seats in the House were apportioned based on the 2010 United States census.The 2014 elections gave the Republicans control of the Senate and the House for the first time since the 109th Congress. With 248 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 seats in the Senate, this Congress began with the largest Republican majority since the 71st Congress of 1929–1931.

Major events
January 6, 2015: Incumbent Speaker of the House John Boehner was re-elected even though several members of his own party once again chose not to vote for him. He received 216 votes, a majority of the votes cast, but two votes shy of a majority of the full membership.
January 20, 2015: 2015 State of the Union Address
March 3, 2015: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress regarding sanctions against Iran. Netanyahu was invited by Speaker John Boehner without consulting President Obama.
March 9, 2015: U.S. Senator Tom Cotton wrote and sent a letter to the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed by 47 of the Senate's 54 Republicans, attempting to cast doubt on the Obama administration's authority to engage in nuclear-proliferation negotiations with Iran.
March 25, 2015: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani addressed a joint session of Congress.
April 29, 2015: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe addressed a joint session of Congress, becoming the first Japanese leader to do so.
September 24, 2015: Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress, becoming the first Pope to do so.
September 25, 2015: House Speaker John Boehner announced that he would resign as Speaker and from the House at the end of October 2015. Subsequently, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the presumptive favorite to succeed John Boehner, unexpectedly withdrew his candidacy for the job.
October 29, 2015: Paul Ryan was elected to succeed John Boehner as Speaker of the House receiving 236 votes (of 432 votes cast). He is the youngest Speaker since James G. Blaine in 1869.
January 12, 2016: 2016 State of the Union Address
June 8, 2016: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint session of Congress.
June 22–23, 2016: In the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting, Congress debated gun control reform. The U.S. House recessed for the July 4 holiday during a sit-in protest held by Democrats that halted business in the chamber for more than 24 hours.
November 8, 2016: Donald Trump and Mike Pence elected as president and vice-president in presidential elections, while the Republicans retain majority at both Senate and House of Representatives.

Major legislation
Enacted
January 12, 2015: Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–1 (text) (PDF)
February 27, 2015: Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act, Pub.L. 114-3
March 4, 2015: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015, Pub.L. 114-4
April 16, 2015: Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–10 (text) (PDF)
May 22, 2015: Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–17 (text) (PDF)
June 2, 2015: USA FREEDOM Act: Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–23 (text) (PDF)
June 29, 2015: Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–27 (text) (PDF)
July 6, 2015: Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act, Pub. L. 114–29 (text) (PDF)
September 25, 2015: Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015, Pub.L. 114-50
September 30, 2015: National Winstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015, Pub.L. 114-52
November 2, 2015: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–74 (text) (PDF)
November 5, 2015: Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–86 (text) (PDF)
November 25, 2015: SPACE Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–90 (text) (PDF)
November 25, 2015: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, Pub.L. 114-92
December 4, 2015: Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, Pub. L. 114–94 (text) (PDF)
December 10, 2015: Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub. L. 114–95 (text) (PDF)
December 18, 2015: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, Pub. L. 114–113 (text) (PDF)
January 28, 2016: Grants Oversight and New Efficiency (GONE) Act, Pub.L. 114-117
February 8, 2016: International Megan's Law to Prevent Sexual Exploitation and Other Crimes Through Advanced Notification of Traveling Sex Offenders, Pub.L. 114-119
February 8, 2016: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–120 (text) (PDF)
February 24, 2016: Internet Tax Freedom Act contained in Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114–125 (text) (PDF)
May 9, 2016: Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act, Pub.L. 114-151
June 28, 2016: Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, Pub. L. 114-182
June 30, 2016: Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), Pub.L. 114-187
July 20, 2016: Global Food Security Act of 2016, Pub. L. 114–195 (text) (PDF)
July 29, 2016: Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiences (MEGABYTE) Act of 2016, Pub.L. 114-210
September 28, 2016: Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, Pub. L. 114–222 (text) (PDF)
September 29, 2016: Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act, Pub.L. 114-223
October 7, 2016: Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, Pub. L. 114–236 (text) (PDF)
December 10, 2016: Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017, Pub.L. 114-254
December 13, 2016: 21st Century Cures Act, Pub. L. 114–255 (text) (PDF)
December 14, 2016: First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act, Pub.L. 114-268
December 14, 2016: Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, Pub.L. 114-274
December 16, 2016: Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, Pub. L. 114-281
December 16, 2016: United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016, Pub.L. 114-304
December 16, 2016: Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act of 2016, Pub.L. 114-308
December 16, 2016: Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act, Pub.L. 114-319
December 23, 2016: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Pub.L. 114-328
January 6, 2017: American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, Pub.L. 114-329

Proposed
Vetoed
February 24, 2015: Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act (S. 1)
March 31, 2015: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the National Labor Relations Board relating to representation case procedures. (S.J.Res. 8)
October 22, 2015: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (H.R. 1735)
December 19, 2015: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" (S.J.Res. 23)
December 19, 2015: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" (S.J.Res. 24)
January 8, 2016: The Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 (H.R. 3762)
January 19, 2016: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the definition of "waters of the United States" under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (S.J.Res. 22)
June 8, 2016: A joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to the definition of the term "Fiduciary" (H.J.Res. 88)
July 22, 2016: Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2016 (H.R. 1777)
September 23, 2016: Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (S. 2040) (Passed over Veto)

Party summary
Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section, below.

Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Section contents: Senate: Majority (R), Minority (D) • House: Majority (R),  Minority (D)

Senate
President: Joe Biden (D)
President pro tempore: Orrin Hatch (R)

Majority (Republican) leadership
Majority Leader: Mitch McConnell
Assistant Majority Leader (Majority Whip): John Cornyn
Chief Deputy Whip: Mike Crapo
Deputy Whips:[data unknown/missing]
Republican Conference Chairman: John Thune
Republican Conference Vice Chairman: Roy Blunt
Senatorial Committee Chairman: Roger Wicker
Policy Committee Chairman: John Barrasso

Minority (Democratic) leadership
Minority Leader: Harry Reid
Assistant Minority Leader (Minority Whip): Dick Durbin
Chief Deputy Whip: Barbara Boxer
Deputy Whips:[data unknown/missing]
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Harry Reid
Democratic Caucus Vice Chair and Policy Committee Chairman: Chuck Schumer
Democratic Caucus Secretary: Patty Murray
Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman: Jon Tester
Policy Committee Vice Chairwoman: Debbie Stabenow
Policy Committee Strategic Policy Adviser: Elizabeth Warren
Policy Committee Policy Development Adviser: Mark Warner
Steering and Outreach Committee Chairwoman: Amy Klobuchar
Steering and Outreach Committee Vice Chairwoman: Jeanne Shaheen

House of Representatives
Speaker: John Boehner (R), until October 29, 2015
Paul Ryan (R), from October 29, 2015

Majority (Republican) leadership
Majority Leader: Kevin McCarthy
Majority Whip: Steve Scalise
Majority Chief Deputy Whip: Patrick McHenry
Senior Deputy Whips: Kristi Noem, Dennis Ross, Aaron Schock (until March 31, 2015), Steve Stivers, Ann Wagner
Republican Conference Chairwoman: Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Republican Conference Vice-Chairwoman: Lynn Jenkins
Republican Conference Secretary: Virginia Foxx
Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Greg Walden
Policy Committee Chairman: Luke Messer
Republican Campaign Committee Deputy Chairman: Lynn Westmoreland

Minority (Democratic) leadership
Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi
Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer
Assistant Democratic Leader: Jim Clyburn
Senior Chief Deputy Minority Whip: John Lewis
Chief Deputy Minority Whips: G. K. Butterfield, Diana DeGette, Keith Ellison, Jan Schakowsky, Kyrsten Sinema, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Peter Welch
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Xavier Becerra
Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairman: Joe Crowley
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Ben Ray Luján
Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chairs: Rosa DeLauro (Steering) and Donna Edwards (Policy)
Organization, Study, and Review Chairwoman: Karen Bass
Policy and Communications Chairman: Steve Israel

Members
Senate
Senators are listed by state and then by Senate classes, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 2016; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 2018; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 2020.

House of Representatives
Changes in membership
Senate
There were no changes in Senate membership during this Congress.

House of Representatives
Committees
[Section contents: Senate, House, Joint ]

Senate
House of Representatives
Joint committees
Caucuses
Employees
Senate
Source: "Senate Organization Chart for the 114th Congress". Senate.gov. US Senate. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.

Chaplain: Barry C. Black (Seventh-day Adventist)
Curator: Melinda Smith
Librarian: Leona I. Faust
Historian: Donald A. Ritchie, until June 1, 2015
Betty Koed, starting June 1, 2015
Parliamentarian: Elizabeth MacDonough
Secretary: Julie E. Adams
Sergeant at Arms: Frank J. Larkin
Secretary for the Majority: Laura Dove
Secretary for the Minority: Gary B. Myrick

House of Representatives
Source: "Officers and Organizations of the House". House.gov. US House. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2015.

Chaplain: Patrick J. Conroy (Roman Catholic)
Chief Administrative Officer: Ed Cassidy, until December 31, 2015
Will Plaster, January 1, 2016 – August 1, 2016
Phil Kiko, from August 1, 2016
Clerk: Karen L. Haas
Historian: Matthew Wasniewski
Inspector General: Theresa M. Grafenstine
Parliamentarian: Thomas J. Wickham Jr.
Reading Clerks: Susan Cole and Joseph Novotny
Sergeant at Arms: Paul D. Irving

Legislative branch agency directors
Architect of the Capitol: Stephen T. Ayers
Attending Physician of the United States Congress: Brian P. Monahan
Comptroller General of the United States: Eugene Louis Dodaro
Director of the Congressional Budget Office: Douglas Elmendorf, until March 31, 2015
Keith Hall, from April 1, 2015
Librarian of Congress: James H. Billington, until September 30, 2015
David S. Mao (acting), October 1, 2015 – September 14, 2016
Carla Diane Hayden, from September 14, 2016
Public Printer of the United States: Davita Vance-Cooks

See also
Elections
2014 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
2014 United States Senate elections
2014 United States House of Representatives elections
2016 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
2016 United States presidential election
2016 United States Senate elections
2016 United States House of Representatives elections

Membership lists
List of new members of the 114th United States Congress

Notes
Passage 3:
Svatopluk II
Svatopluk II or Svätopluk II (Latin: Zentobolchus) was a member of the House of Mojmír and Prince in Moravia (maybe of Nitra) from 894 to 899, as which he strove to control all of Great Moravia. He was the son of Svatopluk I son of Morot.

Biography
Svatopluk II was a younger son of Svatopluk I and grandson (according to Simon of Kéza) of Morot. As Prince of Nitra, Svatopluk II was subordinated to Mojmír II, the King of Great Moravia which contained the principality as its province. Svatopluk II rebelled against Mojmír II in 898 in an attempt to take over control of Great Moravia. Their conflict climaxed when Bavarian troops intervened in the winter of 898/899. Mojmír II defeated the Bavarians and captured Svatopluk II, but the Bavarians managed to rescue him and brought him to East Francia. Svatopluk II returned to the Principality of Nitra in 901. He probably died in 906 in fights with the Hungarians, who began to invade the Carpathian Basin in 896. Historical records contain no mention of Mojmír II, Svatopluk II, or their possible successors in connection with the three battles of Bratislava where the invading tribes defeated the Bavarian army.


== Notes ==
Passage 4:
Rita Mayfield
Rita Mayfield is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives who has represented the 60th district since July 2010.

Early life and career
She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia College in Computer Information Systems and a Master of Science from Benedictine University in Management and Organization Behavior with an Emphasis in Organization Development.

Illinois House of Representatives
On June 4, 2010, State Representative Eddie Washington died of a heart attack. On July 6, 2010, Mayfield was appointed by local Democratic leaders to succeed Washington to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives from the 60th district. The 60th district, at the time, included all or parts of Waukegan and North Chicago. During the 2011 decennial redistricting process, portions of Gurnee, Beach Park, and Park City were added to the 60th district.As of July 3, 2022, Representative Mayfield is a member of the following Illinois House committees:
Appropriations - Elementary & Secondary Education Committee (HAPE)
Appropriations - Human Services Committee (HAPH)
(Chairwoman of) Appropriations - Public Safety Committee (HAPP)
Consumer Protection Committee (HCON)
Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee (HELM)
Energy & Environment Committee (HENG)
Firefighters and First Responders Subcommittee (SHPF-FIRE)
Insurance Committee (HINS)
Law Enforcement Subcommittee (SHPF-LAWE)
Police & Fire Committee (SHPF)
(Chairwoman of) Product Safety Subcommittee (HCON-PROD)
Small Business, Tech Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Committee (SBTE)
(Co-chairwoman of) Special Issues (INS) Subcommittee (HINS-SPIS)

Electoral history
Passage 5:
Careen M. Gordon
Careen M. Gordon is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives who served as a representative from the 75th district from her appointment in December 2003 until leaving office in January 2011.

Early life
Gordon was born and raised in Morris, Illinois and graduated from Morris Community High School. She attended Purdue University and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University of Illinois in political science and English. After receiving her law degree from John Marshall Law School she worked as an Assistant State's Attorney in Grundy County, Kankakee County and Will County. In 2001, she became an Assistant Attorney General in the Illinois Department of Justice's Criminal Division, where she worked until she was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by Mary O'Brien's resignation.

Illinois House of Representatives
Gordon was appointed to represent the 75th district, which at that time stretched from Iroquois County in the southeast to LaSalle County in the northwest and included Bourbonnais, Braceville, Braidwood, Channahon, Chebanse, Coal City, Essex, Herscher, Coal City, Minooka, Morris, Seneca and Wilmington. She began her tenure as a member of the House Agriculture and Conservation, Appropriations—Elementary and Secondary Education, Commerce and Business Development, and Judiciary II—Criminal Law Committees.She was voted out of office on November 2, 2010, when voters of the 75th district elected Republican Sue Rezin. (However, before she could take Gordon's seat in the House, Rezin was appointed to the State Senate; Gordon was ultimately succeeded by Pam Roth, appointed to take Rezin's place in the House.)
Passage 6:
Michael P. McAuliffe
Michael P. McAuliffe (born December 7, 1963) is a former Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 20th district in northwestern Chicago. He was first appointed in 1997, following the death of his father, Roger McAuliffe; between them, the McAuliffes represented northwestern Chicago for 46 years. On June 17, 2019, McAuliffe resigned from the Illinois House of Representatives. He was the only Republican to represent a significant portion of Chicago in the Illinois General Assembly. On June 29, 2019, Republican Bradley Stephens, the Mayor of Rosemont, was appointed to succeed McAuliffe.
Passage 7:
Cabinet of the United States
The Cabinet of the United States is a body consisting of the vice president of the United States and the heads of the executive branch's departments in the federal government of the United States. It is the principal official advisory body to the president of the United States. The president chairs the meetings but is not formally a member of the Cabinet. The heads of departments, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, are members of the Cabinet, and acting department heads also participate in Cabinet meetings whether or not they have been officially nominated for Senate confirmation. The president may designate heads of other agencies and non-Senate-confirmed members of the Executive Office of the President as members of the Cabinet.
The Cabinet does not have any collective executive powers or functions of its own, and no votes need to be taken. There are 24 members (25 including the vice president): 15 department heads and nine Cabinet-level members, all of whom, except two, require Senate confirmation. The Cabinet meets with the president in a room adjacent to the Oval Office. The members sit in the order in which their respective department was created, with the earliest being closest to the president and the newest farthest away.The members of the Cabinet serve at the pleasure of the president, who can dismiss them at any time without the approval of the Senate, as affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Myers v. United States (1926) or downgrade their Cabinet membership status. Often it is legally possible for a Cabinet member to exercise certain powers over his or her own department against the president's wishes, but in practice this is highly unusual due to the threat of dismissal. The president also has the authority to organize the Cabinet, such as instituting committees. Like all federal public officials, Cabinet members are also subject to impeachment by the House of Representatives and trial in the Senate for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors".
The Constitution of the United States does not explicitly establish a Cabinet. The Cabinet's role, inferred from the language of the Opinion Clause (Article II, Section 2, Clause 1) of the Constitution is to provide advice to the president. Additionally, the Twenty-fifth Amendment authorizes the vice president, together with a majority of the heads of the executive departments, to declare the president "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office". The heads of the executive departments are—if eligible—in the presidential line of succession.

History
The tradition of the Cabinet arose out of the debates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention regarding whether the president would exercise executive authority solely or collaboratively with a cabinet of ministers or a privy council. As a result of the debates, the Constitution (Article II, Section 1, Clause 1) vests "all executive power" in the president singly, and authorizes—but does not compel—the president (Article II, Section 2, Clause 1) to "require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices". The Constitution does not specify what the executive departments will be, how many there will be, or what their duties will be.
George Washington, the first president of the United States, organized his principal officers into a Cabinet, and it has been part of the executive branch structure ever since. Washington's Cabinet consisted of five members: himself, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. Vice President John Adams was not included in Washington's Cabinet because the position was initially regarded as a legislative officer (president of the Senate). Furthermore, until there was a vacancy in the presidency (which did not occur until the death of William Henry Harrison in 1841) it was not certain that a vice president would be allowed to serve as president for the duration of the original term as opposed to merely acting as president until new elections could be held. It was not until the 20th century that vice presidents were regularly included as members of the Cabinet and came to be regarded primarily as a member of the executive branch.
Presidents have used Cabinet meetings of selected principal officers but to widely differing extents and for different purposes. During President Abraham Lincoln's administration, Secretary of State William H. Seward advocated the use of a parliamentary-style Cabinet government. However, Lincoln rebuffed Seward. While a professor Woodrow Wilson also advocated a parliamentary-style Cabinet, but after becoming president did not implement it in his administration. In recent administrations, Cabinets have grown to include key White House staff in addition to department and various agency heads. President Ronald Reagan formed seven sub-cabinet councils to review many policy issues, and subsequent presidents have followed that practice.

Federal law
In 3 U.S.C. § 302 with regard to delegation of authority by the president, it is provided that "nothing herein shall be deemed to require express authorization in any case in which such an official would be presumed in law to have acted by authority or direction of the president." This pertains directly to the heads of the executive departments as each of their offices is created and specified by statutory law (hence the presumption) and thus gives them the authority to act for the president within their areas of responsibility without any specific delegation.
Under 5 U.S.C. § 3110 (also known as the 1967 Federal Anti-Nepotism statute), federal officials are prohibited from appointing their immediate family members to certain governmental positions, including those in the Cabinet.Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, an administration may appoint acting heads of department from employees of the relevant department. These may be existing high-level career employees, from political appointees of the outgoing administration (for new administrations), or sometimes lower-level appointees of the administration.

Confirmation process
The heads of the executive departments and all other federal agency heads are nominated by the president and then presented to the Senate for confirmation or rejection by a simple majority (although before the use of the "nuclear option" during the 113th United States Congress, they could have been blocked by filibuster, requiring cloture to be invoked by 3⁄5 supermajority to further consideration). If approved, they receive their commission scroll, are sworn in, and begin their duties. When the Senate is not in session, the president can appoint acting heads of the executive departments, and do so at the beginning of their term.
An elected vice president does not require Senate confirmation, nor does the White House chief of staff, which is an appointed staff position of the Executive Office of the President.

Salary
The heads of the executive departments and most other senior federal officers at cabinet or sub-cabinet level receive their salary under a fixed five-level pay plan known as the Executive Schedule, which is codified in Title 5 of the United States Code. Twenty-one positions, including the heads of the executive departments and others, receiving Level I pay are listed in 5 U.S.C. § 5312, and those forty-six positions on Level II pay (including the number two positions of the executive departments) are listed in 5 U.S.C. § 5313. As of January 2023, the Level I annual pay was set at $235,600.
The annual salary of the vice president is $235,300. The salary level was set by the Government Salary Reform Act of 1989, which provides an automatic cost of living adjustment for federal employees. The vice president receives the same pension as other members of Congress based on their ex officio position as the president of the Senate.

Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials
The individuals listed below were nominated by President Joe Biden to form his Cabinet and were confirmed by the United States Senate on the date noted or are serving as acting department heads by his request, pending the confirmation of his nominees.

Vice president and the heads of the executive departments
The Cabinet permanently includes the vice president and the heads of 15 executive departments, listed here according to their order of succession to the presidency. The speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate follow the vice president and precede the secretary of state in the order of succession, but both are in the legislative branch and are not part of the Cabinet.

Cabinet-level officials
The president may designate additional positions to be members of the Cabinet, which can vary under each president. They are not in the line of succession and are not necessarily officers of the United States.

Former executive and Cabinet-level departments
Department of War (1789–1947), headed by the secretary of war: renamed Department of the Army by the National Security Act of 1947.
Department of the Navy (1798–1949), headed by the secretary of the Navy: became a military department within the Department of Defense.
Post Office Department (1829–1971), headed by the postmaster general: reorganized as the United States Postal Service, an independent agency.
National Military Establishment (1947–1949), headed by the secretary of Defense: created by the National Security Act of 1947 and recreated as the Department of Defense in 1949.
Department of the Army (1947–1949), headed by the secretary of the Army: became a military department within the Department of Defense.
Department of the Air Force (1947–1949), headed by the secretary of the Air Force: became a military department within the Department of Defense.

Renamed heads of the executive departments
Secretary of Foreign Affairs: created in July 1781 and renamed Secretary of State in September 1789.
Secretary of War: created in 1789 and was renamed as Secretary of the Army by the National Security Act of 1947. The 1949 Amendments to the National Security Act of 1947 made the secretary of the Army a subordinate to the secretary of defense.
Secretary of Commerce and Labor: created in 1903 and renamed Secretary of Commerce in 1913 when its labor functions were transferred to the new secretary of labor.
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: created in 1953 and renamed Secretary of Health and Human Services in 1979 when its education functions were transferred to the new secretary of education.

Positions intermittently elevated to Cabinet-rank
Ambassador to the United Nations (1953–1989, 1993–2001, 2009–2018, 2021–present)
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (1953–1961, 1969–present)
White House Chief of Staff (1953–1961, 1974–1977, 1993–present)
Counselor to the President (1969–1977, 1981–1985, 1992–1993): A title used by high-ranking political advisers to the president of the United States and senior members of the Executive Office of the President since the Nixon administration. Incumbents with Cabinet rank included Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Donald Rumsfeld and Anne Armstrong.
White House Counsel (1974–1977)
United States Trade Representative (1975–present)
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (1977–1981, 1993–2001, 2009–2017, 2021–present)
National Security Advisor (1977–1981)
Director of Central Intelligence (1981–1989, 1995–2001)
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (1993–present)
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (1993–2009)
Administrator of the Small Business Administration (1994–2001, 2012–present)
Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (1996–2001): Created as an independent agency in 1979, raised to Cabinet rank in 1996, and dropped from Cabinet rank in 2001.
Director of National Intelligence (2017–present)
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2017–2021)
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (2021–present)

Proposed Cabinet departments
Department of Industry and Commerce, proposed by Secretary of the Treasury William Windom in a speech given at a Chamber of Commerce dinner in May 1881.
Department of Natural Resources, proposed by the Eisenhower administration, President Richard Nixon, the 1976 GOP national platform, and by Bill Daley (as a consolidation of the Departments of the Interior and Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency).
Department of Peace, proposed by Senator Matthew Neely in the 1930s, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, and other members of the U.S. Congress.
Department of Social Welfare, proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt in January 1937.
Department of Public Works, proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt in January 1937.
Department of Conservation (renamed Department of the Interior), proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt in January 1937.
Department of Urban Affairs and Housing, proposed by President John F. Kennedy.
Department of Business and Labor, proposed by President Lyndon Johnson.
Department of Community Development, proposed by President Richard Nixon; to be chiefly concerned with rural infrastructure development.
Department of Human Resources, proposed by President Richard Nixon; essentially a revised Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Department of Economic Affairs, proposed by President Richard Nixon; essentially a consolidation of the Departments of Commerce, Labor, and Agriculture.
Department of Environmental Protection, proposed by Senator Arlen Specter and others.
Department of Intelligence, proposed by former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell.
Department of Global Development, proposed by the Center for Global Development.
Department of Art, proposed by Quincy Jones.
Department of Business, proposed by President Barack Obama as a consolidation of the U.S. Department of Commerce's core business and trade functions, the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
Department of Education and the Workforce, proposed by President Donald Trump as a consolidation of the Departments of Education and Labor.
Department of Health and Public Welfare, proposed by President Donald Trump as a renamed Department of Health and Human Services.
Department of Economic Development, proposed by Senator Elizabeth Warren to replace the Commerce Department, subsume other agencies like the Small Business Administration and the Patent and Trademark Office, and include research and development programs, worker training programs, and export and trade authorities like the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative with the single goal of creating and protecting American jobs.
Department of Technology, proposed by businessman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
Department of Culture, patterned on similar departments in many foreign nations, proposed by, among others, Murray Moss and Jeva Lange.
When he was SEC Chairman, Harvey Pitt proposed that the Securities and Exchange Commission be elevated to Cabinet level. In July 2002, The New York Times wrote: "Democratic and Republican members of Congress joined administration officials today in ridiculing Harvey L. Pitt's request that his pay be increased and his job as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission be elevated to Cabinet rank ... evoking an outpouring of bipartisan scorn." Pitt had tried to insert a provision into corporate antifraud legislation that would increase his pay by 21%, and also elevate his status to that of Cabinet level, at a time when the stock markets had sunk to five-year lows and some congressional leaders were calling for him to resign.

See also
Black Cabinet
Brain trust
Cabinet of Joe Biden
Cabinet of the Confederate States of America
Kitchen Cabinet
List of African-American United States Cabinet members
List of Hispanic and Latino American United States Cabinet members
List of female United States Cabinet members
List of foreign-born United States Cabinet members
List of people who have held multiple United States Cabinet-level positions
List of United States Cabinet members who have served more than eight years
List of United States political appointments that crossed party lines
St. Wapniacl (historical mnemonic acronym)
Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States
Passage 8:
Dean Sanpei
Dean Sanpei is an American politician and a Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives representing District 63 since his June 10, 2010 appointment to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Stephen Clark. He lives in Provo with his wife, Hinckley, and their two children: Joelle and Timothy.

Early life and education
Dean was born into a military family. His father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force and they moved around a lot during his childhood. By the time Dean was in the 7th grade, he had attended seven different schools. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a Master's of Public Administration, Dean became the Assistant Director of Planning for Intermountain Healthcare’s Urban North Region. He was part of the core team that planned the rebuild of the McKay Dee Hospital. He worked there for several years, before going to work for the consulting group of Johnston, Zabor, McManus in North Carolina where he was a Senior Project Manager with clients spread from San Diego to New York.In 2003, Dean was brought back to Provo and Intermountain Healthcare as the Director of Planning for the Urban South Region, which includes Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Orem Community Hospital, and American Fork Hospital. In 2006 he was promoted to the central office and later became the Vice President over Planning for all of Intermountain Healthcare.

Political career
Dean served as a precinct chair, state and county delegate, member of the executive committee, and from 2005 - 2010 he served as the Legislative District Chair for District 63. He was first elected to the Utah House of Representatives on June 10, 2010, and last elected on November 4, 2014. During the 2016 Legislative Session, served on the Executive Appropriations Committee, and the House Government Operations Committee.

2016 sponsored legislation
Sanpei also floor sponsored SB 2 Public Education Budget Amendments, SB 3 Current Fiscal Year Supplemental Appropriations, SB 7 National Guard, Veterans' Affairs, and Legislature Base Budget, SJR 8 Joint Rules Resolution on Performance Notes, and SJR 9 Joint Rules Resolution on Request for Appropriations Process Change.

Elections
2016 Sanpei won in the general election by 79.2% of the vote in November against Nathan Smith Jones.
2014 Sanpei won the Republican nomination by 71% of the vote in April against Colby Johnson and then went on to win in the November General Election unopposed.
2012 Sanpei won both the June 26, 2012 Republican primary and the November 6, 2012 General election, winning with 5,057 votes.
2010 Sanpei was chosen from among three candidates by the Republican convention and won the November 2, 2010 General election with 57.6% against Democratic candidate Donald Jarvis, who had run for the seat in 2008.
Passage 9:
Ordinance (India)
Ordinances are laws that are promulgated by the President of India on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet, which will have the same effect as an Act of Parliament. They can only be issued when Parliament is not  in session. They enable the Indian government to take immediate legislative action. Ordinances cease to operate either if Parliament does not approve of them within six weeks of reassembly, or if disapproving resolutions are passed by both Houses. It is also compulsory for a session of Parliament to be held within six months. A total of 679 ordinances have been issued from 1950-2014.

List of Central Government Ordinances since 2003
List of state government ordinances
Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020
Passage 10:
David J. Robinson
David J. Robinson is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He was appointed to his position when the previous representative, E. J. Thomas, resigned; in turn, when Robinson lost the Republican primary election to Jim Hughes, he resigned so that Hughes could be appointed to his seat and run as an incumbent.While in office, Robinson was the sponsor of noise-reduction legislation for trains.
Passage 11:
Mary Ann Love
Mary Ann Love (February 21, 1940 – January 27, 2022) was an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. She served 4 full terms in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 32. Love was originally appointed to the seat in 1993, but was later elected in her own right. She most recently served on the Economic Matters Committee. Love declined to run for reelection in 2014.

Early life
Mary Ann was born in West Pittston, Pennsylvania on February 21, 1940. She graduated from St. John's High School in 1958. She attended the Wilkes-Barre Business School.

Career
Legislative Notes
voted in favor of increasing the sales tax by from 5% to 6% - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)[1]
voted to support in-state tuition for all graduates of a Maryland public high school, 2007(HB6)[2]
voted for the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 (HB713), subjecting gang members to up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000 [3]
voted for Jessica's Law (HB 930), eliminating parole for the most violent child sexual predators and creating a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in state prison, 2007 [4]
voted for Public Safety – Statewide DNA Database System – Crimes of Violence and Burglary – Post conviction (HB 370), helping to give police officers and prosecutors greater resources to solve crimes and eliminating a backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed DNA samples, leading to 192 arrests, 2008 [5]
voted for Vehicle Laws – Repeated Drunk and Drugged Driving Offenses – Suspension of License (HB 293), strengthening Maryland's drunk driving laws by imposing a mandatory one year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years, 2009 [6]
voted for HB 102, creating the House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup, leading to Maryland's budgeting of $52 million to fund three new Medevac helicopters to replace the State's aging fleet, 2009 [7]
voted in 2013 in favor of gun control legislation (SB 281) banning certain firearms and placing significant new restrictions on the ability of law-abiding citizens to own firearms [8]

Election results
2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 32Voters to choose three:1998 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 32Voters to choose three:1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 32Voters to choose three:

Death
Love died on January 27, 2022, aged 81.
Passage 12:
Thomas Chapais
Sir Joseph Amable Thomas Chapais  (March 23, 1858 – July 15, 1946) was a French Canadian author, editor, historian, journalist, professor, and politician.
Born in Saint-Denis, Quebec (then Canada East), the son of Jean-Charles Chapais, a Father of Canadian Confederation, and Henriette-Georgina Dionne, he received a bachelor's degree in 1876 from Université Laval and was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1879.
From 1879 to 1884, he was the principal secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Théodore Robitaille. Turning to journalism, he became the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper, Le Courrier du Canada in 1884 and from 1890 to 1901 was the owner. From 1907 to 1934, he was a professor of history at Université Laval.
In 1891, he ran unsuccessfully as a Conservative for the House of Commons of Canada in the riding of Kamouraska. He was appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec in 1892 representing Laurentides. From 1893 to 1894, he was the Leader of the Government. In 1893, he was appointed Minister without Portfolio in the cabinet of Louis-Olivier Taillon. From 1895 to 1897, he was the speaker of the legislative council. From 1896 to 1897, he was the president of the executive council in the cabinet of Edmund James Flynn and was a Cabinet Minister. In 1917, he refused a seat in the Senate but was summoned to the Senate in 1919. A Conservative, he represented the senatorial division of Grandville, Quebec and served until his death in 1946.
From 1936 to 1939 and again from 1944 to 1946, he was the leader of the government in the legislative council. From 1936 to 1938, he was a minister without portfolio in the cabinet of Maurice Duplessis. He was appointed again in 1944.
In 1912, he was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and was its president from 1923 to 1924. From 1925 to 1926, he was the president of the Canadian Historical Association. In 1930, he was a member of the Canadian delegation to the League of Nations. In 1935, he was made a Knight Bachelor by George V.
Parc Thomas-Chapais in Montreal is named in his honour.
Chapais, Quebec is named for him.

Published works
Congrégations enseignantes et le brevet de capacité (1893)
Discours et conférences (1895)
le Serment du roi (1901)
Jean Talon, intendant de la Nouvelle-France (1904)
Mélanges de polémique et d'études religieuses, politiques et littéraires (1905)
le Marquis de Montcalm (1911)
Mélanges (1915)
Cours d'histoire du Canada, 1760–1867 (1919)

See also
Université Laval

Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: When did the majority party in the House of Representatives gain control of the body which approves members of the Cabinet?



Answer: January 2015