page_title: 114th United States Congress
section_title: Major events
hierarchical_section_title: 114th United States Congress / Major events
caption_attribution_description: His Holiness Pope Francis visited the U.S. Capitol on September 24, 2015, and became the first Pope to address a joint meeting of United States Congress. The Pontiff then addressed the crowds assembled along the West Front. Multiple jurisdictions within the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) worked together to prepare for His Holiness' historic arrival at the Capitol, treating it much like a rehearsal for the next inauguration. The AOC teams built a platform for the Pontiff to stand on so the crowds below could see him and also constructed a safety bannister that seamlessly matched the ornate railing of the Speaker's balcony.
context_page_description: 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 full 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 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.
context_section_description: 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 2016 Orlando attacks, 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.
caption: Pope Francis addressed Congress September 24, 2015.
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