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US Department of States

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Essay on The United States Department of State -- ambassador, state depa

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ambassador, state department, american embassy - The United States Department of State

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US Department od Defense

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Defense Department officials detected and tracked multiple missile launches out of North Korea today, four of which landed in the Sea of Japan, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters this morning.

Davis said the four medium-range ballistic missiles were launched from the northwest corner of North Korea, traveled over the Korean Peninsula and out into the sea, totaling about 1,000 kilometers in distance, or more than 620 miles.
Missiles Land Off Japan's Coast
The missiles landed in the vicinity of Akita Prefecture off the coast of Japan near that nation's exclusive economic zone, he said. The EEZ is defined as a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind.

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command detected that the missiles from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America," Davis said. "This [North Korean missile launch] is very similar in terms of the path and the distance of the three missiles that flew into Japan's EEZ in September 2016."

He added, "These launches, which coincide with the start of our annual defensive exercise, Foal Eagle, with the Republic of Korea's military, are consistent with North Korea's long history of provocative behavior, often timed to military exercises that we do with our ally,"

The United States stands with its allies "in the face of this very serious threat and are taking steps to enhance our ability to defend against North Korea's ballistic missiles, such as the deployment of a [Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense] battery to South Korea, which will happen as soon as feasible," Davis said.
U.S. Strikes AQAP in Yemen
Also overnight, the United States made an airstrike on Yemen's Abyan Governorate against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, bringing to 40 the strikes there in the past five nights, Davis said.

Since the first airstrike against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen on Feb. 28, "We will continue to target [al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] militants and facilities to disrupt the organization's plot and protect American lives," the captain said.

The strikes have been coordinated with and done in full partnership with the government of Yemen with the goal of denying al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terrorists' freedom of movement within traditional safe havens, Davis emphasized.

The captain also confirmed the deaths of three al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in March 2 and 3 airstrikes in Yemen.

Usayd al Adani, whom Davis described as a longtime al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula explosives expert and facilitator who served as the organization's emir, was killed in a U.S. airstrike March 2 within the Abyan Governorate. Killed with him was former Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee Yasir al Silmi.

Killed March 3 was al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula fighter and communications intermediary for Adani, Harithah al Waqri, Davis said.

"[Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] has taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Yemen to plot, direct and inspire terror attacks against the United States and our allies," he said. "And we will continue to work with the government of Yemen to defeat [al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula].

(Follow Terri Moon Cronk on Twitter: @MoonCronk)

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U.S. Detects, Tracks Multiple North Korea Missile Launches

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Defense Department officials detected and tracked multiple missile launches out of North Korea today, four of which landed in the Sea of Japan, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters this morning.

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US House of Representatives

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Americas

Republicans currently have control of both the White House and Congress, and most of the cabinet haven't been in government before. Many Americans think that's a good thing, while many others are extremely concerned.

And too many in Congress have shown little to no interest in protecting consumer interests. They seem to have lost sight of why they are in office in the first place: to serve the American people.

In the House, Democrats need 24 seats to take back the chamber in 2018. That deficit could fall to 23 if Democrats win a special election in Georgia. The vote to fill the suburban Atlanta seat vacated by Tom Price, the new health secretary, takes place on April 18.

On March 15, 1962, John F. Kennedy sent a special message to the Congress on protecting the consumer interest:

I suggest you read the Message in its entirety, but the following sentence in Kennedy's message seemed particularly prescient:

"Nearly all of the programs offered by this Administration--e.g., the expansion of world trade, the improvement of medical care, the reduction of passenger taxes, the strengthening of mass transit, the development of conservation and recreation areas and low-cost power--are of direct or inherent importance to consumers. Additional legislative and administrative action is required, however, if the Federal Government is to meet its responsibility to consumers in the exercise of their rights. These rights include...The right to be heard-to be assured that consumer interests will receive full and sympathetic consideration in the formulation of Government policy, and fair and expeditious treatment in its administrative tribunals."

While reading Kennedy's message to Congress, the question that kept popping up in my head was: How much does the average American know about the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives?

The 435 U.S. House of Representatives, along with the 100 who serve in the Senate, composes the legislature of the United States.

House Members serve two-year terms and are considered for reelection every even year.

The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 8, 2016, and since they serve two-year terms, all 435 will be considered for reelection in 2018.

A member of the House is referred to as a Representative, Congressman, or Congresswoman.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives each represent a portion of their state known as a Congressional District, which averages 700,000 people. Senators, however, represent the entire state.

Under Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution, in the House of Representatives, a state's representation is based on its population as measured by the U.S. Census.

Each state, however, is entitled to at least one Representative. For example, smaller states like Vermont and Delaware have one representative while large states like California have 53 representatives.

The Constitution does not provide for the representation of the District of Columbia or the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marina Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, although each is represented by one non-voting delegate. They have a voice on the floor but have no voting power.

The House is charged with the passage of federal legislation, otherwise known as bills, which, after concurrence by the Senate, are sent to the President for consideration.

The House also has the exclusive power to initiate bills for raising revenue, to impeach officials, and to choose the President in the event that a presidential candidate fails to get a majority of the Electoral College votes.

The House of Representatives is informally referred to as the "lower" house, while the Senate is referred to as the "upper" house.

The party with the majority of seats in the House is known as the majority party.

In the House of Representatives, the majority party holds significant power to draft chamber rules and schedule bills to reach the floor for debate and voting.

In most cases, House rules will limit debate so that important legislation can be passed during one legislative business day.

To run for House of Representatives, he or she must be at least 25 years of age, have been a citizen of the United States for at least 7 years, and at the time of the election is a resident of the state they represent. Members are not required to live in the district they represent, but they traditionally do.

Of the current 435 members of the House, one is an independent, 240 are Republicans, and 194 are Democrats.

Twenty percent (87) of the 435 members of the House are women: 83 are voting members, and 4 are non-voting members. Of the 87 women in the House, 64 are Democrats, and 23 are Republicans.

The average annual salary for each Representative as of December 2014 was $174,000.

The two youngest members of the House are 33 years old: New York, District 21, Democrat Elis Stefanik, and Wisconsin, District 8, Republican Mike Gallagher.

The two oldest members of the House are 88 years old: Michigan, District 13, Democrat John Conyers, and New York, District 25, Democrat Louise Slaughter.

The Speaker of the House earns $223,500, and the Majority and Minority Leaders earn $193,400.

Representative Darrell Issa, the California Republican, maintained top net worth billing with an average net worth of $245.65 million.
VOTING MEMBERS BY STATE
Alabama (7 Representatives): 1 Democrat and 5 Republicans

Alaska (1 Representative): 1 Republican

Arizona (9 Representatives): 4 Democrats and 5 Republicans

Arkansas (4 Representatives): 4 Republicans

California (53 Representatives): 38 Democrats, 14 Republicans, 1 empty seat (A special election to replace Democrat Xavier Becerra, who became Attorney General of California, will be held on June 6, 2017, with a primary election taking place on April 4, 2017.)

Colorado (7 Representatives): 3 Democrats and 4 Republicans

Connecticut (5 Representatives): 5 Democrats

Delaware (1 Representative): 1 Democrat

Florida (27 Representatives): 11 Democrats, 16 Republicans

Georgia (14 Representatives): 4 Democrats, 9 Republicans, 1 empty seat (A special election to replace Republican Tom Price, who became U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, will be held on April 18, and a runoff is set for June 20. Republicans are favored to hold the seat, but at least three well-known Democrats have stepped forward.)

Hawaii (2 Representatives): 2 Democrats

Idaho (2 Representatives): 2 Republicans

Illinois (18 Representatives): 11 Democrats, 7 Republicans

Indiana (9 Representatives): 2 Democrats, 7 Republicans

Iowa (4 Representatives): 1 Democrat, 3 Republicans

Kansas (4 Representatives): 3 Republicans, 1 empty seat (A special election to replace Republican Mike Pompeo, who became Director of the CIA, will be held on April 11, 2017.)

Kentucky (6 Representatives): 1 Democrat, 5 Republicans

Louisiana (6 Representatives): 1 Democrat, 5 Republicans

Maine (2 Representatives): 1 Democrat, 1 Republican

Maryland (8 Representatives): 7 Democrats, 1 Republican

Massachusetts (9 Representatives): 9 Democrats

Michigan (14 Representatives): 5 Democrats, 9 Republicans

Minnesota (8 Representatives): 5 Democrats, 3 Republicans

Mississippi (4 Representatives): 1 Democrat, 3 Republicans

Missouri (8 Representatives): 2 Democrats, 6 Republicans

Montana (1 Representative): 1 Republican

Nebraska (3 Representatives): 3 Republicans

Nevada (4 Representatives): 3 Democrats, 1 Republican

New Hampshire (2 Representatives): 2 Democrats

New Jersey (12 Representatives): 7 Democrats, 5 Republicans

New Mexico (3 Representatives): 2 Democrats, 1 Republican

New York (27 Representatives): 18 Democrats, 9 Republicans

North Carolina (13 Representatives): 3 Democrats, 10 Republicans

North Dakota (1 Representative): 1 Republican

Ohio (16 Representatives): 4 Democrats, 12 Republicans

Oklahoma (5 Representatives): 5 Republicans

Oregon (5 Representatives): 4 Democrats, 1 Republican

Pennsylvania (18 Representatives): 5 Democrats, 13 Republicans

Rhode Island (2 Representatives): 2 Democrats

South Carolina (7 Representatives): 1 Democrat, 6 Republicans

South Dakota (1 Representative): 1 Republican

Tennessee (9 Representatives): 2 Democrats, 7 Republicans

Texas (36 Representatives): 11 Democrats, 25 Republicans

Utah (4 Representatives): 4 Republicans

Vermont (1 Representative): 1 Democrat

Virginia (11 Representatives): 4 Democrats, 7 Republicans

Washington (10 Representatives): 6 Democrats, 4 Republicans

West Virginia (3 Representatives): 3 Republicans

Wisconsin (8 Representatives): 3 Democrats, 5 Republicans

Wyoming (1 Representative): 1 Republican

Below is the complete list of current members of the United States House of Representatives by political party and State:
DEMOCRATS
Alabama (District 7): Terri Sewell, Current age: 52

Arizona (District 1): Tom O'Halleran, Current age: 71

Arizona (District 3): Raul Grijalva, Current age: 69

Arizona (District 7): Ruben Gallego, Current age: 38

Arizona (District 9): Kyrsten Sinema, Current age: 41

California (District 2): Jared Huffman, Current age: 53

California (District 3): John Garamendi, Current age: 72

California (District 5): Mike Thompson, Current age: 66

California (District 6): Doris Matsui, Current age: 73

California (District 7): Ami Bera, Current age: 52

California (District 9): Jerry McNerney, Current age: 66

California (District 11): Mark DeSaulnier, Current age: 65

California (District 12): Nancy Pelosi (House Minority Leader), Current age: 77

California (District 13): Barbara Lee, Current age: 71

California (District 14): Jackie Speier, Current age: 67

California (District 15): Eric Swalwell, Current age: 37

California (District 16): Jim Costa, Current age: 65

California (District 17): Ro Khanna, Current age: 41

California (District 18): Anna Eshoo, Current age: 75

California (District 19): Zoe Lofgren, Current age: 70

California (District 20): Jimmy Panetta, Current age: 48

California (District 24): Salud Carbajal, Current age: 53

California (District 26): Julia Brownley, Current age: 65

California (District 27): Judy Chu, Current age: 64

California (District 28): Adam Schiff, Current age: 57

California (District 29): Tony Cardenas, Current age: 54

California (District 30): Brad Sherman, Current age: 63

California (District 31): Pete Aguilar, Current age: 38

California (District 32): Grace Napolitano, Current age: 81

California (District 33): Ted Lieu, Current age: 48

California (District 34): A special election to replace Democrat Xavier Becerra, who became Attorney General of California, will be held on June 6, 2017, with a primary election taking place on April 4, 2017.

California (District 35): Norma Torres, Current age: 52

California (District 36): Raul Ruiz, Current age: 45

California (District 37): Karen Bass, Current age: 64

California (District 38): Linda Sanchez, Current age: 48

California (District 40): Lucille Roybal-Allard, Current age: 76

California (District 41): Mark Takano, Current age: 57

California (District 43): Maxine Waters, Current age: 79

California (District 44): Nanette Barragan, Current age: 41

California (District 46): Lou Correa, Current age: 59

California (District 47): Alan Lowenthal, Current age: 76

California (District 51): Juan Vargas, Current age: 56

California (District 52): Scott Peters, Current age: 59

California (District 53): Susan Davis, Current age: 73

Colorado (District 1): Diana DeGette, Current age: 60

Colorado (District 2): Jared Polis, Current age: 42

Colorado (District 7): Ed Perlmutter, Current age: 64

Connecticut (District 1): John B. Larson, Current age: 69

Connecticut (District 2): Joe Courtney, Current age: 64

Connecticut (District 3): Rosa DeLauro, Current age: 74

Connecticut (District 4): Jim Hines, Current age: 51

Connecticut (District 5): Elizabeth Esty, Current age: 58

Delaware (At Large): Lisa Blunt Rochester, Current age: 55

Florida (District 5): Al Lawson, Current age: 69

Florida (District 7): Stephanie Murphy, Current age: 39

Florida (District 9): Darren Soto, Current age: 39

Florida (District 10): Val Demings, Current age: 60

Florida (District 13): Charlie Crist, Current age: 61

Florida (District 14): Kathy Castor, current age: 51

Florida (District 20): Alcee Hastings, Current age: 81

Florida (District 21): Ted Deutch, Current age: 51

Florida (District 22): Lois Frankel, Current age: 69

Florida (District 23): Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Current age: 51

Florida (District 24): Frederica Wilson, Current age: 75

Georgia (District 2): Sanford Bishop, Current age: 70

Georgia (District 4): Hank Johnson, Current age: 63

Georgia (District 5): John Lewis, Current age: 77

Georgia (District 13): David Scott, Current age: 71

Hawaii (District 1): Colleen Hanabusa, Current age: 66

Hawaii (District 2): Tulsi Gabbard, Current age: 36

Illinois (District 1): Bobby Rush, Current age: 71

Illinois (District 2): Robin Kelly, Current age: 61

Illinois (District 3): Dan Lipinski, Current age: 51

Illinois (District 4): Luis Gutierrez, Current age: 64

Illinois (District 5): Mike Quigley, Current age: 58

Illinois (District 7): Danny K. Davis, Current age: 76

Illinois (District 8): Raja Krishnamoorthi, Current age: 44

Illinois (District 9): Jan Schakowsky, Current age: 73

Illinois (District 10): Brad Schneider, Current age: 56

Illinois (District 11): Bill Foster, Current age: 62

Illinois (District 17): Cheri Bustos, Current age: 56

Indiana (District 1): Pete Visclosky, Current age: 68

Indiana (District 7): Andre Carson, Current age: 43

Iowa (District 2): Dave Loebsack, Current age: 65

Kentucky (District 3): John Yarmuth, Current age: 70

Louisiana (District 2): Cedric Richmond, Current age: 44

Maine (District 1): Chellie Pingree, Current age: 62

Maryland (District 2): Dutch Ruppersberger, Current age: 71

Maryland (District 3): John Sarbanes, Current age: 55

Maryland (District 4): Anthony G. Brown, Current age: 56

Maryland (District 5): Steny Hoyer, Current age: 78

Maryland (District 6): John Delaney, Current age: 54

Maryland (District 7): Elijah Cummings, Current age: 66

Maryland (District 8): Jamie Raskin, Current age: 55

Massachusetts (District 1): Richard Neal, Current age: 68

Massachusetts (District 2): Jim McGovern, Current age: 58

Massachusetts (District Niki Tsongas, Current age: 71

Massachusetts (District 4): Joe Kennedy, Current age: 37

Massachusetts (District 5): Katherine Clark, Current age: 54

Massachusetts (District 6): Seth Moulton, Current age: 39

Massachusetts (District 7): Mike Capuano, Current age: 65

Massachusetts (District 8): Stephen F. Lynch, Current age:62

Massachusetts (District 9): Bill Keating, Current age: 65

Michigan (District 5): Dan Kildee, Current age: 59

Michigan (District 9): Sander Levin, Current age: 86

Michigan (District 12): Debbie Dingell, Current age: 64

Michigan (District 13): John Conyers, Current age: 88

Michigan (District 14): Brenda Lawrence, Current age: 63

Minnesota (District 1): Tim Walz, Current age:53

Minnesota (District 4): Betty McCollum, Current age: 63

Minnesota (District 5): Keith Ellison, Current age: 54

Minnesota (District 7): Collin Peterson, Current age: 73

Minnesota (District 8): Rick Nolan, Current age: 74

Mississippi (District 2): Bennie Thompson, Current age: 69

Missouri (District 1): William Clay, Current age: 61

Missouri (District 5): Emanuel Cleaver, Current age: 73

Nevada (District 1): Dina Titus, Current age: 67

Nevada (District 3): Jacky Rosen, Current age: 60

Nevada (District 4): Ruben Kihuen, Current age: 37

New Hampshire (District 1): Carol Shea-Porter, Current age: 65

New Hampshire (District 2): Ann McLane Kuster, Current age: 61

New Jersey (District 1): Donald Norcross, Current age: 59

New Jersey (District 5): Josh Gottheimer, Current age: 42

New Jersey (District 6): Frank Pallone, Current age: 66

New Jersey (District 8): Albio Sires, Current age: 66

New Jersey (District 9): Bill Pascrell, Current age: 80

New Jersey (District 10): Donald Payne, Jr., Current age: 59

New Jersey (District 12): Bonnie Watson Coleman, Current age: 72

New Mexico (District 1): Michelle Lujan Grisham, Current age: 58

New Mexico (District 3): Ben Ray Lujan, Current age: 45

New York (District 3): Thomas Suozzi, Current age: 55

New York (District 4): Kathleen Rice, Current age: 52

New York (District 5): Gregory Meeks, Current age: 64

New York (District 6): Grace Meng, Current age: 42

New York (District 7): Nydia Velazquez, Current age: 64

New York (District 8): Hakeem Jeffries, Current age: 47

New York (District 9): Yvette Clarke, Current age: 53

New York (District 10): Jerrold Nadler, Current age: 70

New York (District 12): Carolyn Maloney, Current age: 69

New York (District 13): Adriano Espaillat, Current age: 63

New York (District 14): Joseph Crowley, Current age: 55

New York (District 15): Jose Serrano, Current age: 74

New York (District 16): Eliot Engel, Current age: 70

New York (District 17): Nita Lowey, Current age: 80

New York (District 18): Sean Patrick Maloney, Current age: 51

New York (District 20): Paul Tonko, Current age: 68

New York (District 25): Louise Slaughter, Current age: 88

New York (District 26): Brian Higgins, Current age: 58

North Carolina (District 1): G.K. Butterfield, Current age: 70

North Carolina (District 4): David Price, Current age: 77

North Carolina (District 12): Alma Adams, Current age: 71

Ohio (District 3): Joyce Beatty, Current age: 66

Ohio (District 9): Marcy Kaptur, Current age: 71

Ohio (District 11): Marcia Fudge, Current age: 65

Ohio (District 13): Tim Ryan, Current age: 44

Oregon (District 1): Suzanne Bonamici, Current age: 63

Oregon (District 3) Earl Blumenauer, Current age: 69

Oregon (District 4): Peter DeFazio, Current age: 70

Oregon (District 5): Kurt Schrader, Current age: 66

Pennsylvania (District 1): Bob Brady, Current age: 72

Pennsylvania (District 2): Dwight Evans, Current age: 63

Pennsylvania (District 13): Brendan F. Boyle, Current age: 40

Pennsylvania (District 14): Michael Doyle, Current age: 64

Pennsylvania (District 17): Matt Cartwright, Current age: 56

Rhode Island (District 1): David Cicilline, Current age: 56

Rhode Island (District 2): Jim Langevin, Current age: 53

South Carolina (District 6): Jim Clyburn, Current age: 77

Tennessee (District 5): Jim Cooper, Current age: 63

Tennessee (District 9): Steve Cohen, Current age: 68

Texas (District 9): Al Green, Current age: 70

Texas (District 15): Vicente Gonzalez, Current age: 50

Texas (District 16): Beto O'Rourke, Current age: 45

Texas (District 18): Sheila Jackson Lee, Current age: 67

Texas (District 20): Joaquin Castro, Current age: 43

Texas (District 28): Henry Cuellar, Current age: 62

Texas (District 29): Gene Green, Current age: 70

Texas (District 30): Eddie Johnson, Current age: 82

Texas (District 33): Marc Veasey, Current age: 46

Texas (District 34): Filemon Vela, Jr., Current age: 54

Texas (District 35): Lloyd Doggett, Current age: 71

Vermont (At Large): Peter Welch, Current age: 70

Virginia (District 3): Robert Scott, Current age: 70

Virginia (District 4): Donald McEachin, Current age: 56

Virginia (District 8): Don Beyer, Current age: 67

Virginia (District 11): Gerry Connolly, Current age: 67

Washington (District 1): Suzan DelBene, Current age: 54

Washington (District 2): Rick Larsen, Current age: 52

Washington (District 6): Derek Kilmer, Current age: 43

Washington (District 7): Pramila Jayapal, Current age: 52

Washington (District 9): Adam Smith, Current age: 52

Washington (District 10): Dennis Heck, Current age: 65

Wisconsin (District 2): Mark Pocan, Current age: 53

Wisconsin (District 3): Ron Kind, Current age: 54

Wisconsin (District 4): Gwen Moore, Current age: 66
REPUBLICANS
Alabama (District 1): Bradley Byrne, Current age: 62

Alabama (District 2): Martha Roby, Current age: 41

Alabama (District 3): Mike Rogers, Current age: 59

Alabama (District 4): Robert Aderholt, Current age: 52

Alabama (District 5): Mo Brooks, Current age: 63

Alabama (District 6): Gary Palmer, Current age: 63

Alaska (At Large): Don Young, Current age: 84

Arizona (District 2): Martha McSally, Current age: 51

Arizona (District 4): Paul Gosar, Current age: 59

Arizona (District 5) Andy Biggs, Current age: 59

Arizona (District 6): David Schweikert, Current age: 55

Arizona (District 8): Trent Franks, Current age: 60

Arkansas (District 1): Rick Crawford, Current age: 51

Arkansas (District 2): French Hill, Current age: 61

Arkansas (District 3): Steve Womack, Current age: 60

Arkansas (District 4): Bruce Westerman, Current age: 61

California (District 1): Doug LaMalfa, Current age: 57

California (District 4): Tom McClintock, Current age: 61

California (District 8): Paul Cook, Current age: 74

California (District 10): Jeff Denham, Current age: 50

California (District 21): David Valadao, Current age: 40

California (District 22): Devin Nunes, Current age: 44

California (District 23): Kevin McCarthy (House Majority Leader), Current age: 52

California (District 25): Steve Knight, Current age: 51

California (District 39): Ed Royce, Current age: 66

California (District 42): Ken Calvert, Current age: 64

California (District 45): Mimi Walters, Current age: 55

California (District 48): Dana Rohrabacher, Current age: 70

California (District 49): Darrell Issa, Current age: 64

California (District 50): Duncan D. Hunter, Current age: 41

Colorado (District 3): Scott Tipton, Current age: 61

Colorado (District 4): Ken Buck, Current age: 58

Colorado (District 5): Doug Lamborn, Current age: 63

Colorado (District 6): Mike Coffman, Current age: 62

Florida (District 1): Matt Gaetz, Current age: 35

Florida (District 2): Neal Dunn, Current age: 64

Florida (District 3): Ted Yoho, Current age: 62

Florida (District 4): John Rutherford, Current age: 65

Florida (District 6): Ron DeSantis, Current age: 39

Florida (District 8): Bill Posey, Current age: 70

Florida (District 11): Daniel Webster, Current age: 68

Florida (District 12): Gus Bilirakis, Current age: 54

Florida (District 15): Dennis Ross, Current age: 58

Florida (District 16): Vern Buchanan, Current age: 66

Florida (District 17): Tom Rooney, Current age: 47

Florida (District 18): Brian Mast, Current age: 36

Florida (District 19): Francis Rooney, Current age: 64

Florida (District 25): Mario Diaz-Balart, Current age: 56

Florida (District 26): Carlos Curbelo, Current age: 37

Florida (District 27): Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Current age: 65

Georgia (District 1): Buddy Carter, Current age: 60

Georgia (District 3): Drew Ferguson, Current age: 51

Georgia (District 6): A special election to replace Republican Tom Price, who became U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, will be held on April 18, and a runoff is set for June 20.

Georgia (District 7): Rob Woodall, Current age: 47

Georgia (District 8): Austin Scott, Current age: 48

Georgia (District 9): Doug Collins, Current age: 51

Georgia (District 10): Jody Hice, Current age: 57

Georgia (District 11): Barry Loudermilk, Current age: 54

Georgia (District 12): Rick W. Allen, Current age: 66

Georgia (District 14): Tom Graves, Current age: 47

Idaho (District 1): Raul Labrador, Current age: 50

Idaho (District 2): Mike Simpson, Current age: 67

Illinois (District 6): Peter Roskam, Current age: 56

Illinois (District 12): Mike Bost, Current age: 57

Illinois (District 13): Rodney Davis, Current age: 47

Illinois (District 14): Randy Hultgren, Current age: 51

Illinois (District 15): John Shimkus, Current age: 59

Illinois (District 16): Adam Kinzinger, Current age: 39

Illinois (District 18): Darin LaHood, Current age: 49

Indiana (District 2): Jackie Walorski, Current age: 54

Indiana (District 3): Jim Banks, Current age: 38

Indiana (District 4): Todd Rokita, Current age: 47

Indiana (District 5): Susan Brooks, Current age: 57

Indiana (District 6): Luke Messer, Current age: 48

Indiana (District 8): Larry Bucshon, Current age: 55

Indiana (District 9): Trey Hollingsworth, Current age: 34

Iowa (District 1): Rod Blum, Current age: 62

Iowa (District 3): David Young, Current age: 49

Iowa (District 4): Steve King, Current age: 68

Kansas (District 1): Roger Marshall, Current age: 57

Kansas: (District 2): Lynn Jenkins, Current age: 54

Kansas (District 3): Kevin Yoder, Current age: 41

Kansas: (District 4): A special election to replace Republican Mike Pompeo, who became Director of the CIA, will be held on April 11, 2017.

Kentucky (District 1): James Comer, Current age: 45

Kentucky (District 2): Brett Guthrie, Current age: 53

Kentucky (District 4): Thomas Massie, Current age: 46

Kentucky (District 5): Hal Rogers, Current age: 80

Kentucky (District 6): Andy Barr, Current age: 44

Louisiana (District 1): Steve Scalise, Current age: 52

Louisiana (District 3): Clay Higgins, Current age: 56

Louisiana (District 4): Mike Johnson, Current age: 45

Louisiana (District 5): Ralph Abraham, Current age: 63

Louisiana (District 6): Garret Graves, Current age: 45

Maine (District 2): Bruce Poliquin, Current age: 64

Maryland (District 1): Andy Harris, Current age: 60

Michigan (District 1): Jack Bergman, Current age: 70

Michigan (District 2): Bill Huizenga, Current age: 48

Michigan (District 3): Justin Amash, Current age: 37

Michigan (District 4): John Moolenaar, Current age: 56

Michigan (District 6): Fred Upton, Current age: 64

Michigan (District 7): Tim Walberg, Current age: 66

Michigan (District 8): Mike Bishop, Current age: 50

Michigan (District 10): Paul Mitchell, Current age: 61

Michigan (District 11): David Trott, Current age: 57

Minnesota (District 2): Jason Lewis, Current age: 62

Minnesota (District 3): Erik Paulsen, Current age: 52

Minnesota (District 6): Tom Emmer, Current age: 56

Mississippi (District 1): Trent Kelly, Current age: 51

Mississippi (District 3): Gregg Harper, Current age: 61

Mississippi (District 4): Steven Palazzo, Current age: 47

Missouri (District 2): Ann Wagner, Current age: 55

Missouri (District 3): Blaine Luetkemeyer, Current age: 57

Missouri (District 4): Vicky Hartzler, Current age: 57

Missouri (District 6): Sam Graves, Current age: 54

Missouri (District 7): Billy Long, Current age: 62

Missouri (District 8): Jason T. Smith, Current age: 37

Montana (At Large): Ryan Zinke, Current age: 56

Nebraska (District 1): Jeff Fortenberry, Current age: 57

Nebraska (District 2): Don Bacon, Current age: 54

Nebraska (District 3): Adrian Smith, Current age: 47

Nevada (District 2): Mark Amodei, Current age: 59

New Jersey (District 2): Frank LoBiondo, Current age: 71

New Jersey (District 3): Tom MacArthur, Current age: 57

New Jersey (District 4): Chris Smith, Current age: 64

New Jersey (District 7): Leonard Lance, Current age: 65

New Jersey (District 11): Rodney Frelinghuysen, Current age: 71

New Mexico (District 2): Steve Pearce, Current age: 70

New York (District 1): Lee Zeldin, Current age: 37

New York (District 2): Peter King, Current age: 73

New York (District 11): Daniel Donovan, Current age: 61

New York (District 19): John Faso, Current age: 65

New York (District 21): Elise Stefanik, Current age: 33

New York (District 22): Claudia Tenney, Current age: 56

New York (District 23): Tom Reed, Current age: 46

New York (District 24): John Katko, Current age: 55

New York (District 27): Chris Collins, Current age: 67

North Carolina (District 2): George Holding, Current age: 49

North Carolina (District 3): Walter Jones, Current age: 74

North Carolina (District 5): Virginia Foxx, Current age: 74

North Carolina (District 6): Mark Walker, Current age: 48

North Carolina (District 7): David Rouzer, Current age: 45

North Carolina (District 8): Richard Hudson, Current age: 46

North Carolina (District 9): Robert Pittenger, Current age: 69

North Carolina (District 10): Patrick McHenry, Current age: 42

North Carolina (District 11): Mark Meadows, Current age: 58

North Carolina (District 13): Ted Budd, Current age: 46

North Dakota (At Large): Kevin Cramer, Current age: 56

Ohio (District 1): Steve Chabot, Current age: 64

Ohio (District 2): Brad Wenstrup, Current age: 59

Ohio (District 4): Jim Jordan, Current age: 53

Ohio (District 5): Bob Latta, Current age: 61

Ohio (District 6): Bill Johnson, Current age: 63

Ohio (District 7): Bob Gibbs, Current age: 63

Ohio (District 8): Warren Davidson, Current age: 47

Ohio (District 10): Mike Turner, Current age: 57

Ohio (District 12): Pat Tiberi, Current age: 55

Ohio (District 14): David Joyce, Current age: 60

Ohio (District 15): Steve Stivers, Current age: 52

Ohio (District 16): Jim Renacci, Current age: 59

Oklahoma (District 1): Jim Bridenstine, Current age: 42

Oklahoma (District 2): Markwayne Mullin, Current age: 40

Oklahoma (District 3): Frank Lucas, Current age: 57

Oklahoma (District 4): Tom Cole, Current age: 68

Oklahoma (District 5): Steve Russell, Current age: 54

Oregon (District 2) Greg Walden, Current age: 60

Pennsylvania (District 3): Mike Kelly, Current age: 69

Pennsylvania (District 4): Scott Perry, Current age: 55

Pennsylvania (District 5): Glenn Thompson, Current age: 58

Pennsylvania (District 6): Ryan Costello, Current age: 41

Pennsylvania (District 7): Pat Meehan, Current age: 62

Pennsylvania (District 8): Brian Fitzpatrick, Current age: 44

Pennsylvania (District 9): Bill Shuster, Current age: 56

Pennsylvania (District 10): Tom Marion, Current age: 65

Pennsylvania (District 11): Lou Barletta, Current age: 61

Pennsylvania (District 12): Keith Rothfus, Current age: 55

Pennsylvania (District 15): Charlie Dent, Current age: 57

Pennsylvania (District 16): Lloyd Smucker, Current age: 53

Pennsylvania (District 18): Timothy F. Murphy, Current age: 65

South Carolina (District 1): Mark Sanford, Current age: 57

South Carolina (District 2): Joe Wilson, Current age: 70

South Carolina (District 3): Jeff Duncan, Current age: 51

South Carolina (District 4): Trey Gowdy, Current age: 53

South Carolina (District 5): Mick Mulvaney, Current age: 50

South Carolina (District 7): Tom Rice, Current age: 60

South Dakota (At Large): Kristi Noem, Current age: 46

Tennessee (District 1): Phil Roe, Current age: 72

Tennessee (District 2): Jimmy Duncan, Current age: 70

Tennessee (District 3): Chuck Fleischmann, Current age: 55

Tennessee (District 4): Scott DesJarlais, Current age: 53

Tennessee (District 6): Diane Black, Current age: 66

Tennessee (District 7): Marsha Blackburn, Current age: 65

Tennessee (District 8): David Kustoff, Current age: 51

Texas (District 1): Louie Gohmert, Current age: 64

Texas (District 2): Ted Poe, Current age: 69

Texas (District 3): Sam Johnson, Current age: 87

Texas (District 4): John Ratcliffe, Current age: 52

Texas (District 5): Jeb Hensarling, Current age: 60

Texas (District 6): Joe Barton, Current age: 68

Texas (District 7): John Culberson, Current age: 61

Texas (District 8): Kevin Brady, Current age: 62

Texas (District 10): Michael McCaul, Current age: 55

Texas (District 11): Mike Conaway, Current age: 69

Texas (District 12): Kay Granger, Current age: 74

Texas (District 13): Mac Thornberry, Current age: 59

Texas (District 14): Randy Weber, Current age: 64

Texas (District 17): Bill Flores, Current age: 63

Texas (District 19): Jodey Arrington, Current age: 45

Texas (District 21): Lamar S. Smith, Current age: 70

Texas (District 22): Pete Olson, Current age: 55

Texas (District 23): Will Hurd, Current age: 40

Texas (District 24): Kenny Marchant, Current age: 66

Texas (District 25): Roger Williams, Current age: 68

Texas (District 26): Michael Burgess, Current age: 67

Texas (District 27): Blake Farenthold, Current age: 56

Texas (District 31): John Carter, Current age: 76

Texas (District 32): Pete Sessions, Current age: 62

Texas (District 36): Brian Babin, Current age: 69

Utah (District 1): Rob Bishop, Current age: 66

Utah (District 2): Chris Stewart, Current age: 57

Utah (District 3): Jason Chaffetz, Current age: 50

Utah (District 4): Mia Love, Current age: 42

Virginia (District 1): Rob Wittman, Current age: 58

Virginia (District 2): Scott Taylor, Current age: 38

Virginia (District 5): Thomas Garrett, Jr., Current age: 45

Virginia (District 6): Bob Goodlatte, Current age: 65

Virginia (District 7): Dave Brat, Current age: 53

Virginia (District 9): Morgan Griffith, Current age: 59

Virginia (District 10): Barbara Comstock, Current age: 58

Washington (District 3): Jaime Herrera Beutler, Current age: 39

Washington (District 4): Dan Newhouse, Current age: 62

Washington (District 5): Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Current age: 48

Washington (District 8): Dave Reichert, Current age: 67

West Virginia (District 1): David McKinley, Current age: 70

West Virginia (District 2): Alex Mooney, Current age: 46

West Virginia (District 3): Evan Jenkins, Current age: 57

Wisconsin (District 1): Paul Ryan (Speaker of the House) Current age: 47

Wisconsin (District 5): Jim Sensenbrenner, Current age: 74

Wisconsin (District 6): Glenn Grothman, Current age: 62

Wisconsin (District 7): Sean Duffy, Current age: 46

Wisconsin (District 8): Mike Gallagher, Current age: 33

Wyoming (At Large): Liz Cheney, Current age: 51
DELEGATES (They have a voice on the floor, but no voting power.)
American Samoa: (Republican) Amata Coleman Radewagen, Current age: 70

District of Columbia: (Democrat) Eleanor Holmes Norton, Current age: 80

Guam: (Democrat) Madeleine Bordallo, Current age: 84

Puerto Rico: (New Progressive Party & Republican) Jenniffer Gonzalez, Current age: 41

United States Virgin Islands: (Democrat) Stacey Plaskett, Current age: 51

Northern Mariana Islands: (Independent) Gregorio Sablan, Current age: 62

It seems only fitting to end this article with the last paragraph of John F. Kennedy's message to Congress:

"It is my hope that this Message, and the recommendations and requests it contains, can help alert every agency and branch of government to the needs of our consumers. Their voice is not always as loudly heard in Washington as the voices of smaller and better-organized groups--nor is their point of view always defined and presented. But under our economic as well as our political form of democracy, we share an obligation to protect the common interest in every decision we make. I ask the Congress, and every Department and Agency, to help in the fulfillment of that obligation."

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current members of the u.s. house of representatives

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message to the congress on protecting the consumer interest

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Current Members of the U.S. House of Representatives

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Republicans currently have control of both the White House and Congress, and most of the cabinet haven't been in government before. Many Americans think that's a good thing, while many others are extremely concerned. And too many in Congress have shown little to no interest in protecting consumer interests.

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The process of how a bill becomes a law

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How a Bill becomes a Law? essaysHave you ever had an idea that you thought should become a law? Ideas for laws come in many ways. Members of Congress present ideas for new laws. Ordinary citizens may call their senator or representative with an idea.

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Necessary and Proper Clause

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Learn more about necessary and proper clauses. Understand how they change a sentence to be able to pass your test with ease. Visit: http://www.mometrix.com/academy/ Subscribe to more free test preparation videos: http://bit.ly/1dJH1yb Follow Mometrix Academy on Pinterest: http://bit.ly/1hZE2Jj Mometrix Test Preparation Academy: http://goo.gl/1A9qj7 #MometrixAcademy #English

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Jobs of Committees

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What Are Standing Committees?

There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, drawn from every state in the Union. There are 100 members of the Senate, two from each state. There are around 320 million people in the United States of America. It doesn't take a mathematician to realize that there's a problem there. How on Earth could such a comparatively small legislative body deal with the gigantic number of issues that are generated by a nation so large?

The committee system exists to handle the massive flow of bills, and there are thousands of these in each congressional session. There are basically four types of committees: select committees, joint committees, conference committees, and standing committees. The rest of this lesson will focus on standing committees, the permanent committees that do most of the debating, legislating, and actual work of Congress.

Bills and Duties

Passing a Bill

To understand what standing committees do and why they're important, you have to revisit the life of a bill. The process works something like this: a member of Congress (it can start in either House) gets an idea for a law. In the Senate, the proposed law goes to the presiding officer; in the House of Representatives, the bill is given to the clerk of the House. Then the bill is off to committee.

Standing committees hold hearings, call experts on the bill's topic, send it down to a subcommittee (a smaller group of representatives in the same committee, who dig even deeper into what the bill is about and its possible consequences), and finally vote on whether or not to send it out to the whole House of Representatives or Senate for a vote. Even if the bill survives all that, it still has to go to the other House for another go-around.

Duties

Standing committees are the only committees that can actually recommend a bill (in Congressional language, that's called being reported out of committee). They're also the ones that set funding levels, called authorizations, and they keep an eye on federal agencies and the work they do, a duty called oversight.

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standing committee: definition & example - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Standing Committee: Definition & Example - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, drawn from every state in the Union. There are 100 members of the Senate, two from each state. There are around 320 million people in the United States of America. It doesn't take a mathematician to realize that there's a problem there.

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Expressed Powers are ....?

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Expressed Powers

Superman, as any American knows, can fly. He also has X-ray vision and is really very strong. How do we know these things? They are expressed both verbally (when Superman tells people what he can do) and non-verbally (when he just does them).

Powers that aren't made clear are hard to deal with, and while that's problematic with superheroes, it's real trouble with governments, mostly because the former is fictional, while the latter is all too real.

The Founding Fathers of the United States were as deeply concerned about governmental powers as anyone who's ever lived, because in their time, they lived through a violent conflict over the nature of power and had witnessed what they saw as the abuses of a tyrant whose powers were largely undefined. So, in writing the Constitution, they were rigorously committed to stating, as clearly as possible, what the government can and can't do. These are what we call the expressed powers of the U.S. Constitution.

What are Expressed Powers?

There are three branches in the U.S. government: the legislative branch (Congress, described in Article I), the executive branch (the President, described in Article II), and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court and federal court system, described in Article III). Although each of the branches has their own specific powers and duties, it's really the Congress that has the most clearly expressed powers, seeing as how the Framers of the Constitution thought that institution was going to be the most powerful.

Today, it definitely is, in a very literal sense. The President really only executes acts of legislation and is heavily constrained by the Constitution. The Congress, on the other hand, has enormous and wide-reaching powers, but today, most Americans tend to view the President as the most powerful part of the government. And this makes sense; since there's only one President, and he sure seems powerful, it's easy to forget that the Framers assumed the executive would effectively be a sort of governmental middle manager.

In Article I, Section 8, the Constitution lists the expressed powers. They're sometimes called delegated powers, sometimes called the enumerated powers. They all mean the same things: powers that are actually put down on paper. There are 27 total, but here is a slightly summarized version of the Congress' expressed powers:

The Power to tax and spend for the defense and general welfare of the U.S.

Borrow money

Regulate commerce with other nations and between the states

Coin money

Establish laws of naturalization (how people can become citizens)

Punish counterfeiters of money and securities

Establish post offices and roads

Promote the sciences and the arts through granting patents and copyrights for inventions and discoveries

'Constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court' (basically, to create a federal court system)

Define and punish piracies and felonies on the 'high seas' (a big issue in the 18th century)

Declare war

Raise and support an army/navy

Make laws governing those armed forces

Provide for a militia to execute federal laws (and to organize and arm that militia)

Make the District of Columbia the home of the federal government

Make any laws necessary for carrying out these powers

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expressed powers: definition & examples - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Expressed Powers: Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Superman, as any American knows, can fly. He also has X-ray vision and is really very strong. How do we know these things? They are expressed both verbally (when Superman tells people what he can do) and non-verbally (when he just does them).

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3/4 of states are needed to ratify an amendment to the Constitution

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Brown Vs. Board of Education is the Supreme Court that stated "separated but equal is illegal"

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The Head of State greets people from other countries.

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The Supreme Court's landmark decision regarding judicial review is Marbury v. Madison

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Example of Executive Branch

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The vice president is in charge of the US Senate.

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President Obama was the"commander in chief"

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The first amendment gives you the right to assembly peacefully.

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According to the amendment is the president dies The Vice President takes over.

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9 justices sit on the Supreme Court.

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The 6th amendment provides you the right to a speedy trial.

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Josh Stein is currently the Attorney General of NC