What Is the House of Representatives? 435 Members, 2-Year Terms Explained

The House of Representatives is one of two chambers of the United States Congress, established by Article I of the Constitution. Unlike the Senate, where each state receives two seats regardless of size, House seats are apportioned by population. The current cap of 435 members was set by the Apportionment Act of 1929, though earlier in US history the number expanded as the country grew.

Reapportionment happens every 10 years after the decennial census. The 2020 census shifted seats from shrinking states (Illinois, California for the first time in its modern history, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan) to growing ones (Texas gained two seats, Florida, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon each gained one). The political consequences are significant: population growth in Republican-leaning Sun Belt states has provided structural advantages in House maps.

Within each state, the exact boundaries of congressional districts are drawn by state legislatures or independent redistricting commissions. This process, called redistricting or gerrymandering, can profoundly affect which party wins a majority even when the overall vote is relatively close.

Any member of the House can introduce a bill by dropping it in the "hopper" (a box at the front of the chamber). The bill is then assigned to the relevant committee, which can hold hearings, amend, or simply ignore it. The vast majority of introduced bills never reach the floor for a vote.

Bills that clear committee go to the Rules Committee, which sets the terms of floor debate: how long debate will last, whether amendments are allowed, and which amendments are in order. The Rules Committee is controlled by the majority party and serves as a powerful gatekeeper. A "closed rule" prevents any amendments; an "open rule" allows any germane amendment.

On the floor, a simple majority (218 of 435) is required to pass a bill. Because members are elected from single-member districts with short terms, party discipline can sometimes be difficult to maintain, particularly on legislation that is unpopular in members' home districts. High-profile failures — such as the collapse of the American Health Care Act in 2017 before it was revised — illustrate the challenge of holding a narrow majority together.