Current Composition of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate (as of October 30, 2025)
The 119th Congress began on January 3, 2025. Below is the current partisan breakdown for both chambers, based on the most recent official and reliable sources. Note that the House has experienced vacancies due to deaths and resignations, while the Senate is at full strength with 100 members. Independents in the Senate caucus with the Democrats.
U.S. House of Representatives (119th Congress)
- Total Voting Seats: 435 (currently 431 filled, 4 vacant)
- Party Breakdown (voting members only):
| Party | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | 219 | Majority party; slim control maintained post-2024 elections. |
| Democrat | 212 | Minority party. |
| Independent | 0 | No independents in the House. |
| Vacant | 4 | Due to deaths (e.g., Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) and Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)) and resignations (e.g., Rep. Mark Green (R-TN)); special elections pending. |
U.S. Senate (119th Congress)
- Total Seats: 100 (all filled)
- Party Breakdown:
| Party | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | 53 | Majority party; gained net seats in 2024 elections. |
| Democrat | 45 | Minority party (includes 2 independents who caucus with Democrats). |
| Independent | 2 | Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME); both caucus with Democrats, effectively giving Democrats 47 votes in caucus matters. |
House of Representatives passed HR 5371 – H.R.5371 – Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 on September 19, 2025. (Use Text Tab to view bill text). Vote was 217-212.with 216 Republicans and 1 Democrats voting yea.
Reportedly House Rules Committee considered an amendment (Amendment #2) on September 16, 2025 made by Democrat Rep. Gray. The amendment sought to permanently extend the enhanced Premium Tax Credits made to Obamacare during former President Biden tenure but it was not made in order and was not included in the final bill text.
The Senate received and voted on the bill the same day the house passed it, September 19, 2025 as Senate Bill S2882. The vote failed Yea 47; Nay 45 Not Voting 8 as 60 affirmative votes are required for passage.
Apparently due to procedural rules Democrats were able to insert the below premium tax credit language into the Senate S2882 Continuing Appropriation version of HR 5371. Whether or not the Premium Tax Credits should be extended permanently I don’t know as I have not studied it carefully. I do know it should not be a reason to shut the government down to the point where people are not given SNAP.
Now the government shutdown is on day 29-30 and it is probable that SNAP benefits will be lost for millions of American across the nation.
Senate Republicans have proposed a return to the initial HR 5371 Continuing Resolution through November 21 instead of the initially proposed October 31, 2025 and without the Premium Tax Credit and other add-ons made by Democrats. However, the last vote on that failed 54 Yea to 45 Nay with 53 Republicans and 1 Democrat voting yea. This would keep appropriations at the September 30, 2025 level while the House and Senate fight out their long term appropriation differences. Clearly the Democrats are the main cause for people potentially not having SNAP and other benefits.
Enhanced Premium Tax Credit Expiration: Frequently Asked Questions
