Narrow majorities in U.S. House have become more common but haven’t always led to gridlock
House Republicans held the fifth-smallest majority in U.S. history at the start of the current congress, tied with the 107th and 83rd Congresses.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
House Republicans held the fifth-smallest majority in U.S. history at the start of the current congress, tied with the 107th and 83rd Congresses.
Thirteen voting members of the 118th Congress identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual – the highest number of openly LGB members in history.
The new House will have 80 members who’ve served in the military, or 18.4% of members. That’s up from 75, or 17.2%, in the 117th Congress.
Today, there are more than 18 million living veterans in the United States, representing about 6% of the country’s adult population.
Three-quarters of Americans are familiar with the length of a Supreme Court appointment.
Majorities of White Christian groups say the large number of migrants seeking to enter at the border with Mexico is a “crisis” for the United States.
Overall, 46% of Americans say the statement “public health officials were unprepared for the outbreak” describes their views extremely or very well, including similar shares of Republicans and Democrats.
Trust in scientists and medical scientists has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, with 29% of U.S. adults saying they have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public. This is down from 40% in November 2020 and 35% in January 2019, before COVID-19 emerged. Other prominent groups – including the military, police officers and public school principals – have also seen their ratings decline.
Americans are increasingly critical of the response to COVID-19 from elected officeholders and public health officials. Positive ratings of public health officials, such as those at the CDC, have fallen 10 points since August. And 60% of U.S. adults say they’ve felt confused as a result of changes to recommendations on how to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Supporters of Donald Trump and Joe Biden differ widely on the issues that are “very important” to their vote.
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