The Republicans maintained control of the Senate, while the Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives – albeit with both majorities slightly reduced from the 98th Congress.
This is the most recent Congress to feature a Republican senator from Maryland, Charles Mathias, who retired at the end of the Congress.
This is also the most recent Congress in which no Democratic women Senators served and the most recent Congress in which more Republican women Senators served than Democratic women Senators.
This was the most recent session of Congress prior to the 116th to feature a Republican Senate/Democratic House split and had a third-party House member.
Major events
January 20, 1985: Ronald Reagan was privately sworn in for a second term as president (publicly sworn in, January 21).
April 15, 1986: Operation El Dorado Canyon: At least 15 people die after United States planes bomb targets in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and the Benghazi region.
June 2, 1986: First regular television broadcast of Senate proceedings on C-SPAN2.
November 3, 1986: Iran–Contra affair: The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reported that the United States has been selling weapons to Iran in secret to secure the release of American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon.
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
Senate
Senators are popularly elected statewide every six years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1986; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1988; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1990.
House of Representatives
Changes in membership
Senate
House of Representatives
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.