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House, Senate leaders: Who are they, and what do they do?

You know most of their names, but how much do you know about what Democratic and Republican leaders actually do on Capitol Hill?

Who are the senators and representatives in Congress who lead both parties, and what are their jobs? 

House of Representatives

As explained by the House of Representatives website, the members of the majority and minority parties meet separately to select their leaders at the start of each Congress. Third parties rarely have enough members to designate a leader and independents usually join with the Democrats or Republicans to receive committee assignments.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

  • Speaker of the House

The speaker is elected by the entire House at the start of each Congress and acts as the leader of the chamber. Even though there is a separate House majority leader, Pelosi is still the leader of the Democrats just as her predecessor, Rep. Paul Ryan, was the leader of the Republicans when he was the speaker. The speaker is also second in line to succeed the president, after the vice president. 

AP file photo - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi | Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

  • House Majority Leader

This is the majority leader in charge of scheduling legislation, planning legislative agendas and consulting with members to gauge party sentiment, according to the House of Representatives.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

  • House Minority Leader

The minority leader is the most powerful person in the party opposite the speaker. In this case, McCarthy is more the Republicans' version of Pelosi than he is Hoyer. But, his duties remain similar to the majority leader.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-SC

  • House Majority Whip

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.

  • House Minority Whip

The party whip assists the party leadership in managing the party's legislative program on the House floor. This person mobilizes party members for important measures for upcoming votes. The House of Representatives says the term comes from Great Britain in the 18th century.

"The term derives from fox hunting, where the 'whipper in' is the person in charge of keeping the pack of foxhounds together," the House website says.

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM

  • Assistant Speaker

Because Pelosi is House Speaker, the Democrats get one additional leadership spot. This position was initially the assistant majority leader, but Pelosi sought a title change for Lujan which was unanimously approved by House Democrats, according to The Hill.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wis.

  • Republican Conference Chair

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY

  • Democratic Caucus Chair

The conference and caucus chairs preside over conference meetings involving all members of their party. They meet weekly to discuss party policy.

Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala.

  • Republican Policy Committee Chair

As described by Republicans, "The House Republican Policy Committee is the principal forum for the development of forward-looking and principled policy solutions. Established in 1949 by the House Republican Conference, the RPC is a place for Republicans in the House to generate quality legislative proposals."

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Senate

While the speaker is the clear leader in the House, the leadership structure of the Senate is a bit more nuanced.

Vice President Mike Pence

  • President of the Senate

The Senate president serves as the deciding vote in case there is a 50-50 tie on measures that do not require a supermajority. The vice president's role used to primarily be to preside over the Senate. Vice President Lyndon Johnson changed that in 1961, moving his main office to the White House and taking part in Senate functions only when necessary.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa

  • President Pro Tempore

The president pro tempore presides over the Senate when the vice president is absent. This is also the person third in the line of presidential succession after the vice president and House speaker.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky

  • Senate Majority Leader

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY

  • Senate Minority Leader

From the Senate website:

"The leaders serve as spokespersons for their party's positions on issues. The majority leader schedules the daily legislative program and fashions the unanimous consent agreements that govern the time for debate."

"Working with the committee chairs and ranking members, the majority leader schedules business on the floor by calling bills from the calendar and keeps members advised about the daily legislative program. In consultation with the minority leader, the majority leader fashions unanimous consent agreements by which the Senate limits the amount of time for debate and divides that time between the parties."

Credit: AP
FILE - In this June 30, 2020, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., with Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., speaks to reporters following a GOP policy meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump’s push to reopen schools is being complicated by a split within his ranks over how to do it. Some advisers are advocating for a massive federal expenditure to make campuses safe. This comes Congress is compiling the next COVID-19 relief bill. McConnell said July 13 schooling will be a priority in the coming package. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Sen. John Thune, R-SD

  • Senate Majority Whip

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL

  • Senate Minority Whip

Similar to the roles held by the House whip, this person mobilizes party members for important measures for upcoming votes.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wy

  • Republican Conference Chair

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

  • Assistant Democratic Leader

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo

  • Republican Policy Committee Chair

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa

  • Senate Republican Conference Vice-chair

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.

  • Republican Senatorial Committee Chair

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

  • Democratic Policy & Communications Committee Chair

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mas

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

  • Democratic Conference Vice-chairs

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN

  • Steering Committee Chair

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

  • Outreach Chair

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV

  • Policy & Communications Committee Vice-chair

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

  • Secretary of the Conference

Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

  • Campaign Committee Chairman

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