The speaker of the United States House of Representatives,commonly known as the speaker of the House,is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I,Section II,of the U.S. Constitution. By custom and House rules,the speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House and is simultaneously its presiding officer,de facto leader of the body's majority party,and the institution's administrative head. Speakers also perform various other administrative and procedural functions. Given these several roles and responsibilities,the speaker usually does not personally preside over debates—that duty is instead delegated to members of the House from the majority party—nor regularly participate in floor debates.
A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body,usually a legislature,to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin serviens,which means "servant". Historically,serjeants-at-arms were armed men retained by English lords and monarchs,and the ceremonial maces which they are associated with were originally a type of weapon.
Patrick Timothy McHenry is an American politician currently serving as U.S. representative for North Carolina's 10th congressional district since 2005,which includes the communities of Hickory and Mooresville. He is also chair of the House Financial Services Committee since 2023. A member of the Republican Party,he served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for one term before being elected to Congress.
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories. It answers to the Capitol Police Board and is the only full-service federal law enforcement agency appointed by the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States.
Kevin Owen McCarthy is an American politician who served as the 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January to October 2023. A member of the Republican Party,he was the U.S. representative for California's 20th congressional district from 2007 until his resignation in 2023.
The sergeant at arms and doorkeeper of the United States Senate is the protocol officer,executive officer,and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the Senate of the United States. The office of the sergeant at arms of the Senate currently has just short of 1,000 full time staff.
The sergeant at arms of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the House with law enforcement,protocol,and administrative responsibilities. The sergeant at arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership of the House.
Terrance William Gainer is a former law enforcement officer and was the 38th Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and served in that position from January 4,2007,to May 2,2014.
The Mace of the United States House of Representatives,also called the Mace of the Republic,is a ceremonial mace and one of the oldest symbols of the United States government. It symbolizes the governmental authority of the United States,and more specifically,the legislative authority of the House of Representatives.
Paul Douglas Irving is an American former law enforcement officer who served as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from January 17,2012,until January 7,2021,succeeding Wilson Livingood in that post. He resigned due to his inability to fulfill his duty during the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
The 118th United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government,composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington,D.C.,on January 3,2023,and will end on January 3,2025,during the third and fourth years of President Joe Biden's term in office.
Vincent Karchi Fong is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 20th congressional district since 2024. A member of the Republican Party,he previously represented the California's 32nd State Assembly district,encompassing parts of the Central Valley. Prior to his election to the Assembly in 2016,Fong served as district director to then-Minority Leader and Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
William J. Walker is a retired United States Army major general and former Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the 38th House Sergeant at Arms and the first African-American to hold the office. He last served as the 23rd Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard. This responsibility includes command of the District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard units. Walker previously served in the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent and was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in January 2003,with his final assignment being Deputy Assistant Administrator in Charge of the Office of Strategic Warning Intelligence. Walker is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow.
Steven A. Sund is a retired American police officer and author who served as the tenth chief of the United States Capitol Police from 2019 to 2021. Sund was chief during the January 6 United States Capitol attack,after which he resigned.
Robert George Good is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia. A member of the Republican Party,he is currently the U.S. representative from Virginia's 5th congressional district. Prior to his election to Congress,Good served as a member of the Board of Supervisors in Campbell County,Virginia for three years. He also worked in development at his alma mater,Liberty University,and for Citi.
Michael Conrad Stenger was an American law enforcement officer who served as the 41st Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from April 16,2018,to January 7,2021.
Jennifer A. Hemingway is an American federal law enforcement officer and former political advisor who briefly served as the acting Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and acting chairwoman of the Capitol Police Board. After being passed over for the position,Hemingway became chief of staff to the Senate's Sergeant at Arms.
Timothy Paul Blodgett is an American law enforcement officer who served as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from January to April 2021.
The National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex,known colloquially as the January 6 commission,was an unsuccessful proposal to create a commission that would have investigated the January 6 United States Capitol attack. On February 15,2021,Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi announced that she planned to create a "9/11-type commission". The details were initially negotiated by Republican John Katko,and would have consisted of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. A bill forming the commission passed the House of Representatives on May 19,with all Democrats and 35 Republicans voting in support of it. However,it was blocked by Senate Republicans on May 28,with 54 Senators voting in favor and 35 voting against,failing to clear the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster.
Tylease Alli is an American government official who serves as one of two Reading Clerks of the United States House of Representatives. She has held the office since 2021,and has worked on Capitol Hill in various roles as clerk for the House Committee on Education and Workforce from 2003 to 2019 and as Chief Clerk for the House Committee on Education and Labor from 2019 to 2021.
