The
One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the
meeting of the
legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the
George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of
Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the
Senate and the
House of Representatives. The
apportionment of seats in the House was based on the
2000 U.S. Census. In the
November 4, 2008 elections, the
Democratic Party increased its
majorities in both chambers, giving President Obama a Democratic majority in the legislature for the first two years of his presidency. A new
delegate seat was created for the
Northern Mariana Islands. The 111th Congress had the most experienced members in history: at the start of the 111th Congress, the average member of the House had served 10.3 years, while the average Senator had served 13.4 years. This Congress has been considered one of the most productive Congresses in history in terms of legislation passed since the
89th Congress, during
Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.