How many members of Congress must be present to conduct business?

The requirement for conducting business in Congress is that a majority of members in each house must be present. This is known as a quorum. The Constitution states that each house can determine its own rules of proceedings, but both the House of Representatives and the Senate require a majority of their members to be present in order to conduct official business.

This means that in the House of Representatives, which has 435 members, at least 218 members must be present for business to be conducted. In the Senate, which has 100 members, at least 51 senators must be present. The significance of this rule helps ensure that a sufficient number of representatives are involved in the decision-making process, reflecting the will of a larger segment of the electorate.

Other options suggest different thresholds, such as a simple majority of both houses or a two-thirds majority, which are not required for conducting regular business. A simple majority of both houses is not necessary for convening, as each house operates independently. A two-thirds majority is typically required for actions such as overriding a presidential veto or passing certain types of resolutions but not for simply conducting business.