# Congress.gov API

> Congress.gov returns federal bills, resolutions, summaries, and actions as a workflow and API.

Search bills finds bills and resolutions by required topic, with optional Congress, status, chamber, and page. Get bill returns a bill’s status, summary, titles, actions, and related bills; provide its name, title, number, or Congress.gov link.

- Page: https://fous.com/workflows/congress-gov
- Handle: `@congress-gov`
- Category: [Government](https://fous.com/workflows/category/government)
- Source website: https://congress.gov
- Last verified: Sep 29, 2026
- Fous is not affiliated with Congress.gov.

## Methods

### Get bill

Operation `get_bill`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Get the status, official summary, titles, actions and related bills for one U.S. bill on Congress.gov. A missing summary or text is returned as null.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `bill` | string | yes | `"H.R. 4346"` | Popular name, title, number or Congress.gov bill link, for example CHIPS and Science Act. |
| `congress` | integer | no | `117` | Congress number or calendar year, for example 117 or 2022. Defaults to the most recent matching bill; a bare number uses the current Congress. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "bill"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "bill": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Popular name, title, number or Congress.gov bill link, for example CHIPS and Science Act.",
      "examples": [
        "H.R. 4346",
        "https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346",
        "CHIPS and Science Act"
      ]
    },
    "congress": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "Congress number or calendar year, for example 117 or 2022. Defaults to the most recent matching bill; a bare number uses the current Congress.",
      "examples": [
        117,
        118
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "bill": "H.R. 4346",
      "congress": 117
    },
    {
      "bill": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346"
    },
    {
      "bill": "CHIPS and Science Act"
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `link` | string | `"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1"` |  |
| `status` | string | `"Introduced"` |  |
| `actions` | array |  |  |
| `actions[].date` | string | `"2023-07-25"` |  |
| `actions[].text` | string | `"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. Action By: Senate"` |  |
| `sponsor` | string or null | `"Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]"` |  |
| `summary` | string or null |  |  |
| `congress` | integer | `118` |  |
| `bill_number` | string | `"S.1"` |  |
| `policy_area` | string or null | `"Government Operations and Politics"` |  |
| `short_title` | string or null | `"Freedom to Vote Act"` |  |
| `related_bills` | array |  |  |
| `related_bills[].link` | string | `"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/11"` |  |
| `related_bills[].title` | string | `"Freedom to Vote Act"` |  |
| `related_bills[].bill_number` | string | `"H.R.11"` |  |
| `sponsor_party` | string or null | `"Democratic"` |  |
| `sponsor_state` | string or null | `"MN"` |  |
| `official_title` | string or null | `"A bill to expand Americans' access to the ballot box and reduce the influence of big money in politics, and for other p` |  |
| `cosponsor_count` | integer or null | `51` |  |
| `introduced_date` | string or null | `"2023-07-25"` |  |
| `latest_text_link` | string or null |  |  |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "bill": "S. 1",
  "congress": 118
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "link": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1",
  "status": "Introduced",
  "actions": [
    {
      "date": "2023-07-25",
      "text": "Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. Action By: Senate"
    }
  ],
  "sponsor": "Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]",
  "summary": "Freedom to Vote Act\n\nThis bill addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance.\n\nSpecifically, the bill expands voter registration …",
  "congress": 118,
  "bill_number": "S.1",
  "policy_area": "Government Operations and Politics",
  "short_title": "Freedom to Vote Act",
  "related_bills": [
    {
      "link": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/11",
      "title": "Freedom to Vote Act",
      "bill_number": "H.R.11"
    },
    {
      "link": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/239",
      "title": "Same Day Registration Act of 2023",
      "bill_number": "H.R.239"
    },
    {
      "link": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/988",
      "title": "Shell Company Abuse Act",
      "bill_number": "H.R.988"
    }
  ],
  "sponsor_party": "Democratic",
  "sponsor_state": "MN",
  "official_title": "A bill to expand Americans' access to the ballot box and reduce the influence of big money in politics, and for other purposes.",
  "cosponsor_count": 51,
  "introduced_date": "2023-07-25",
  "latest_text_link": null
}
```

### Search bills

Operation `search_bills`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Search US federal bills and resolutions by topic, Congress, legislative status, and chamber. Results are ordered by Congress.gov relevance; page selects a search-results page.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `page` | integer | no | `2` | Search-results page to start on, for example 2. |
| `topic` | string | yes | `"artificial intelligence"` | Topic to search, for example student loans. |
| `status` | string | no | `"passed_house"` | Legislative stage to match, for example passed_house. |
| `chamber` | string | no | `"house"` | Chamber where the measure originated, for example house. |
| `congress` | integer | no | `2025` | Congress number or a year within it, for example 119 or 2025. Defaults to the current Congress. |
| `max_results` | integer | no | `5` | Maximum number of bills to return, for example 20. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "topic"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "page": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 1,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Search-results page to start on, for example 2.",
      "x-fous-developer": true,
      "examples": [
        2
      ]
    },
    "topic": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Topic to search, for example student loans.",
      "examples": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "student loans"
      ]
    },
    "status": {
      "enum": [
        "any",
        "introduced",
        "passed_house",
        "passed_senate",
        "passed_both",
        "became_law"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "any",
      "description": "Legislative stage to match, for example passed_house.",
      "examples": [
        "passed_house",
        "became_law",
        "passed_senate"
      ]
    },
    "chamber": {
      "enum": [
        "both",
        "house",
        "senate"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "both",
      "description": "Chamber where the measure originated, for example house.",
      "examples": [
        "house"
      ]
    },
    "congress": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "Congress number or a year within it, for example 119 or 2025. Defaults to the current Congress.",
      "examples": [
        2025
      ]
    },
    "max_results": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 20,
      "maximum": 100,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Maximum number of bills to return, for example 20.",
      "x-fous-developer": true,
      "examples": [
        5,
        3
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "topic": "artificial intelligence",
      "status": "passed_house",
      "chamber": "house",
      "congress": 2025,
      "max_results": 5
    },
    {
      "topic": "student loans"
    },
    {
      "topic": "student loans",
      "status": "became_law",
      "max_results": 5
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `bills` | array |  | Bills and resolutions in relevance order. |
| `bills[].link` | string | `"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5784"` |  |
| `bills[].title` | string or null | `"AI–WISE Act"` |  |
| `bills[].status` | string or null | `"Passed House"` |  |
| `bills[].sponsor` | string or null | `"Scholten, Hillary J. [Rep.-D-MI-3]"` |  |
| `bills[].bill_number` | string | `"H.R. 5784"` |  |
| `bills[].introduced_date` | string or null | `"2025-10-17"` |  |
| `bills[].latest_action_date` | string or null | `"2026-01-26"` |  |
| `bills[].latest_action_text` | string or null | `"Senate - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship."` |  |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "topic": "artificial intelligence",
  "status": "passed_house",
  "chamber": "house",
  "congress": 2025,
  "max_results": 5
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "bills": [
    {
      "link": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5784",
      "title": "AI–WISE Act",
      "status": "Passed House",
      "sponsor": "Scholten, Hillary J. [Rep.-D-MI-3]",
      "bill_number": "H.R. 5784",
      "introduced_date": "2025-10-17",
      "latest_action_date": "2026-01-26",
      "latest_action_text": "Senate - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship."
    },
    {
      "link": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5784",
      "title": "AI–WISE Act",
      "status": "Passed House",
      "sponsor": "Scholten, Hillary J. [Rep.-D-MI-3]",
      "bill_number": "H.R. 5784",
      "introduced_date": "2025-10-17",
      "latest_action_date": "2026-01-26",
      "latest_action_text": "Senate - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship."
    },
    {
      "link": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8881",
      "title": "SBA Artificial Intelligence Utilization Act of 2026",
      "status": "Passed House",
      "sponsor": "Finstad, Brad [Rep.-R-MN-1]",
      "bill_number": "H.R. 8881",
      "introduced_date": "2026-05-19",
      "latest_action_date": "2026-06-24",
      "latest_action_text": "Senate - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship."
    }
  ]
}
```

## Quick start

Call the API with a Fous API key (`FOUS_API_KEY`). To create one, turn on Developer mode in Fous Studio, then open Keys & connections → API keys (https://app.fous.com/keys).

```bash
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
: "${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example}"

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 120 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@congress-gov",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_bill",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "bill": "H.R. 4346",
    "congress": 117
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'
```

```python
# Save as fous.py and run with python3 fous.py. No packages needed.
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
import json
import os
import urllib.error
import urllib.request

api_key = os.environ.get("FOUS_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example")

body = json.loads("{\n  \"api\": \"@congress-gov\",\n  \"visibility\": \"public\",\n  \"operation\": \"get_bill\",\n  \"version\": 1,\n  \"input\": {\n    \"bill\": \"H.R. 4346\",\n    \"congress\": 117\n  },\n  \"response\": {\n    \"format\": \"json\"\n  }\n}")
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.fous.com/v1/query",
    data=json.dumps(body).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=120) as response:
        result = json.load(response)
except urllib.error.HTTPError as error:
    raise RuntimeError(f"HTTP {error.code}: {error.read().decode('utf-8', errors='replace')}") from error
if result.get("success") is False:
    raise RuntimeError(result.get("error", {}).get("message", "Request failed"))
print(json.dumps(result["data"]["output"], indent=2))
```

```typescript
// Save as fous.mts and run with npx tsx fous.mts.
// First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
const apiKey = process.env.FOUS_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example");

const response = await fetch("https://api.fous.com/v1/query", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "api": "@congress-gov",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_bill",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "bill": "H.R. 4346",
    "congress": 117
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}),
});
type ApiResult = { success: boolean; data?: { output: unknown }; error?: { message: string } };
const result: ApiResult = await response.json();
if (!response.ok || result.success === false) {
  throw new Error(result.error?.message ?? `HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
if (!result.data) throw new Error("Missing API response data");
console.log(result.data.output);
```

Or describe the data in plain language: send `{"api":"@congress-gov","prompt":"Describe the data you need, with every detail"}` to the same URL. Fous fills in the input, runs the method that fits and returns only the fields you asked for; `data.route.calls[].request` is the exact call it made. Routing is free; the run costs the same.

## Use cases

- Track legislation by topic, chamber, status, or Congress.
- Review a bill’s status and latest actions.
- Find bill sponsors, introduction dates, and related measures.
- Compare bill summaries, titles, and policy areas.

## FAQ

### Is Fous affiliated with Congress.gov?

No. Fous is not affiliated with Congress.gov. This workflow reads the public congress.gov website and returns its data.

### How much does it cost?

Each run costs 1 credit. With pay-as-you-go, a credit costs 1¢; monthly plans cost less per credit.

### Do I need a Congress.gov account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

### How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from congress.gov when you run it; repeating the same request within a day may return the saved result. Fous checks this workflow automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 29, 2026.

### What bills address a particular topic?

Search bills finds bills and resolutions by topic, with optional filters for Congress, legislative status, and chamber.

### What is the status of a specific bill?

Get bill returns the bill’s status and actions, along with its latest text link.

### Who sponsored a bill, and what does it do?

Get bill returns sponsor details and the official summary when available.

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- [All Government workflows](https://fous.com/workflows/category/government)