The United States Congress was the bicameral legislative body of the United States federal government, which dictated the nation's laws.
Background[]
Congress was made up of two bodies, the Senate and the House of Representatives, which would meet in the U.S. Capitol Building. The Senate was made up of one hundred members, two sent from every state, while the House had proportional representation based on population. Senators and representatives were chosen through biannual direct election, with vacancies being filled by special elections.[14] The vice president served as president of the Senate, though they were only able to vote in the event of a tie.[3] Aside from making laws, Congress also held the powers to impeach presidents,[15] allocate funds and resources,[Non-game 1] and declare war on other countries.[2] It could also pass amendments to the Constitution, when two-thirds voted in favor in a joint session.[16]
The sitting of a Congress was for a two-year term. Each senator was elected at-large in their state for a six-year term, with terms staggered, so every two years approximately one-third of the Senate was up for election. Each state, regardless of population or size, had two senators, so there were 100 senators for the 50 states. Article One of the United States Constitution required that members of Congress be at least 25 years old (House) or at least 30 years old (Senate), have been a citizen of the United States for seven (House) or nine (Senate) years, and be an inhabitant of the state which they represented.[3]
Beyond their positions of power in government, congressmen enjoyed a number of other perks. These included checking out items from the Library of Congress, access to the Congressional gym and discount meals at the Capitol cafeteria.[9] Senators also enjoyed access to a Senatorial Lounge in the presidential metro.[17] The title also earned them great respect among higher society, with membership extended from the elite Boylston Club free of charge for members of the upper chamber.[18]
With tensions high and the ever-present threat of nuclear war, a continuity of government bunker was built beneath The Whitespring Resort in West Virginia to protect the President, their Cabinet and Congress.[19][20] Dubbed the Whitespring Congressional Bunker, work began around 2075.[21] However, early on in construction, the project was subverted by the Enclave. Rather than a shelter to protect members of government, it would be used purely to protect their own members, and as a command center to continue the war against China.[22] On the day of the Great War, those who had been promised safety beneath the Whitespring found themselves split up, interviewed, and vetted by armed guards. Those who were not on the pre-compiled list cleared to enter were executed.[23]
Mentions[]
Congress[]
- To recognize the historical significance of seven sites in Boston, Massachusetts, Congress created the Boston National Historical Park, which later became part of the U.S. National Park system.[24]
- In response to the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Gallipolis, Ohio in December 1967, Congress adopted the National Bridge Inspection standards in 1968.[25]
- A popular pre-War book that can be found across the American Southwest and around the capital was Lying, Congressional Style, a reference to the archetype of the lying politician.
- The Library of Congress was the official library of the legislative body.
- A presentation introducing the Vault 79 gold reserves project to members of Congress and the U.S. Armed Forces was prepared by the Vault-Tec Corporation.[26]
- The pre-War baseball team of Washington, D.C. was named the Capital Congressmen.[27]
- Some miscalculations with the Kovac-Muldoon Platform led to it burning through its fuel supply much faster than intended, leaving it only fifty years of use. Someone working in The Whitespring bunker hoped those five decades would be enough time for Congress to use it as needed after the apocalypse.[28]
- In late 2077, General Constantine Chase made a request to Congress asking for more resources to defend Alaska and the Alaskan Pipeline from Canadian freedom fighters, claiming that the US shouldn't let its guard down after successfully liberating Anchorage.[Non-game 1]
- O. Olivette, the first overseer of Vault 81, intended to put Vault-Tec to a Congressional hearing if she found that their experiment in Vault 81 violated ethical lines.[29]
Senate[]
- The Zetan ship Mothership Zeta captured a senator sometime before the Great War.[30]
- During a radio conversation with Elizabeth Taggerdy about forming a chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel in Appalachia, Roger Maxson blamed the Great War on America's leaders, naming its senators, generals and presidents as the ones to blame.[31] During a later radio conversation between the two, Maxson sarcastically asked Taggerdy if, instead of creating a new organization in the Brotherhood, he should instead declare himself president and appoint her as a senator.[32]
- Senators and representatives were known to frequently vacation on Mount Desert Island.[33]
- The Senate was supposed to have a luncheon with Chinese ambassador Xiu-Ling on October 31, 2077, though the War broke out before it could happen.[34]
- In the pre-War motion picture Roborilla Goes to Washington, the titanium behemoth becomes a senator, writing legislation that will end world hunger, solve the pollution crisis and balance the budget. When one Senator Colburn threatens to filibuster the bill, Roborilla eats him, allowing it to pass through to the president's desk.[35]
- On February 15, 2075, the Senate voted unanimously to convict the president for the crime of jaywalking.[15] However, this information is from the Sierra Depot GNN transcript, which is an unreliable source.[36]
House of Representatives[]
- The last pre-War Speaker of the House of Representatives was a member of the Enclave.[23] They were supposed to be alerted by the Cabinet nuclear alarm logs to head to the bunker, though they were removed for an unknown reason.[37]
- Senators and representatives were known to frequently vacation on Mount Desert Island.[33]
- On February 15, 2075, the House voted unanimously to impeach the president for the crime of jaywalking.[15] However, this information is from the Sierra Depot GNN transcript, which is an unreliable source.[36]
Members[]
- The Last Speaker of the House of Representatives[23]
- Former senator Sam Blackwell of the Appalachian Territories (resigned 2077)[7][8][9]
- Senator Burk[10]
- Senator Calvert[11]
- Two other unnamed Calvert family senators[38]
- Senator Clark[12]
- Senator Jon McDougall[13]
- Senator Jody Sorreset[4]
- Senator DeSoto (1968)[39]
- Unnamed dead senator in the Capitol Building Presidential sub level.[40]
- Unnamed senator, captured by Mothership Zeta[30]
Senator Todd Peterson[Non-canon 1]- Seven unnamed Calverts in the House of Representatives[38]
Appearances[]
The United States Congress, Senate, or House of Representatives are mentioned in Fallout 2, Fallout 3, its add-ons Operation: Anchorage, Mothership Zeta, and Broken Steel, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, its add-on Far Harbor, and Fallout 76. They would have also been mentioned in the cancelled Fallout 3 project Van Buren.
Behind the scenes[]
 | The following is based on Van Buren design documents and is not canon. |
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- Congress would have been mentioned in the cancelled Fallout 3 project Van Buren.
- In 1895, the United States Penitentiary Tibbets was created through an act of Congress.[Non-canon 2]
- Before the War, a senator by the name of Todd Peterson was looking to build a bomb shelter to keep him an his family safe. Though moderately affluent himself, he had nowhere near the funds necessary to complete the project. To solve this, he went to Poseidon Oil and the Enclave, who provided him what he needed. The bunker was constructed in southern Colorado, though it would stand empty when nuclear war did come a decade later. The Petersons were still in Washington, D.C. at the time, and despite desperate efforts to gather his family and reach the site, his plane would never arrive. The bunker would have remained lost if not for Ben Schilling, a soldier serving alongside Roger Maxson who also happened to be related to Senator Peterson. Ben would eventually reveal the existence of the bunker to Maxson, leading to it being established as a Brotherhood of Steel base.[Non-canon 3][Non-canon 4]
| End of information based on Van Buren design documents |
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Gallery[]
The Capitol Building, the meeting place of Congress
Library of Congress
Lying, Congressional Style
Silver Bridge sign, which mentions Congress
Congressional keycard
Blueprints for the Whitesprings Congressional Bunker
Senator Sam Blackwell
Dead senator in the Presidential Metro
References[]
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Non-game
Non-canon
- ↑ Maxson bunker design documents, page 3: "In the year 2067, Senator Todd Peterson decided to build a secret bunker to house himself and his family should war break out. Senator Peterson was a wealthy man in his own right, but lacked the funds necessary for such a project. Through secret dealings with Poseidon Oil and a covert branch of the government known as the Enclave, the final funding for the project was attained. A construction sight was chosen in southern Colorado and work began."
- ↑ Tibbets Prison design documents, page 7: "The USP Tibbets came into existence through an act of Congress in 1895."
- ↑ Maxson bunker design documents, page 2: "Maxson Bunker was a pre-war fallout shelter built by a senator for his family and himself. Unfortunately, the war caught him unawares and the bunker was never used. All but forgotten, the bunker location was passed down as a family secret from one generation to the next. Eventually a family member passed the secret on to Roger Maxson, who claimed it for the Brotherhood of Steel."
- ↑ Maxson bunker design documents, page 3: "In the year 2067, Senator Todd Peterson decided to build a secret bunker to house himself and his family should war break out. Senator Peterson was a wealthy man in his own right, but lacked the funds necessary for such a project. Through secret dealings with Poseidon Oil and a covert branch of the government known as the Enclave, the final funding for the project was attained. A construction sight was chosen in southern Colorado and work began. Ten years after the construction was completed, war did indeed break out. Senator Peterson was in Washington DC at the time and, much to his chagrin, was taken completely by surprise. The senator made a desperate attempt to gather his family and reach the bunker, but his small plane never arrived. The bunker might have remained lost were it not for a surviving member of the senator's family, Ben Schilling. In the year 2077, Captain Roger Maxson left the Mariposa military base and traveled to the secret Lost Hills bunker for the purpose of establishing a new military order. He brought with him a loyal group of followers consisting of both military personnel and scientists. Among these was Corporal Ben Shilling. It was at this time that Maxson established the Brotherhood of Steel. As the Brotherhood grew they began to look into the possibility of expanding their operations. It was then that Ben Schilling revealed the location of the Senator Peterson's bunker. The location was filed for future use."