Using Congress.gov Data Offsite
Congress.gov provides multiple methods for users to consume and use its data offsite. Read more about the available methods below.
Congress.gov API
Congress.gov provides a public application programming interface (API) for Congress and the public to view, retrieve, and re-use machine-readable data from collections available on Congress.gov. Click here to sign up for an API key.
Congress.gov also provides and maintains a GitHub repository for the API. That repository contains the following resources:
- User guides and documentation on available API endpoints
- Change log listing changes to the API, impacted endpoints, and the expected production release date
- Python and Java sample client code for users to build their code base upon
- The ability to create an issue in the repository for any feedback or issue reports on the API
Bill Status Bulk Data
Congress.gov Bill Status data is available from GPO’s bulk data repository and govinfo API.
Bill Status data includes all data from the existing Bill Summaries data set. Bill Status data references and compliments the Congressional Bills data set. Consult the Bill Status XML Bulk Data user guide for more in-depth information about Bill Status data.
Bill Status bulk data may be imported into spreadsheets and databases. You will find it easier to do if you have some experience working with XML data.
More information regarding Congressional bulk data from the House and Senate:
- Legislative Documents in XML at the United States House of Representatives
- XML Sources Available on Senate.gov
Availability of Bill Status data is a joint effort by the Government Publishing Office (GPO), the Library of Congress (LOC), the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Office of the Secretary of the Senate. The Technology Timeline on the Legislative Branch Innovation Hub highlights similar and complementary legislative branch agency efforts.
Download Your Search Results
Learn how to download your search results from Congress.gov for any search against a single collection.
Embed the Search Box on Your Website
Copy code to websites to allow users to perform Congress.gov searches on your website.
Place a Congress.gov search box like this on your website:
<p><form method=”get” target=”_top” role=”search” action=” https://congress.gov/search” ><div id=”search-wrapper” class=”search_wrapper”><div class=”search_formats”><select id=”search-format” name=”search-source”><optgroup label=”Search by Congress”><option value=”current-congress”>Current Congress</option><option value=”all-congresses”>All Congresses</option></optgroup><optgroup label=”Search by Source”><option value=”legislation”>Legislation</option><option value=”committee-materials”>Committee Materials</option><option value=”congrecord”>Congressional Record</option><option value=”members”>Members</option><option value=”nominations”>Nominations</option></optgroup></select><input id=”search” type=”text” class=”locsuggest” name=”q” placeholder=”Examples: hr5, sres9, "health care"” value=””><button class=”search_submit” id=”search-submit” type=”submit”>GO</button></div></div></form> </p>