Congressional Record Explorer

Authentication

All API endpoints live under /api/v1/* and require a valid API key. API keys are generated from your account.

Account required. Sign in and create an API key from your Account page.

When using authenticated access, include your key in the Authorization header:

HTTP Header

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Authenticated API routes are under /api/v1/.

Base URL

All API requests should be made to:

Base URL

https://crec-website-be.onrender.com

All endpoints return JSON. Responses larger than 500 bytes are automatically gzip-compressed when the client sends Accept-Encoding: gzip.

Rate Limits

Current limits are endpoint-specific. Product API routes use key-based limits plus IP backstops.

Surface	Endpoint	Limit
`/api/v1`	`/search`	180/min per key (+ IP backstop)
`/api/v1`	`/statements`	300/min per key (+ IP backstop)
`/api/v1`	`/keys`	3/day per IP (verification request)

When a limit is exceeded, the API returns 429 Too Many Requests with an error object and message indicating when the window resets.

429 Response

{
  "error": {
    "type": "RateLimitError",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded for api key route /api/v1/search: 180 requests/60s. Resets in 24s.",
    "status": 429
  },
  "detail": "Rate limit exceeded for api key route /api/v1/search: 180 requests/60s. Resets in 24s."
}

Error Handling

The API uses standard HTTP status codes. Errors return a frozen contract with an error object and legacy detail string.

Status	Meaning	Typical Cause
`200`	OK	Request succeeded
`400`	Bad Request	Invalid query parameters (e.g. bad `mode` value)
`401`	Unauthorized	Missing or malformed `Authorization` header
`403`	Forbidden	Invalid API key
`429`	Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded
`500`	Internal Error	Unexpected server-side failure
`502`	Bad Gateway	Upstream service error (e.g. embedding generation failed)
`503`	Service Unavailable	Service not configured (e.g. semantic search unavailable)

Error Response Example

{
  "error": {
    "type": "AuthError",
    "message": "Invalid API key",
    "status": 403
  },
  "detail": "Invalid API key"
}

GET /api/v1/search

Unified search across all congressional statements. Supports keyword full-text search (powered by PostgreSQL tsvector + GIN indexes) and AI-powered semantic search (powered by OpenAI embeddings + pgvector). Combine with filters for chamber, member, state, congress number, and date range.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`q`	string	—	Search query. Max 500 characters. Required for semantic mode. Supports PostgreSQL websearch syntax in keyword mode (e.g. `"climate change" -carbon`).
`mode`	string	`keyword`	Search mode. `keyword` for full-text search, `semantic` for AI-powered vector similarity search.
`searchIn`	string	`both`	Search scope. `title` — search only statement titles. `statement` — search only statement text. `both` — search both fields. Keyword mode only.
`chamber`	string	—	Filter by chamber: `House`, `Senate`, or `Extensions of Remarks`.
`member`	string	—	Filter by a single member's name (e.g. `Nancy Pelosi`).
`members`	string	—	Filter by multiple members (comma-separated). E.g. `Nancy Pelosi,Chuck Schumer`.
`states`	string	—	Filter by state(s), comma-separated. E.g. `California,New York`.
`congress`	string	—	Filter by congress number (e.g. `119` for the 119th Congress).
`dateFrom`	string	—	Start date filter, inclusive. Format: `YYYY-MM-DD`.
`dateTo`	string	—	End date filter, inclusive. Format: `YYYY-MM-DD`.
`page`	integer	`1`	Page number (1-indexed). Keyword mode only — semantic mode returns a single page.
`pageSize`	integer	`50`	Results per page. Min 1, max 100.

Keyword Search Example

Find statements about "infrastructure" in the Senate during 2025:

cURL

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/search?\
mode=keyword&\
q=infrastructure&\
chamber=Senate&\
dateFrom=2025-01-01&\
dateTo=2025-12-31&\
pageSize=10"

Response

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "a1b2c3d4-...",
      "name": "Chuck Schumer",
      "chamber": "Senate",
      "date": "2025-03-15",
      "title": "INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT",
      "text": "Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the critical ...",
      "deliveryType": "spoken",
      "statementOrigin": "floor_speech",
      "wordCount": 1842,
      "politicalParty": "Democrat",
      "state": "New York",
      "pictureUrl": "https://...",
      "headerPages": "S2145-S2148",
      "contentPages": "S2145-S2147",
      "crecVolume": "171",
      "crecNumber": "47",
      "congressNumber": 119,
      "topicGroupId": "group-xyz",
      "seq": 1,
      "groupCount": 3,
      "audioUrl": "https://crec.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/...",
      "audioDurationMs": 482000,
      "videoClipUrl": "https://crec.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/...",
      "videoThumbnailUrl": "https://crec.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/...",
      "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/...",
      "videoStartTimestamp": 3845,
      "legislation": ["H.R. 3684"],
      "sourcePdfUrls": ["https://..."],
      "artifacts": []
    }
  ],
  "totalCount": 347,
  "page": 1,
  "pageSize": 10,
  "totalPages": 35
}

Semantic Search Example

Find statements conceptually similar to a natural-language question — even if the exact words don't appear:

cURL

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/search?\
mode=semantic&\
q=debate+about+regulating+artificial+intelligence&\
pageSize=5"

Semantic Response (additional fields)

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "e5f6g7h8-...",
      "name": "Maria Cantwell",
      "title": "AI OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY",
      "similarity": 0.8723,
      "matchedChunk": "...we must ensure that the development of artificial intelligence is guided by principles of transparency and accountability...",
      ...
    }
  ],
  "totalCount": 5,
  "page": 1,
  "pageSize": 5,
  "totalPages": 1
}

Semantic search uses OpenAI's text-embedding-3-large model to find conceptually similar statements. The similarity score ranges from 0 to 1 (higher is more relevant), and matchedChunk shows the most relevant passage from the full statement text.

Advanced Keyword Syntax

The q parameter in keyword mode supports PostgreSQL websearch syntax:

Syntax	Example	Meaning
`"..."`	`"climate change"`	Exact phrase match
`OR`	`climate OR environment`	Match either term
`-`	`infrastructure -bridges`	Exclude a term
space (AND)	`budget deficit`	Both terms must appear

GET /api/v1/statements

Retrieve congressional statements with optional filters. Returns an array of statement objects ordered by date (descending), then by topic group sequence. Ideal for browsing recent activity or fetching a specific day's proceedings.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`date`	string	—	Filter by date. Format: `YYYY-MM-DD`.
`chamber`	string	—	Filter by chamber: `House`, `Senate`, or `Extensions of Remarks`.
`congress_number`	integer	—	Filter by congress number (e.g. `119`).
`search`	string	—	Case-insensitive text filter on speaker name or statement text.
`topic_group_id`	string	—	Return only statements belonging to a specific topic group.
`limit`	integer	`200`	Max rows to return. Min 1, max 1000.

Example: Get a Single Day

cURL

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/statements?\
date=2025-03-15&\
limit=50"

Example: House Statements Only

cURL

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/statements?\
chamber=House&\
limit=100"

Response (Array)

[
  {
    "id": "a1b2c3d4-...",
    "name": "Nancy Pelosi",
    "chamber": "House",
    "date": "2025-03-15",
    "title": "HONORING THE LEGACY OF...",
    "text": "Mr. Speaker, I rise today...",
    "deliveryType": "spoken",
    "statementOrigin": "floor_speech",
    "wordCount": 523,
    "politicalParty": "Democrat",
    "state": "California",
    "district": "11",
    "website": "https://pelosi.house.gov",
    "pictureUrl": "https://...",
    "headerPages": "H1234-H1235",
    "contentPages": "H1234",
    "crecVolume": "171",
    "crecNumber": "47",
    "congressNumber": 119,
    "seq": 1,
    "groupCount": 1,
    "topicGroupId": "group-abc",
    "audioUrl": "https://crec.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/...",
    "audioDurationMs": 95000,
    "videoClipUrl": null,
    "videoThumbnailUrl": null,
    "videoUrl": null,
    "videoStartTimestamp": null,
    "legislation": null,
    "sourcePdfUrls": ["https://..."],
    "artifacts": ["Amendment text..."]
  },
  ...
]

GET /api/v1/dates

Returns every date for which congressional statements are available, sorted newest-first. Use this to discover which dates have data before making more targeted queries.

Parameters

This endpoint takes no parameters.

Example

cURL

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/dates"

Response (Array of Strings)

[
  "2026-02-07",
  "2026-02-06",
  "2026-02-05",
  "2026-02-04",
  "2026-02-03",
  "2025-12-20",
  "2025-12-19",
  ...
]

Tip: Combine this with the /api/v1/statements endpoint to iterate over all available dates and build a complete local mirror of the Congressional Record.

GET /api/v1/browse/{date}

Returns statements for a specific date, pre-organized into three categories (Written Remarks, House Spoken Remarks, Senate Spoken Remarks) and further grouped by topic title. This mirrors the structure of the official Congressional Record.

Path Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`date`	string	Required. Date in `YYYY-MM-DD` format.

Example

cURL

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/browse/2025-03-15"

Response (Nested Object)

{
  "Written Remarks": {
    "HONORING THE LEGACY OF JOHN DOE": [
      {
        "id": "...",
        "name": "Rep. Jane Smith",
        "chamber": "House",
        "title": "HONORING THE LEGACY OF JOHN DOE",
        "text": "Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor...",
        "date": "2025-03-15",
        "seq": 1,
        "groupCount": 1,
        ...
      }
    ],
    "RECOGNIZING NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK": [...]
  },
  "House Spoken Remarks": {
    "INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT ACT": [
      { "id": "...", "name": "Rep. Jim Brown", "seq": 1, ... },
      { "id": "...", "name": "Rep. Amy Lee", "seq": 2, ... }
    ]
  },
  "Senate Spoken Remarks": {
    "NOMINATION OF...": [...]
  }
}

Structure: The response is a three-level nested object. Top level = category name, second level = topic title (string key), third level = array of statement objects ordered by their sequence number within the topic.

Statement Object Schema

Every statement in the API shares this common structure. Some fields may be null when data is not available.

Field	Type	Description
`id`	string (UUID)	Unique statement identifier.
`name`	string	Speaker's full name (e.g. "Nancy Pelosi").
`chamber`	string	`House`, `Senate`, or `Extensions of Remarks`.
`date`	string	Date of the statement (`YYYY-MM-DD`).
`title`	string	Topic title from the Congressional Record.
`text`	string	Full statement text.
`deliveryType`	string	How the statement was delivered (e.g. `spoken`, `extension_of_remarks`).
`statementOrigin`	string	Origin context (e.g. `floor_speech`).
`wordCount`	integer	Number of words in the statement.
`politicalParty`	string	Speaker's party (e.g. `Democrat`, `Republican`).
`state`	string	Speaker's state (e.g. `California`).
`district`	string\|null	Speaker's congressional district (House only).
`website`	string\|null	Speaker's official website URL.
`pictureUrl`	string\|null	URL to the speaker's official portrait.
`headerPages`	string\|null	CREC header page range (e.g. `S2145-S2148`).
`contentPages`	string\|null	CREC content page range.
`crecVolume`	string\|null	Congressional Record volume number.
`crecNumber`	string\|null	Congressional Record issue number.
`congressNumber`	integer	Congress number (e.g. `119`).
`seq`	integer\|null	Sequence position within the topic group.
`groupCount`	integer\|null	Total statements in the topic group.
`topicGroupId`	string\|null	Identifier for the topic group. Use to fetch all related statements.
`audioUrl`	string\|null	Direct URL to the audio recording (MP3).
`audioDurationMs`	integer\|null	Audio duration in milliseconds.
`videoClipUrl`	string\|null	Direct URL to the extracted video clip.
`videoThumbnailUrl`	string\|null	Video clip thumbnail image URL.
`videoUrl`	string\|null	Full session video URL (e.g. YouTube).
`videoStartTimestamp`	integer\|null	Start timestamp (seconds) within the session video.
`legislation`	array\|null	Referenced legislation identifiers (e.g. `["H.R. 3684"]`).
`sourcePdfUrls`	array\|null	URLs to the original Congressional Record PDF pages.
`artifacts`	array	Array of artifact text strings associated with the statement.

Search-Only Fields

These fields appear only in /api/v1/search responses when using semantic mode:

Field	Type	Description
`similarity`	float	Cosine similarity score (0–1). Higher = more relevant. Only present in semantic mode.
`matchedChunk`	string	The text passage from the statement that was most similar to the query. Only present in semantic mode.

Example Responses

Representative JSON responses from each endpoint so you know what to expect.

GET /api/v1/dates

JSON Response

[
  "2025-03-15",
  "2025-03-14",
  "2025-03-13",
  "2025-03-12",
  "2025-03-11"
]

GET /api/v1/statements?date=2025-03-15&chamber=Senate&limit=2

JSON Response

[
  {
    "id": "f1e2d3c4-9876-5432-abcd-fedcba987654",
    "name": "Sen. Patricia Moore",
    "chamber": "Senate",
    "date": "2025-03-15",
    "title": "HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY ACT",
    "text": "Mr. President, I rise today to address the growing crisis...",
    "deliveryType": "spoken",
    "statementOrigin": "floor_speech",
    "wordCount": 891,
    "politicalParty": "Democrat",
    "state": "Virginia",
    "district": null,
    "congressNumber": 119,
    "seq": 1,
    "groupCount": 5,
    "topicGroupId": "a1b2c3d4-5678-9abc-def0-123456789abc",
    "audioUrl": "https://storage.example.com/audio/f1e2d3c4.mp3",
    "audioDurationMs": 245000,
    "videoClipUrl": "https://storage.example.com/video/f1e2d3c4.mp4",
    "videoThumbnailUrl": "https://storage.example.com/thumb/f1e2d3c4.jpg",
    "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example",
    "videoStartTimestamp": 3420,
    "legislation": ["S. 1025"],
    "sourcePdfUrls": ["https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2025-03-15/pdf/..."],
    "artifacts": []
  },
  {
    "id": "e2d3c4b5-8765-4321-bcde-edcba9876543",
    "name": "Sen. Robert Jackson",
    "chamber": "Senate",
    "date": "2025-03-15",
    "title": "HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY ACT",
    "text": "I thank the senior Senator from Virginia for her remarks...",
    "deliveryType": "spoken",
    "statementOrigin": "floor_speech",
    "wordCount": 612,
    "politicalParty": "Republican",
    "state": "Texas",
    "district": null,
    "congressNumber": 119,
    "seq": 2,
    "groupCount": 5,
    "topicGroupId": "a1b2c3d4-5678-9abc-def0-123456789abc",
    "audioUrl": "https://storage.example.com/audio/e2d3c4b5.mp3",
    "audioDurationMs": 182000,
    "videoClipUrl": null,
    "videoThumbnailUrl": null,
    "videoUrl": null,
    "videoStartTimestamp": null,
    "legislation": ["S. 1025"],
    "sourcePdfUrls": null,
    "artifacts": []
  }
]

GET /api/v1/browse/2025-03-15

JSON Response (truncated)

{
  "Extensions of Remarks": {
    "RECOGNIZING NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK": [
      { "id": "...", "name": "Rep. Amy Lee", "seq": 1, "chamber": "Extensions of Remarks", ... }
    ]
  },
  "House Spoken Remarks": {
    "PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1234": [
      { "id": "...", "name": "Rep. Maria Torres", "seq": 1, "chamber": "House", ... },
      { "id": "...", "name": "Rep. James Chen", "seq": 2, "chamber": "House", ... }
    ],
    "INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT ACT": [
      { "id": "...", "name": "Rep. Jim Brown", "seq": 1, "chamber": "House", ... }
    ]
  },
  "Senate Spoken Remarks": {
    "HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY ACT": [
      { "id": "...", "name": "Sen. Patricia Moore", "seq": 1, "chamber": "Senate", ... },
      { "id": "...", "name": "Sen. Robert Jackson", "seq": 2, "chamber": "Senate", ... }
    ]
  }
}

GET /api/v1/search?mode=keyword&q=tariff&chamber=House&pageSize=2

JSON Response (keyword)

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "c4d5e6f7-1234-5678-abcd-123456789abc",
      "name": "Rep. Kevin Walsh",
      "chamber": "House",
      "date": "2025-02-20",
      "title": "TRADE AND TARIFF REFORM ACT",
      "text": "The impact of these tariffs on American manufacturing cannot be overstated...",
      "wordCount": 612,
      "politicalParty": "Republican",
      "state": "Ohio",
      "topicGroupId": "d4e5f6a7-3456-7890-cdef-456789abcdef"
    }
  ],
  "totalCount": 84,
  "page": 1,
  "pageSize": 2,
  "totalPages": 42
}

GET /api/v1/search?mode=semantic&q=student+loan+forgiveness&pageSize=2

JSON Response (semantic)

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "d5e6f7a8-2345-6789-bcde-23456789abcd",
      "name": "Sen. Patricia Moore",
      "chamber": "Senate",
      "date": "2025-03-10",
      "title": "HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY ACT",
      "text": "The question before us is whether the federal government should...",
      "wordCount": 891,
      "politicalParty": "Democrat",
      "state": "Virginia",
      "similarity": 0.87,
      "matchedChunk": "The burden of student loan debt affects over 43 million Americans. Proponents argue that forgiveness stimulates economic growth and enables home ownership."
    },
    {
      "id": "e6f7a8b9-3456-789a-cdef-3456789abcde",
      "name": "Sen. Robert Jackson",
      "chamber": "Senate",
      "date": "2025-03-10",
      "title": "STUDENT LOAN REFORM",
      "text": "We must weigh the cost to taxpayers against the economic benefit...",
      "wordCount": 734,
      "politicalParty": "Republican",
      "state": "Texas",
      "similarity": 0.82,
      "matchedChunk": "We must weigh the cost to taxpayers against the economic benefit of freeing an entire generation from crushing debt that prevents them from starting families."
    }
  ],
  "totalCount": 42,
  "page": 1,
  "pageSize": 2,
  "totalPages": 21
}

Code Examples

Complete, ready-to-run examples in popular languages.

Keyword Search with Pagination

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE    = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# Paginated keyword search
def search_statements(query, page=1, page_size=50):
    resp = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/v1/search", headers=HEADERS, params={
        "mode": "keyword",
        "q": query,
        "page": page,
        "pageSize": page_size,
    })
    resp.raise_for_status()
    return resp.json()

# Fetch all pages for "climate change"
data = search_statements("climate change")
all_results = data["results"]

while data["page"] < data["totalPages"]:
    data = search_statements("climate change", page=data["page"] + 1)
    all_results.extend(data["results"])

print(f"Found {len(all_results)} total statements")

Semantic Search with Filters

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE    = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# Semantic search — find conceptually similar statements
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/v1/search", headers=HEADERS, params={
    "mode": "semantic",
    "q": "arguments for and against federal student loan forgiveness",
    "chamber": "Senate",
    "dateFrom": "2025-01-01",
    "pageSize": 10,
})
resp.raise_for_status()
results = resp.json()["results"]

for r in results:
    print(f"[{r['similarity']:.2f}] {r['name']} — {r['title']}")
    print(f"  Matched: {r['matchedChunk'][:120]}...")
    print()

Download Full Day's Record

Python

import requests, json

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE    = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# Get available dates
dates = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/v1/dates", headers=HEADERS).json()
print(f"Available: {len(dates)} dates, latest: {dates[0]}")

# Browse the most recent date
latest = dates[0]
record = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/v1/browse/{latest}", headers=HEADERS).json()

# Print summary
for category, topics in record.items():
    stmt_count = sum(len(stmts) for stmts in topics.values())
    print(f"\n{category}: {len(topics)} topics, {stmt_count} statements")
    for title, stmts in list(topics.items())[:3]:
        speakers = ", ".join(s["name"] for s in stmts if s.get("name"))
        print(f"  • {title} ({len(stmts)} statements) — {speakers}")

Get Statements by Date and Chamber

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE    = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# Fetch Senate statements for a specific date
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/v1/statements", headers=HEADERS, params={
    "date": "2025-03-15",
    "chamber": "Senate",
    "limit": 200,
})
resp.raise_for_status()
statements = resp.json()

print(f"{len(statements)} Senate statements on 2025-03-15")
for s in statements[:10]:
    print(f"  {s['name']} — {s['title'][:60]}")

Filter Search by State

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE    = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# Search for Texas representatives discussing border policy
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/v1/search", headers=HEADERS, params={
    "mode": "keyword",
    "q": "border security",
    "states": "Texas",
    "chamber": "House",
    "pageSize": 25,
})
resp.raise_for_status()
data = resp.json()

print(f"{data['totalCount']} results from Texas House members")
for r in data["results"]:
    print(f"  {r['date']} | {r['name']} ({r.get('district', 'N/A')})")
    print(f"    {r['title'][:80]}")

Compare Statements Across Chambers

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE    = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

query = "artificial intelligence"

for chamber in ["House", "Senate"]:
    resp = requests.get(f"{BASE}/api/v1/search", headers=HEADERS, params={
        "mode": "keyword",
        "q": query,
        "chamber": chamber,
        "dateFrom": "2025-01-01",
        "pageSize": 1,
    })
    resp.raise_for_status()
    data = resp.json()
    print(f"{chamber}: {data['totalCount']} statements about '{query}'")

Keyword Search with Fetch API

JavaScript (Node.js / Browser)

const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
const BASE = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com";

async function searchStatements(query, options = {}) {
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    mode: options.mode || "keyword",
    q: query,
    page: String(options.page || 1),
    pageSize: String(options.pageSize || 50),
  });

  if (options.chamber) params.set("chamber", options.chamber);
  if (options.dateFrom) params.set("dateFrom", options.dateFrom);
  if (options.dateTo) params.set("dateTo", options.dateTo);
  if (options.states) params.set("states", options.states);

  const res = await fetch(`${BASE}/api/v1/search?${params}`, {
    headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}` },
  });

  if (!res.ok) {
    const err = await res.json();
    throw new Error(`API error ${res.status}: ${err.detail}`);
  }

  return res.json();
}

// Usage
const data = await searchStatements("healthcare reform", {
  chamber: "Senate",
  dateFrom: "2025-06-01",
  pageSize: 20,
});

console.log(`Found ${data.totalCount} results`);
data.results.forEach((s) => {
  console.log(`${s.date} | ${s.name} | ${s.title}`);
});

Browse All Dates and the Latest Record

JavaScript

const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
const BASE = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com";
const headers = { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}` };

// Fetch all dates, then browse the latest
const dates = await fetch(`${BASE}/api/v1/dates`, { headers }).then(r => r.json());
console.log(`${dates.length} dates available`);

const browse = await fetch(`${BASE}/api/v1/browse/${dates[0]}`, { headers })
  .then(r => r.json());

for (const [category, topics] of Object.entries(browse)) {
  const count = Object.values(topics).flat().length;
  console.log(`${category}: ${Object.keys(topics).length} topics (${count} statements)`);
}

Get Statements for a Date

JavaScript

const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
const BASE = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com";
const headers = { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}` };

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  date: "2025-03-15",
  chamber: "House",
  limit: "100",
});

const statements = await fetch(`${BASE}/api/v1/statements?${params}`, { headers })
  .then(r => r.json());

console.log(`${statements.length} House statements on 2025-03-15`);
statements.slice(0, 5).forEach(s => {
  console.log(`  ${s.name} — ${s.title}`);
});

Semantic Search with Date Range

JavaScript

const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
const BASE = "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com";
const headers = { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}` };

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  mode: "semantic",
  q: "impact of tariffs on American farmers",
  dateFrom: "2025-01-01",
  dateTo: "2025-06-30",
  pageSize: "10",
});

const data = await fetch(`${BASE}/api/v1/search?${params}`, { headers })
  .then(r => r.json());

data.results.forEach(r => {
  console.log(`[${r.similarity.toFixed(2)}] ${r.name} — ${r.title}`);
  console.log(`  ${r.matchedChunk.slice(0, 120)}...\n`);
});

Search and Analyze with R

R

library(httr2)
library(jsonlite)
library(dplyr)

api_key <- "YOUR_API_KEY"
base_url <- "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"

# Search for statements about immigration
resp <- request(base_url) |>
  req_url_path_append("api", "v1", "search") |>
  req_url_query(
    mode = "keyword",
    q = "immigration reform",
    pageSize = 100,
    chamber = "Senate"
  ) |>
  req_headers(Authorization = paste("Bearer", api_key)) |>
  req_perform()

data <- resp_body_json(resp)
statements <- bind_rows(data$results)

# Analyze by party
statements |>
  count(politicalParty, sort = TRUE) |>
  print()

# Analyze by state
statements |>
  filter(!is.na(state)) |>
  count(state, sort = TRUE) |>
  head(10) |>
  print()

Build a Time Series Dataset

R

library(httr2)
library(jsonlite)
library(dplyr)
library(lubridate)

api_key <- "YOUR_API_KEY"
base_url <- "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com"

# Get all available dates
dates_resp <- request(base_url) |>
  req_url_path_append("api", "v1", "dates") |>
  req_headers(Authorization = paste("Bearer", api_key)) |>
  req_perform()

dates <- resp_body_json(dates_resp)

# Fetch statements per day and count by chamber
daily_stats <- lapply(dates[1:30], function(d) {
  resp <- request(base_url) |>
    req_url_path_append("api", "v1", "statements") |>
    req_url_query(date = d, limit = 1000) |>
    req_headers(Authorization = paste("Bearer", api_key)) |>
    req_perform()

  stmts <- resp_body_json(resp)
  tibble(
    date = as.Date(d),
    total = length(stmts),
    house = sum(sapply(stmts, \(s) s$chamber == "House")),
    senate = sum(sapply(stmts, \(s) s$chamber == "Senate"))
  )
}) |> bind_rows()

print(daily_stats)

Quick Keyword Search

bash

# Keyword search for "tariff" in the House
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/search?\
mode=keyword&q=tariff&chamber=House&pageSize=5" | jq '.results[] | {name, date, title}'

Semantic Search

bash

# Semantic search — natural language query
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/search?\
mode=semantic&q=debate+about+TikTok+ban+and+national+security&\
pageSize=5" | jq '.results[] | {similarity, name, title, matchedChunk}'

List Dates and Browse

bash

# Get all available dates
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/dates" | jq '.[0:5]'

# Browse a specific date (grouped by category)
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/browse/2025-03-15" | jq 'keys'

Get Statements for a Date and Chamber

bash

# Fetch Senate statements for a specific date
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/statements?\
date=2025-03-15&chamber=Senate&limit=10" | jq '.[].name'

Filter by State

bash

# Search for statements by California representatives
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/search?\
mode=keyword&q=wildfire&states=California&pageSize=10" \
  | jq '.results[] | {name, date, state, title}'

Paginate Through All Results

bash

# Loop through all pages of results
PAGE=1
TOTAL_PAGES=1
while [ $PAGE -le $TOTAL_PAGES ]; do
  RESPONSE=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
    "https://crec-website-be.onrender.com/api/v1/search?\
mode=keyword&q=healthcare&page=$PAGE&pageSize=100")

  TOTAL_PAGES=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | jq '.totalPages')
  COUNT=$(echo "$RESPONSE" | jq '.results | length')
  echo "Page $PAGE/$TOTAL_PAGES: $COUNT results"
  PAGE=$((PAGE + 1))
done

Congressional Record API

Authentication

Base URL

Rate Limits

Error Handling

Query Parameters

Keyword Search Example

Semantic Search Example

Advanced Keyword Syntax

Query Parameters

Example: Get a Single Day

Example: House Statements Only

Parameters

Example

Path Parameters

Example

Statement Object Schema

Search-Only Fields

Example Responses

GET /api/v1/dates

GET /api/v1/statements?date=2025-03-15&chamber=Senate&limit=2

GET /api/v1/browse/2025-03-15

GET /api/v1/search?mode=keyword&q=tariff&chamber=House&pageSize=2

GET /api/v1/search?mode=semantic&q=student+loan+forgiveness&pageSize=2

Code Examples

Keyword Search with Pagination

Semantic Search with Filters

Download Full Day's Record

Get Statements by Date and Chamber

Filter Search by State

Compare Statements Across Chambers

Keyword Search with Fetch API

Browse All Dates and the Latest Record

Get Statements for a Date

Semantic Search with Date Range

Search and Analyze with R

Build a Time Series Dataset

Quick Keyword Search

Semantic Search

List Dates and Browse

Get Statements for a Date and Chamber

Filter by State

Paginate Through All Results