The Seventy-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 and the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1943 to January 3, 1945, during the last two years of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940

United States Census, 1940

The Sixteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 132,164,569, an increase of 7.3 percent over the 1930 population of 123,202,624 persons. The census date was April 1, 1940...

. Both chambers had a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 majority.

• World War II
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
   continued (1941–1945)
• June 6, 1944: Battle of Normandy
• November 7, 1944: General elections
  United States elections, 1944
  The 1944 United States general election was held on November 7, as the country was preoccupied with fighting World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected to an unprecedented fourth term, while the Democrats retained their majorities in both chambers of Congress.-President:Seeking a...
  
  :
  • President Roosevelt was re-elected
    United States presidential election, 1944
    The United States presidential election of 1944 took place while the United States was preoccupied with fighting World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had been in office longer than any other president, but remained popular. Unlike 1940, there was little doubt that Roosevelt would run for...
    
     to a fourth term.
  • Senate Democrats kept their majority despite 1-seat net loss.
  • House Democrats increased their majority with a 20-seat net gain.

• December 17, 1943: Magnuson Act
  Magnuson Act
  The Magnuson Act also known as the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943 was immigration legislation proposed by U.S. Representative Warren G. Magnuson of Washington and signed into law on December 17, 1943 in the United States...
  
   (Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943), Sess.