CongressMCP-full

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Get Members by District - Representatives who served a specific congressional district

get_members_by_district

Identify the member of Congress representing a specific district by providing a two-letter state code and district number, with an option to show only the current officeholder.

Instructions

Get the member representing a specific congressional district.

Args:
    ctx: Context for API requests
    state_code: Two-letter state code (e.g., 'CA', 'TX', 'NY')
    district: Congressional district number within the state
    current_member: Whether to only show current member (defaults to True)

Returns:
    Member(s) representing the specified district

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`district`	Yes
`state_code`	Yes
`current_member`	No

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when success is false: the section-9 error envelope
`items`	No	Results of other kinds (bills, reports, communications, nominations), as returned by Congress.gov
`context`	Yes	Context about the search or operation performed
`members`	No	Member results
`success`	Yes	Whether the operation was successful
`summary`	Yes	Human-readable summary of the results
`item_kind`	No	What `items` contains (bill, committee_report, communication, nomination, ...)
`operation`	Yes	The operation that was performed
`committees`	No	Committee results
`results_count`	Yes	Number of items returned (equals the populated list's length)

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed34 schema fields changedv2.2.0Aug 26, 2026

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / default
```
Added value: +null
```
removedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / chamber / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_code / description

Previous value: -"Official committee code"New value: +"Official committee system code (e.g. hsju00)"

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / description

Previous value: -"Type of committee (Standing, Select, etc.)"New value: +"Type of committee (Standing, Select, ...)"

removedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / committee_type / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / url / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / properties / url / description

Previous value: -"Congress.gov URL for committee details"New value: +"Congress.gov API URL for committee details"

changedOutput schema / $defs / CommitteeSummary / required

Previous value: -[
-  "committee_code",
-  "name",
-  "chamber",
-  "committee_type",
-  "url"
-]New value: +[
+  "committee_code",
+  "name"
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / ErrorInfo

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Section-9 error payload: stable code, human message, secret-safe\ndetail, actionable remediation. Mirrors the bill-text tools' envelope\n(documentation/fulltext/04-tools-responses.md section 9).",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "Stable machine-readable error code (lowercase)",
+      "title": "Code",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "detail": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "additionalProperties": true,
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "default": null,
+      "description": "Structured context; never carries secrets",
+      "title": "Detail"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "What went wrong",
+      "title": "Message",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "remediation": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ],
+      "default": null,
+      "description": "What the caller should do about it",
+      "title": "Remediation"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "title": "ErrorInfo",
+  "type": "object"
+}

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / description

Previous value: -"Summary information about a member of Congress."New value: +"Summary information about a member of Congress (list-level fields)."

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / description

Previous value: -"Chamber (House or Senate)"New value: +"Chamber of the member's most recent term"

removedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / chamber / type
```
Removed value: -"string"
```

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "type": "boolean"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / description

Previous value: -"Whether this person is currently serving"New value: +"Whether currently serving (None if unknown)"

removedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / current_member / type
```
Removed value: -"boolean"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / district / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / district / description

Previous value: -"District number (for House members)"New value: +"District number (House members)"

addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / party / default
```
Added value: +null
```
changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / party / description
```
Previous value: -"Political party (D, R, I)"New value: +"Political party"
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / state / default
```
Added value: +null
```
addedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / url / default
```
Added value: +null
```

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / properties / url / description

Previous value: -"Congress.gov URL for member details"New value: +"Congress.gov API URL for member details"

changedOutput schema / $defs / MemberSummary / required

Previous value: -[
-  "bioguide_id",
-  "name",
-  "party",
-  "state",
-  "district",
-  "chamber",
-  "current_member",
-  "url"
-]New value: +[
+  "bioguide_id",
+  "name"
+]

changedOutput schema / description

Previous value: -"Response from the members and committees tool."New value: +"Response from the members and committees tools.\n\nSome operations return items that are neither members nor committees\n(a member's sponsored bills, a committee's reports/communications/\nnominations); those arrive in `items` as the API's own dicts, labeled\nby `item_kind`."

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "$ref": "#/$defs/ErrorInfo"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Present when success is false: the section-9 error envelope"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / item_kind

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "What `items` contains (bill, committee_report, communication, nomination, ...)",
+  "title": "Item Kind"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / items

Added value: +{
+  "default": [],
+  "description": "Results of other kinds (bills, reports, communications, nominations), as returned by Congress.gov",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": true,
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "title": "Items",
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / results_count / description

Previous value: -"Number of results returned"New value: +"Number of items returned (equals the populated list's length)"

First observedv2.0.0Apr 3, 2026

TDQS

A3.5/5.0

Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations, the description is the only source of behavioral disclosure. It does disclose the default current-member behavior and that the result may be 'Member(s)', implying multiple historical results are possible. It does not cover edge cases, ordering, or the semantic difference between current and historical results beyond that parameter.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is compact and front-loaded with a clear one-line purpose. The Returns line is largely redundant with the first sentence and output schema, but the overall structure is efficient.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The tool is simple and has an output schema, so basic invocation is covered. The missing differentiation from get_members_by_congress_state_district and the ambiguity over historical 'served' members mean an agent may not know which tool to select for a specific Congress query.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters5/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 0%, but the Args section supplies the missing meaning: state_code format with examples, district scope, and current_member semantics. Every non-context parameter is explained well enough to construct a correct call.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with a specific verb and resource: getting the member for a state_code/district pair. It is not a tautology and the scope is concrete. However, it never differentiates itself from sibling get_members_by_congress_state_district or explains whether historical members are included, so it stops short of full distinction.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines2/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

There is no 'when to use' vs alternatives, and no mention of the sibling tool get_members_by_congress_state_district for congress-specific queries. The only contextual signal is the current_member default, which says little about choosing this tool over get_members_by_state or get_members_by_congress. This is effectively no routing guidance.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.