Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 87th United States Congress convened on the 3rd of January 1961 and served until the 3rd of January 1963. This legislative session occurred during the final weeks of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency before John F. Kennedy took office.
The 87th United States Congress passed several significant acts including the Oil Pollution Act of 1961 on the 30th of August 1961, the Foreign Assistance Act on the 4th of September 1961, and the Peace Corps Act on the 22nd of September 1961. The Arms Control and Disarmament Act also received approval on the 26th of September 1961 to establish an agency for studying global disarmament options.
President Eisenhower severed diplomatic relations with Cuba on the 3rd of February 1962 following the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion which began on the 17th of April 1961. A full embargo against Cuba was announced on the 3rd of February 1962 and the Cuban Missile Crisis started on the 14th of October 1962 lasting until the 28th of October 1962.
The Freedom Riders began interstate bus rides on the 4th of May 1961 to test Supreme Court integration decisions while James Meredith registered as the first black student at the University of Mississippi on the 1st of October 1962. Federal courts gained authority over legislative districts after the Baker v. Carr ruling on the 26th of March 1962.
Alan Shepard became the first American in space aboard Mercury-Redstone 3 on the 5th of May 1961 and John Glenn orbited Earth successfully on the 20th of February 1962. President Kennedy announced his goal to put a man on the Moon before the decade ended on the 25th of May 1961 with Senate oversight provided by Robert S. Kerr.