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Politics paper 3 > 2 US Congress > Flashcards

2 US Congress Flashcards

1
Q

How can the structure of Congress be described?

A

Congress is a bicameral legislature, with two equal legislative bodies

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2
Q

In which house are politicians awarded, proportional to their state size + example:

A

House is proportional to population eg Wyoming = 1 California = 53

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3
Q

How long is the term length in the House?

A

Two years

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4
Q

How long is the term length in the Senate?

A

6 years

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5
Q

Who is the current speaker of the House?

A

Nancy Pelosi

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6
Q

Who is president of the Senate?

A

Kamal Harris, VP

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7
Q

How often is the Senate election cycle?

A

Every 2 years but only one-third of Senators at a time

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8
Q

What are concurrent powers?

A

Powers given to both the House and Senate

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9
Q

What concurrent powers are given by the Constitution to Congress?

A
  • Legislate: Article 1, section 1 states all legislative powers shall be bested in Congress
  • Represent: Article 1 outlines the need for Congressional elections
  • Amend the constitution: Article 5 allows Congress to share role with states
  • Declare War: Article 1, section 8 gives Congress the right to initiate military action
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10
Q

Name some exclusive powers of the House:

A
  • Impeachment
  • Considers all money bills
  • Elect the president of no candidate has over 50% of ECV
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11
Q

Name some exclusive powers of the Senate

A
  • Try an impeachment case
  • Ratify treaties
  • Confirm executive appointments
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12
Q

How does the House impeach?

A

The House bring forward formal charges against a public official because there has been ‘Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanours’

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13
Q

When was the power to elect President, if not over 50% of ECV achieved, used?

A

Used in 1800 and 1824

Each state has one vote in the House

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14
Q

Why is the House in charge of money bills?

A

House was the only elected chamber at the time of the Founding Fathers

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15
Q

Why is the House overseeing money bills not significant?

A

All House decisions must be accepted by the Senate (and can be amended)

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16
Q

How does the Senate try an impeachment case?

A

If House impeaches a public official, a two-thirds vote in the Senate is required

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17
Q

How does the senate ratify treaties + example?

A

All treaties negotiated by president are subject to Senate confirmation, requiring a two-thirds vote
Eg Obama’s START treaty in 2010 was ratified by Senate – deal with Russia to scale back nuclear arsenals

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18
Q

What executive appointments are confirmed by Senate?

A

1200 senior appointments

Eg cabinet members, senior members of the EXOP, federal judges

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19
Q

What % vote is needed to confirm presidential appointments?

A

50% +

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20
Q

What are the three key functions of Congress?

A
  • Representation
  • Legislation
  • Oversight
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21
Q

What offers high levels of representation?

A

The frequency of elections every 2 years including mid-term elections

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22
Q

Representation: what is the trend for mid-term elections and the presidential party?

A

The president’s party loses seats in mid-term, losing a majority in either chamber or both
(With the exception of Clinton 1998 and Bush in 2002)

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23
Q

Representation: what is an ‘incumbent’ + stats?

A

The current holder of a political office, such as a politician in the House, Senate or Presidency
Representation: what was incumbency rates or 2016?
97% for the House and 90% for the Senate

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24
Q

Representation: what factors are responsible for high incumbency rates?

A
  • Safe seats and gerrymandering
  • Pork-barrel legislation – form of over-representation
  • Financial advantages – incumbents can attract more money than challengers
  • Use of office
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25
Q

Representation: why is incumbency a threat to democracy?

A

Does not provide effective representation

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26
Q

Representation: what factors affect voting behaviour in Congress?

A
  • Public-opinion/their constituency
  • Party/party leaders
  • Caucuses
  • Interest groups and professional lobbyists
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27
Q

Representation: how does public opinion affect Congressional voting behaviour?

A
  • Could be voted out if don’t listen to constituents due to threat of constant elections (perhaps more important in the House)
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28
Q

Representation: how do party/party leaders affect Congressional voting behaviour?

A
  • Politicians are pressured to vote according to majority party view
    Eg Not one Republican voted for Obamacare
29
Q

Representation: how does caucuses affected Congressional voting behaviour?

A
  • Refers to the factions within Congress eg Blue Dog Democrats
  • Groups often vote together on legislative issues
30
Q

Representation: how do interest groups and professional lobbyists influence Congressional voting behaviour?

A
  • Influence through donations that influence politicians to vote for policies that favour the group
  • Influence thought the threat of removal eg NRA
  • Revolving door
31
Q

Legislative function: what are the stages of the legislative process?

A
  1. Initiate
  2. Debate and amend
  3. Scheduling for main chamber
  4. Decision
32
Q

Legislative function: who can initiate a bill?

A

The president or Congress

33
Q

Legislative function: what bodies debate and amend bills?

A

Committees and subcommittees within each chamber

34
Q

Legislative function: what bodies schedule the bill for the main chamber?

A

House Rules Committee and the Senate Floor

35
Q

Legislative function: what happens in the ‘scheduling for main chamber’ process?

A

A decision is taken as to whether the bill should proceed to the full chamber

36
Q

Legislative function: what % of the votes must a bill receive to pass?

A

A bill must receive 50%+ in each chamber and both must agree to the same version

37
Q

Legislative function: where does a disputed bill between Senate and House go?

A

To a conference committee

38
Q

Legislative function: what is the final part of enacting a bill?

A

The President must sign the bill for it to become law or he can veto it

39
Q

Legislative function: what are the 4 key features of the legislative process?

A
  • Initiation
  • Compromise
  • Weak parties and party leaders
  • Obstacles to success
40
Q

Legislation: what are some obstacles to legislative success?

A
  • Each chamber may have different legislative priorities due to differing term lengths
  • Bills can get lost within committees and subcommittees
  • Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers
  • Constant grid locking
41
Q

Legislation: what are some differences between the House and the Senate?

A
  • House: bills go to a Rules Committee which decide length spent on a bill and what rules it will be under – headed by the Speaker of the House
  • Senate: doesn’t have a Rules Committee and allows unlimited time for debates
  • Senate: uses a process called unanimous consent where all Senators involved agree on a decision (not used in House)
  • Senate: uses the filibuster – a process in which a senator gives a prolonged speech on the floor to obstruct legislative progress of a bill
42
Q

Legislation: longest filibuster?

A

In 1957 when Senator Strom Thurmond spoke for 24 hours against the civil rights act

43
Q

Legislation: name some strengths of the legislative process

A
  • Checks and Balances
  • Quality legislation
  • Individuals and states rights protected
44
Q

Legislation: name some weaknesses of the legislative process

A
  • Low output of legislation
  • Gridlock
  • Poor-quality legislation – pork barelling can create wasteful legislation
45
Q

Legislation: how many bills introduced in the 114th Congress (2015-2017) and how many sent to Obama?

A

10,078 and only 329 (3% went) to president

46
Q

Legislation: example of failed bill

A

Obama’s DREAM act which aimed to allow illegal immigrants who arrived in the US under 18 to remain
Filibustered in Senate = Obama had to use executive orders

47
Q

Legislation: what factors can limit Congress’ ability to pass legislation

A
  • The PRESIDENT can veto legislation eg Obama veto Affordable Care Act Repeal 2016
  • The SUPREME COURT can overturn acts of Congress using judicial review
  • PARTISANSHIP has decrease compromise between parties
48
Q

Oversight: what is it?

A

The ability of once branch of government to supervise the work of another

49
Q

Oversight: what checks can Congress give on the executive, stated in the Constitution:

A
  • Vote against laws/amend laws supported by President
  • Determine funding for presidential projects
  • Propose legislation
  • Counter veto
  • Declare war
  • Senate ratification of appointments and treaties
  • Impeach members of the executive
50
Q

Oversight: how can Congressional committees check the executive?

A
  • Investigate and hold hearings for departments of the executive
  • The House Committee on Oversight and Reform has sole purpose of scrutinising the executive eg Investigation into Hilary Clinton’s private emails
  • Emergency committees can be created eg House Select Committee on Benghazi in 2014 after US ambassador to Libya was killed
51
Q

Oversight: how can Congress’ checks be limited?

A
  • Restricted by extent of presidential power ie imperial presidency – executive orders mean President can effectively create new policy without going through Congress eg Obama criticised for using EO on gun control and immigration
  • If President and Congress are of the same party
52
Q

Oversight: what factors can influence the relationship between Congress and the presidency?

A
  • Working on domestic or foreign policy
  • Popularity of president
  • Power of persuasion
  • Does the president hold a majority in both chambers
53
Q

Oversight: what 2 main ways can Congress limit the Supreme Court + 2 minor ways

A
  1. Congress can overturn a Supreme Court decision through amending the constitution Eg Congress lowered the voting age to 18 in the 26th amendment in 1971 which overturned a previous ruling
  2. The Senate ratifies presidential nominations
  3. Individual justices can be impeached and removed
  4. Congress can determine the total number of justices on the court
54
Q

How are party unity scores calculated?

A

Looking at the number of times a member of Congress votes with the majority in their own party

55
Q

What was the average unity in the 113th Congress (2013-2014)?

A

92% for the Democrats and 90% Republicans

56
Q

What has happened to the ‘political middle’?

A

It has declined with moderate conservatives and Blue Dog Democrats decreasing

57
Q

Give an example of a bill receiving bipartisan agreement:

A

In 2016 when the Republicans and Democrats overturned Obama’s veto on a bill that allows families of victims of 9/11 to sue Saudi Arabia (JASTA)
Senate voted 97-1 and House voted 348-77

58
Q

How has partisanship/gridlock impacted legislation + example?

A

Hugely reduced Congress’ ability to pass legislation

Eg 112th Congress (2011-2013) had one of lowest success rates with just 2.3% of bills passing

59
Q

Example of a bill that underwent gridlock:

A

Democrats and Republicans unable to agree on federal funding to tackle the Zika virus with Obama requesting $1.9 billion but Republicans who controlled Congress wanted to cut this

60
Q

When do Congress have a strong check on the President?

A

Under divided government – the president lacks control and policy initiatives can be blocked

61
Q

Give an example of a time when there was divided government:

A

Obama 2011-2016
When do Congress have a weak check on the President?
In times of unified government – Congress id driven by party loyalty and may fail oversight

62
Q

Give an example of a time when there was unified government:

A

Bush 2003-2008 – criticism Congress didn’t scrutinise President despite controversial issues like Iraq War, Patriot Act and creation of Guantanamo detention camp

63
Q

What changes in recent years have led to change in Congressional power?

A
  • Partisanship
  • Rise in importance of foreign and military policy = undermined Congressional power as international affairs increasingly controlled by President ie imperial presidency
64
Q

What are the two types of representation?

A

Trustee and delegate

65
Q

What are the two types of representation?

A

Trustee and delegate

66
Q

Describe the delegate model of representation:

A

A politician is elected by the people and must do all they can to listen to them to respond to their wishes

67
Q

Describe the trustee model of representation:

A

A politician is elected by the people but will use their own expertise to make judgements about the best interest of people

68
Q

Reasons Congress is representative:

A
  • Separate elections for Congress and President
  • Two elected chambers that provide complementary representation
  • Frequent elections and short House terms
69
Q

Reasons Congress is unrepresentative:

A
  • FPTP and gerrymandering
  • Social representation
  • Influence of PGs

Politics paper 3 (7 decks)

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