2. US Congress

Question 1

Who is currently the House Speaker? Who is the House minority leader? - Congress

Answer 1

The House Speaker at present is Nancy Pelosi (Democrat). Kevin McCarthy is the minority leader (Republican).

Question 2

Who is currently the Senate majority leader? Who is the minority leader? - Congress

Answer 2

The Senate majority leader is currently Chuck Schumer (Democrat). Mitch McConnell is the minority leader (Republican).

Question 3

How does Congress override a presidential veto? What example is there of this happening? - Congress

Answer 3

Congress may override a presidential veto with a 2/3 majority in both houses. 4 of Bush’s 12 vetoes were overridden, while 97% of the Senate voted to override a veto on a bill that would allow legal action by 9/11 victims’ families against the Saudi government under Obama.

Question 4

How can Congress confirm the position of a VP? What instances are there of this happening? - Congress

Answer 4

Congress may confirm the appointment of a VP who replaces their predecessor between elections through a majority in both houses. This happened when Spiro Agnew resigned and was replaced by Gerald Ford, later occurring again when Ford appointed Nelson Rockerfeller as VP when he became president.

Question 5

How can Congress conduct oversight? What instance is there of this happening? - Congress

Answer 5

Congress can investigate any subject within the scope of its legislative powers, vote on budgets for all aspects of the Executive and investigate the Executive with Congressional Committees. The House Intelligence Committee/House Oversight Committee/Senate Oversight Committee reviewed the potential of Trump colluding with Russia during his campaign in 2016

Question 6

How are both Houses involved in legislation? What is the role of the President in initiating legislation? What example is there of this? - Congress

Answer 6

In order to legislate, both houses must have a majority of members vote to approve a bill in order to secure its passage into law. The President must ask Congress to pass legislation rather than creating it themselves. This was seen in 2010, when Congress passed President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Question 7

Describe the role of the House with regards to impeachment. How many times has this power been used since 1789 and what notable instances are there of this? - Congress

Answer 7

The House may charge a President or any other significant office holder with an impeachable offence (treason, bribery or other ‘high crimes and misdemeanours’). This has been used 21 times since 1789, with notable examples being Trump (twice) and Clinton.

Question 8

Describe the role of the Senate with regards to treaties. When has this been used before? - Congress

Answer 8

The Senate has the sole power to pass any treaties with other foreign powers, requiring a 2/3 majority to do so. This has been used in December 2010, when the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was agreed with Russia and approved by the Senate.

Question 9

What caveat exists to the Senate’s power on approving treaties? When has this been used? - Congress

Answer 9

At times, treaties may be agreed by Executive agreements which do not go through the formal ratification process and is less formal than a treaty. This was used when President Obama agreed the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Question 10

Describe the role of the Senate in appointments made by the President. When has this recently been used under Trump? - Congress

Answer 10

The Senate must confirm all appointments to the Executive branch of government, judicial offices, government agencies and other significant offices through a SIMPLE MAJORITY. This was used in 2019, when conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett was appointed to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Question 11

What example is there of Republicans using the trustee model of representation? What example is there of Republicans using the delegate model of representation? - Congress

Answer 11

Trustee model: 3 Republican Senators prevented Trump from repealing Obama’s healthcare legislation due to the lack of a viable alternative.
Delegate model: some Republicans voted against the impeachment of Trump due to his popularity in their home states as they wished to retain their electorate’s support and act on their behalf.

Question 12

What % of House members were re-elected in 2020? What % of Senate members were re-elected in 2020? - Congress

Answer 12

95% of House members were re-elected in 2020, while 83% of Senators were re-elected in the same year.

Question 13

How much money was spent on pork barrel politics in 2019? What specific example is there of this taking place in Boston?

Answer 13

In 2019, $15.3bn was spent on pork barrel politics.
In Boston, the Big Dig Highway was initially budgeted for a cost of $3bn, eventually costing over $14bn as a result of congressional lobbying to gain the favour of constituents.

Question 14

Where in the US did a majority of votes go to Democrats but more seats go to Republicans in 2020? Why? - Congress

Answer 14

In North Carolina, Democrats won a majority of votes but a minority of seats as their votes were concentrated in fewer congressional districts, meaning that they could not win as many seats in the state.

Question 15

What is a unity vote in Congress? What example is there of this (what bill, what issue, which parties supporting/opposing)? - Congress

Answer 15

A unity vote in Congress is where a majority of one party vote against the majority of the opposing party. This was seen with the 2016 Federal Information Systems Safeguard Act, which concerned the security of Federal Information Systems. 237 Republicans approved this while 179 Democrats rejected this.

Question 16

What examples are there of a moderate Republican voting with Democrats and conservative Democrats voting with Republicans? - Congress

Answer 16

Moderate Republican - Senator Susan Collins

Conservative Democrats - Congressman Jim Cooper

Question 17

What are Congressional Caucuses? What are 3 examples of this? - Congress

Answer 17

Congressional Caucuses are groups with a collection of elected members that can be from either party. Used to advance certain interests and represent particular identities. Examples include the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative Democrats, the House Freedom Caucus (extreme RW), Congressional Steel Caucus of individuals representing steel manufacturing areas.

Question 18

What instance was there of a long-serving Representative being ousted at a congressional primary recently? - Congress

Answer 18

In 2019, Joseph Crowley was ousted from his position after a congressional primary after 20 years of service, with Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez replacing him as a result.

Question 19

How does the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act represent elected individuals acting in favour of their constituents? - Congress

Answer 19

In 2017, 12 Republican House members voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act due to the fact that the areas they represent would have seen a tax increase through the legislation. Mainly represented areas in New York, New Jersey and California.

Question 20

What example is there of pressure groups attempting to influence congressional candidates in 2020? (Financial sector) - Congress

Answer 20

In 2020, the financial sector donated around $75m to candidates from both parties in an attempt to influence their decision making when casting votes.

Question 21

What % of bills introduced in a Congress are passed into law? How many bills are typically introduced in a single Congress? - Congress

Answer 21

Currently only 2-4% of bills are passed into law, with around 10,000-14,000 bills introduced in each single Congress.

Question 22

What percentage of Bills were passed in the 2011-12 Congress? How many laws did this account for? - Congress

Answer 22

In the 2011-12 Congress, only 1% of bills were passed, with this amounting to 205 laws.

Question 23

What is a discharge petition in the House and when may it be used? What example is there of this? - Congress

Answer 23

A discharge petition is a petition that must be signed by an absolute majority of representatives in order to be passed, with this ‘discharging’ a bill from suspension by the Rules Committee and bringing it to the floor of the House for debate. This was used in 2002 over the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.

Question 24

What % of 2017-19 bills were debated under closed rules? What is the significance of this? - Congress

Answer 24

From 2017-19, 56% of bills were debated under closed rules. This demonstrates the House Rules Committee taking more of a controlling stance on legislation, allowing minimal opportunity for amendments following the committee stage.

Question 25

What is a filibuster? What instances of these have there been? - Congress

Answer 25

A filibuster is a prolonged speech taking place IN THE SENATE during a legislative debate which may frustrate or prevent the passage of a bill by making it run out of allotted time. In 2010, Bernie Sanders conducted a filibuster in opposition to Obama’s attempted tax deal with Republicans, while Strom Thurmond conducted one to prevent the passage of civil rights legislation in 1957.

Question 26

How many cloture motions were initiated in the 2019-20 Congress? How many were successful? - Congress

Answer 26

328 cloture motions were initiated in the 2019-20 Congress, with 270 being successful.

Question 27

Why are conference committees becoming increasingly less common? How many were called from 2015-17? - Congress

Answer 27

Conference committees are becoming increasingly less common as members in one chamber are now encouraged to accept the legislation proposed by the other. This saw only 7 conference committees called from 2015-17.

Question 28

When was a conference committee last used on major legislation? - Congress

Answer 28

In 2017, a conference committee was required on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to resolve differences between the House and Senate.

Question 29

What is a pocket veto? What instance has there previously been of this mechanism’s use? - Congress

Answer 29

A pocket veto is where a President refuses to sign a bill into law within 10 working days of the end of a Congressional session, meaning that it does not automatically become law if not signed by the President. Clinton used this in 2000 to veto the Consumer Bankruptcy Overhaul Bill.

Question 30

How many bills have been subject to a regular veto since 1789? How many vetoes have been overridden? - Congress

Answer 30

More than 1500 regular vetoes have been used since 1789, with 112 of those overridden.

Question 31

How did party control impact the relationship between Congress and the Presidency from 2001-2006 and from 2007-2008 respectively? - Congress

Answer 31

2001-6: oversight considerably fell under united government by Bush as the Republicans controlled both houses. Only 37 oversight hearings were held from 2003-4.
2007-8: the Democrats regained control of Congress, leading to a major increase in oversight (especially over the Iraq War).

Question 32

How has bipartisanship been achieved in the era of party polarisation (3)? What does this suggest about the relationship between Congress and the Presidency? - Congress

Answer 32

The 2001 Patriot Act, 2012 Jobs Act and the 2020 CARES Act were both signed with considerable bipartisan support, indicating that, when required, Congress and the Presidency can work effectively to secure the signing of legislation.

Question 33

When have national events been significant in improving the relationship between the Presidency and Congress? - Congress

Answer 33

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic and the 9/11 response both saw significant crises which prompted a response that was supported by both major parties.
9/11: saw the 2001 Patriot Act passed
COVID: CARES Act passed

Question 34

How did Trump’s approval ratings impact the relationship between the Presidency and Congress? - Congress

Answer 34

Trump’s approval ratings never exceeded 49%, meaning that Congress felt able to consistently defy his wishes on tax reform, immigration and healthcare policy.

Question 35

How did Bush’s approval ratings impact the relationship between the Presidency and Congress? (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE) - Congress

Answer 35

Positive: Bush’s approval ratings were at record highs after 9/11, leading to his Patriot Act being passed with little obstruction.
Negative: Congress more inclined to oppose a President when approval ratings are low. Rejected social security reform when 65% of people opposed this.

Question 36

How does the policy area being overseen by the President impact the relationship between the Presidency and Congress? (Explain with examples) - Congress

Answer 36

Foreign policy: sees very limited obstruction by Congress as the Presidency controls this largely. Obama and Trump able to sign and withdraw from Iran Nuclear Deal with little congressional scrutiny.
Domestic: Congress can obstruct legislation easily such as on gun control, immigration and healthcare.

Question 37

Give 2 examples of standing committees conducting investigations - Congress

Answer 37

The House Armed Services Committee is investigating US strategy in Iraq and Syria. The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee is investigating US-China Relations.

Question 38

What example is there of the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approving a nomination? What example is there of a tight approval? - Congress

Answer 38

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was approved by an 18-0 vote in favour of her nomination by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Brett Kavanaugh faced an 11-10 vote in favour of his nomination.

Question 39

How did the Senate act as a check on Nixon prior to him leaving office? What was Nixon’s response to this? - Congress

Answer 39

Nixon was virtually guaranteed to be impeached by the Senate for his role in the Watergate Scandal, with him eventually resigning to avoid impeachment.

Question 40

How many presidential vetoes have been used since 1992? How many of these have been overridden? - Congress

Answer 40

70 presidential vetoes have been used since 1992, with 8 overridden.

Question 41

What was Bush’s approval rating at election? What was his approval rating in his 2nd term? What was his approval rating after 9/11? - Congress

Answer 41

Election - 62%
2nd Term - 37%
9/11 - 90%

Question 42

What instances are there of Presidents having failed to legislate with united government? Provide reasoning - Congress

Answer 42

Clinton - failed to reform healthcare due to his inability to convince conservative Democrats of his proposals.
Trump - failed to repeal Obamacare due to his failure to provide an alternative for moderate Republicans.

Question 43

How many of Johnson’s 87 ‘Great Society’ bills were passed under united government? - Congress

Answer 43

LBJ’s ‘Great Society’ agenda saw 84/87 bills passed by a united Congress.

Question 44

When has the power of the purse been used to limit the President’s foreign policy ambitions? - Congress

Answer 44

In 2007, a Democrat controlled Congress restricted funding for Bush’s war in Iraq.

Question 45

What evidence exists that theories of party decline were exaggerated and that parties are actually a significant force? - Congress

Answer 45

The Republican Party succeeded in quickly recovering from the Watergate Scandal, the Democratic Party has undergone a resurgence under a more moderate stance since Clinton. PARTIES STILL CONTROL CONGRESS AND ITS WORKINGS.

Question 46

What evidence is there of national campaigns supporting the idea of party renewal? - Congress

Answer 46

The 1994 Republican midterm campaign was dubbed the ‘Contract With America’, with this acting to overrule traditional state-based campaigns. Focussed on conservative policy.
The Democrats similarly led the ‘Six for 06’ national midterm campaign to create party cohesion. Led to them taking both houses of Congress.

Question 47

What was the ideological overlap between parties in Congress in 2019? - Congress

Answer 47

In 2019, only 2 Senators had any ideological overlap, with the Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Susan Collins having matching ideologies.

Question 48

What was the ideological overlap between parties in 2015? What was the ideological overlap in 1982? - Congress

Answer 48

In 2015, there was no ideological overlap between parties. In 1982, there was significant overlap, with the most conservative Democrat being more right-wing than the most liberal Republican.

Question 49

What evidence is there of the lack of incentives during the Trump presidency? (2) - Congress

Answer 49

House Speaker Paul Ryan struggled to get Republicans to support Trump’s budget in 2018.
Senate Majority Leader failed to get Republicans to support the repeal of Obamacare.

Question 50

What evidence is there of the increased legislative significance of Congress as the federal government has grown? - Congress

Answer 50

Congress has become increasingly important legislatively by passing vital legislation such as the Patriot Act to coordinate the 9/11 response, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2008 to recover after the financial crash, the 2020 CARES Act and the 1930s New Deal.

Question 51

What example is there of the House Judiciary Committee being involved in recent legislation on rights? - Congress

Answer 51

The House Judiciary Committee was recently involved in and crucial to the passage of the Emmett Till Anti Lynching Bill, which made lynching a hate crime.

Question 52

How many oversight hearing were held from 2003-4? - Congress

Answer 52

37 oversight hearings were held from 2003-4.