2.2 The functions of Congress Flashcards
What are the functions of Congress?
Representation
The legislative function
Oversight
Explain congressional elections.
- Frequency means voters’ voices are heard every 2 years, offering high levels of representation
- Use FPTP voting system - members of both houses elected in single-member constituencies - whole states for the Senate and districts for the House
- Subject to primaries - will only occur within a party when more than one candidate wants to represent the party for that seat
Explain the importance of mid-term elections.
- Often effectively a referendum on the first 2 years of a presidential term
- Can have a major impact on presidential power - can make it harder for legislation to pass
There is a clear pattern: the president’s party loses seats in mid-terms, with voters often trying to curtail presidential power.
Presidential party has only ever gained seats in the House 3 times - FDR, 1934, Clinton, 1998, Bush, 2002.
How has the nature of mid-term elections changed hugely?
There has been a tendency for congressional candidates to develop their own individual policy platform - has been eroded by rise in nation-based agendas.
Explain the significance of incumbency in Congress.
The incumbent typically wins their seat again in the next. In 2016 incumbency re-election rates were 97% for the House and 90% for the Senate.
What are the main reasons for high incumbency re-election rates?
Use of office
Safe seats and gerrymandering
Pork-barrel legislation
Financial advantage
How does the use of office lead to a high incumbency rate?
Congresspeople and Senators can use their place in office to established popularity and attract major donors.
A proven tack record inspires trust among voters and donors.
How do safe seats and gerrymandering lead to high incumbency rates?
Winner-takes-all system in Congress allowed huge number of safe seats, where a candidate wins so convincingly, they are expected to keep the seat at the next election.
Gerrymandering - drawing electoral boundaries to favour a certain social group or party.
- Lets the dominant party draw district boundaries in their favour, at the expense of the opposition.
How does pork-barrel legislation lead to high incumbency rates?
Pork-barrel legislation - when Congress proposes an amendment to legislation that will bring benefits to a particular group.
‘Earmark’ legislation - amendment added by a politician to add expenditure to a bill that benefits their constituency.
2010 - Republican leaders placed moratorium on earmarks to restrict pork-barrel legislation - didn’t stop the practice.
2016 - Congress passed legislation to spend $475 million on navy ship that defence secretary didn’t want - supported by Representatives of districts with major shipbuilding companies.
How does a financial advantage lead to high incumbency rates?
Incumbents can attract more money than challenges, allowing them to run more successful campaigns.
Challengers can struggle to gain name recognition and often find themselves under attack through well-funded negative adverts.
Incumbents - for 417 candidates, the total raised (in millions) is $627.3 - $1.50 per candidate.
Challengers - for 631 - $135.3 - $0.21 per candidate.
Why can high incumbency rates be seen as a threat to US democracy?
Suggests an ineffective level of representation.
Some states tried to resolve this by creating term limits for their Congresspersons and Senators - struck down by Supreme Court
Term limits would end stagnation of politicians in Congress - but the major underlying causes, funding and gerrymandering, would remain along with concerns about the level of representation.
What are the factors affecting voting behaviour within Congress?
Public opinion/constituency
Party/party leaders
Caucuses
Interest groups and professional lobbyists
How does public opinion/constituency affect voting behaviour?
Representatives have to take into account public opinion - or run risk of being voted out.
Arguably more important in the House - elections take place every 2 years - compared to 6 in Senate.
Representatives could vote based on the interests of constituents rather than the party - e.g., in 2009, some Democrats switched position on ACA after meetings with constituents and rising opposition to the bill.
More accountable to public opinion rather than president.
How does party/party leaders affect voting behaviour within Congress?
Representatives pressured to vote according to the majority party view.
Sense of belonging in a party - desire to stop the opposing party.
Weekly caucus meetings - all members of a party gather
Party leaders have limited use of patronage power - use of committee chairmanships or memberships to sway politicians one way.
What is an example of members of Congress voting in line with their party rather than what their representatives necessarily think?
No Republicans voted for Obama’s stimulus budget in 2009, arguably due to partisanship rather than ideology.
However, local opinion led 11 southern Democrats to vote against the stimulus package.
How do caucuses affect voting behaviour within Congress?
Many factions with Congress - some based on ideology (such Blue Dog Democrats).
Others based on social characteristics, such as the black caucus - 40 members - dominated by Democrats but is officially non-partisan.
Others based on economic interests - not set along party lines - such as the Congressional Steel Caucus - 100 members
How do interest groups and professional lobbyists affect voting behaviour within Congress?
Groups can influence voting through means including donations, which may influence a Congressperson or Senator to vote for policies that favour a group.
Politicians can be strongly influenced by professional lobbyists and big businesses.
- Members of Congress, once they leave Capitol Hill, can command a much higher salary within such an organisation.
What are examples of interest groups that affect Congress voting behaviour?
AFL-CIO and AARP have large active memberships - members can mobilise to create the threat of removal of members from Congress.
After 2012 Newton shootings - NRA prevented Obama from passing gun legislation - despite clear majority support.
What are the 4 key features of the legislative process?
Initiation
Compromise
Weak parties and party leaders
Obstacles to success
Explain initiation in the legislative process.
Presidents can dominate the political agenda, but leaders in the House or Senate - and individual members of Congress - regularly initiate policy.
Congress may be more active in setting an agenda if the president’s party has recently lost control of Congress in a mid-term election or if bipartisan control exists.
Explain compromise in the legislative process.
Separation of powers - and checks and balances - including co-equal legislative power in both Houses - make compromise between parties or chambers necessary.
Successful legislation usually will result from huge concessions and additions to a bill.
Legislation doesn’t pass in a linear manner - a proposal may travel through both chambers at the same time, with the House and Senate then producing alternative versions of a law - they may then reconcile it.
This can be done through a conference committee - members of both chambers try to agree.
How do weak parties and party leaders contribute to the legislative process?
Due to separation of powers and federalism - parties tend to be weak - having many factions.
Party leaders - limited power over their party - ineffective patronage and whipping - many Congress members more interested in prioritising concerns of their own state or district over the national agenda.
Parties don’t act as a single unit = more difficult to pass legislation.
Partisanship = gridlock - president, House and Senate fail to agree and legislation can’t be passed
