3. Congress Flashcards
1
Q
What is the structure of Congress?
A
- bicameral (2 chambers)
- congressional elections are held every 2yrs
- senators serve 6yr terms while representatives serve 2yr terms
- one third of the Senate seats and all House of representatives seas are contested at each election.
- seats of HoR are allocated from population size of each state e.g. California 53 seats
- senate receives two seats per state
2
Q
What are the roles of congress?
A
- passing legislation
- representing the people
- overseeing the executive
- declaring war
3
Q
What are the powers of congress?
A
- legislative powers (both houses)
- overriding a presidential veto
- initiating amendments to the constitution
- ratifying treaties (senate only)
- declaring war
- congressional oversight
- confirming presidential appointments (senate only)
- impeachments and removal from office
4
Q
What is the function and the effectiveness of congress’ legislative powers?
A
- to initiate, debate, amend and pass legislation
- either chamber can block, senators can filibuster
- effectiveness:
+ only 2-3% bill become law (dropped from 6-7% in 1980s)
+ frequent filibusters allows members of the senate to kill off legislation
+ increased use of closed rules
5
Q
What is the function and the effectiveness of congress’ oversight?
A
- to oversee and investigate the activities of gov
- congressional committees can hold hearings and investigate gov actions
- congress can compel witness to provide information
- effectiveness:
+ oversight is weaker when one party holds both houses
+ investigations can be lengthy and time consuming with few concrete results
6
Q
What is the function and the effectiveness of congress’ power of the purse?
A
- ensures that the peoples representatives give their consent to taxation
- only congress can raise revenue
- approval needed from both houses
- effectiveness:
+ congress can extract key concessions from the president in return for passing the budget
+ if a compromise cannot be reaches with the executive, congress can refuse to pass the budget = gov shutdown (Trump had two; one in 2018 for 3 days and the second 2018-19 for 35 days costing $5B)
7
Q
What is the composition of Congress?
A
-2018:
+ Women (HoR:19% Sen:22%)
+ African Americans (HoR:11% Sen:3%)
+ average age: 62yrs
8
Q
What are the terms of office?
A
- 6yrs Senate
- 2yrs HoR
- senators are in post longer, so should become more experienced
- composition of HoR allows for reflection in public opinion every 2yrs
9
Q
What are the party alliances in Congress?
A
- all members of HoR are either Rep or Dem
- all but 2 members of the senate are Rep or Dems
_ 2 senators are independents e.g. Sanders
10
Q
What are the congressional caucuses?
A
- members of congress belong to congressional caucuses:
+ the interests are often ideological e.g. House Freedom Caucus represents conservative republicans
+ some congressional caucuses include members from both parties e.g. Bipartisan Heroin task force
+ smaller caucuses can act as an alternative influence to the party leadership e.g. House Freedom caucus opposed Trumps budget at the start of 2018
11
Q
What are the party leaderships within Congress?
A
- each party caucus elects a leader (known as majority leader if their party has the majority and vice versa)
- they act as floor leaders in both chambers, co-ordinating their parties for votes and debates
- Speaker is elected by all members of the House and is a member of majority party
12
Q
What is the party discipline within Congress?
A
- party discipline has traditionally been weak
- As congress has become more partisan, members have become more likely to vote in line with their party
- 2018 Trump controlled both houses but failed to persuade members of their own party to vote for the budget = 2 gov shutdowns
13
Q
What is the partisanship within congress?
A
- members of congress have become increasingly polarised over the past two decades
- this makes bipartisanship more difficult and gridlock more likely to occur
- party unity votes have increased significantly
14
Q
What is the committee system in Congress?
A
- a system of different types of committee used by Congress to divide up its workload
- includes:
+ standing committees
+ select committees
+ house rules committee
+ conference committees
15
Q
What is the standing committee?
A
- permanent, each fouces on specific area of policy e.g. foreign affairs
- parties are represented in the same proportions as in the senate or House
- they hold hearings, listen to and question witnesses and vote on bills should go to house or senate
- they also conder presidential appointments
-hearings are often high profile and attract media - long term members become experts
- allow congress to manage efficiently the wide rang of issues
