Congress Flashcards
1
Q
What makes up congress
A
House of Representatives
Senate
2
Q
Make up of House of Representatives
A
Number of members for each state is proportional to their population
3
Q
Make up of Senate
A
2 members per state regardless of population
4
Q
Is house directly elected
A
Yes and always has been
5
Q
Is senate directly elected
A
Yes but only since 1914
6
Q
How often is the number of representatives for each state calculated
A
Every 10 years through the census.
Last census 2020
7
Q
How much of a state do senators and members of HoR represent
A
Senate - whole state
HoR - congressional district - subdivision of state unless state only has one member eg Alaska
8
Q
List composition of HoR
A
Lower house 435 members Represent a congressional district Serve 2 year terms Must be at least 25 years Must have been us citizen for at least 7 years Must reside in state they represent
9
Q
List composition of senate
A
Upper house 100 members Represent entire state Serve 6 year terms Must be at least 30 years old Must have been us citizen for at least 9 years Must be resident in state they represent
10
Q
How has representation of members of congress changed since 1980’s
A
1980’s nearly all white men
Now far more diverse
But all minorities massively underrepresented compared with population as a whole
11
Q
How many women in congress in 2017
A
104 women 83 House 21 Senate 15% of congress !!!!! 78 democrats 26 republicans Eg Elizabeth warren, democrat (senate) Susan Collins, republican (senate) Nancy Pelosi, democrat (HoR speaker) Liz Cheney, republican (HoR)
12
Q
African Americans in congress 2017
A
49 members African Americans 9% congress - 13.3% population 46 in house, 3 in senate Eg Tim Scott (R) Kamala Harris (D)
13
Q
Hispanics in Congress 2017
A
38 members 7% of congress - 17.8% population 34 in house 4 in senate Eg Ted Cruz (R) senator Jim Costa (D) HoR
14
Q
Asians in congress 2017
A
15 members of congress 3% congress - 5.6% population 12 house 3 senate Eg Tammy Duckworth (D) senate Judy Chu (D) HoR
15
Q
which parties dominate congress
A
Democrat and republican
Only 2 members of congress belong to neither party, Bernie Saunders and Angus King - both tend to vote with Dems
16
Q
How many members in each house
A
HoR 435
Senate 100
17
Q
How is membership of each house distributed among the 50 states
A
2 senators per state
HoR proportional to state population
18
Q
How many formal constitutional powers does congress have
A
10
19
Q
Which of congress’ powers are most frequently used
A
1) law making
2) overseeing the executive branch
3) confirming appointments
20
Q
What makes up the second tier of powers of congress
A
Overriding president’s veto
Ratifying treaties
21
Q
What are the final 5 powers of congress
A
Initiating constitutional amendments Impeaching public officials Confirming an appointed VP Declaring war Electing the president(House) and VP (Senate) if electoral college is deadlocked (not happened since 1824)
22
Q
What does impeachment mean
A
To make a formal accusation against someone
23
Q
What is involved in law making powers of congress
A
Both houses have equal power
All bills must pass through all stages in both houses
Neither house can override wishes of the other
Both houses must agree to proposed law in exactly the same form
All money bills must begin in House
24
Q
What are factors in overseeing the executive branch by congress
A
An implied power of the constitution
Oversight of executive departments - controls their budgets
Conducted in standing and select committees
25
What are major factors of confirming appointments power of congress
ONLY by senate
Covers presidents appointments to federal judiciary and executive
Most important ones are to Supreme Court (Brett Kavanaugh)
Simple majority required
Rarely rejected (although they tried hard with Kavanaugh
26
Factors relating to congress overriding the president’s veto
Requires 2/3 majority in BOTH houses
V difficult to achieve
Obama vetoed 12 bills and only one overridden (justice against sponsors of terrorism act)
27
Factors relating to congress ratifying treaties
ONLY by senate
Requires 2/3 majority
Rarely rejected
Senate did reject Treaty of Versailles in 1919
28
Why is Senate seen as being more powerful than the HoR
Exclusive power to confirm appointments
| Exclusive power to ratify treaties
29
Why is Senate seen to be more prestigious than HoR
Senators represent an entire state
Senators serve longer terms (6 yrs not 2)
Only 100 senators
Senators are more likely to chair a committee or sub committee
Senate seen as recruiting tool for President and VP (eg Obama, Biden, Pence)
House members often seek election to Senate but never other way around eg Tammy Duckworth (D)
30
Name senators who have run for president
```
Ted Cruz (R)
Marco Rubio (R)
Hilary Clinton (D)
Bernie Saunders (I)
```
31
Name some senators who served as VP
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Al Gore (D)
Joe Biden (D)
Mike Pence (R)
```
32
What are the two important exclusive powers of the senate
Confirming appointments
| Ratifying treaties
33
Give 3 ways that HoR and Senate are equal
```
Passing legislation
Conducting oversight of the executive
Initiating constitutional amendments
Fulfilling a representative function
Receiving equal salaries
```
34
How do you spell committee
Ha ha
35
Which Bill that Obama had vetoed was overridden by Congress
Justice against sponsors of terrorism bill in 2016
36
What are the 4 most important types of committee in congress
Standing committee
House rules committee
Conference committees
Select committees
37
What is a standing committee
A permanent policy specialist committee of congress playing key roles in both legislation and investigation
38
Key features of standing committees
Exist in both houses
Mostly divided into sub committees
Have around 18 members in senate and 30-40 in house
Party balance of each committee reflects the party balance of the respective chamber
39
What are 3 main functions of standing committees
Conducting the committee stage of bills
Conducting investigations
Beginning process of confirming appointments (senate only)
40
Give 2 examples of standing committees
House judiciary committee
| Senate foreign relations committee
41
What is meant by conducting the committee stage of bills
Committees
Scrutinise bills in their particular policy area
Hold hearings on the bill
Call witnesses to give evidence at their hearings
Have full power of amendment
42
What is meant by conducting investigations
Committees
Investigate issues within their particular policy area
Investigate perceived problems, crises and policy failures
Oversee relevant executive departments and agencies
Call witnesses to appear at hearings
Can be high profile an influential
43
What is meant by beginning confirmation process
Senate only
Committees
hold hearing on executive branch appointments
Vote on whether or not to recommend a dull senate to confirm a nominee
44
What does the senate judiciary committee do
Considers all presidential nominations to the federal judiciary
Eg Jeff sessions as Attorney General under Donald trump (vote was 11-9)
45
Features of house rules committee
Highly influential
Legislative gate keeper of the house
Responsible for prioritising bills coming from the committee state on to the floor of the house for their debate and votes
13 members (9 majority 4 minority)
Gives a “rule” to a bill - setting out rules for debate and if amendments are permitted
46
Features of conference committees
```
Temporary
Made up of members from both chambers
Set up to reconcile differences between house and senate versions of a bill
Try to find compromise
Often produce final version of the bill
```
47
How do conference committees differ from joint committees as each made up of members from both chambers
Joint committees are mainly used for administrative purposes
48
Features of select committees
Also known as special or investigative committees
Mostly ad hoc (temporary)
Used when an investigation does not fall within the policy areas of one standing committee
49
Why are standing committees important
Regarded as policy specialists
Conduct the committee stage of bills - ie BEFORE debate in either chamber
Conduct high profile investigations
(Senate only) begin confirmation process of presidential nominations
50
Why are house rules committees important
Control passage of bills from committees to floor of the house
Decide terms of debate for each bill
Seen as gate keeper of the legislative process
51
Why are conference committees important
Come at end of the legislative process
Have life or death power over a bill
Often write final version of bill
52
Why are select committees important
Conduct high profile and often long running investigations
53
Name 3 types of congressional committee
Standing
House rules
Conference
Select
54
How many members typically make up a standing committee in each house
18 senate
| 30-40 house
55
How is the party balance of each standing committee decided
By party balance in each chamber
56
What functions do standing committees have
They conduct the committee stage of bills
They conduct investigations
They begin confirmation process of presidential nominations (senate only)
57
Give an example of a standing committee vote on president trumps cabinet nominees
Jim Mattis for secretary of defence (26-1)
| Jeff sessions for Attorney General (11-9)
58
What does the house rules committee do
It prioritises bills coming from the committee stage on to the floor of the house for their debate and votes by giving a “rule” to a bill setting out the rules of debate and whether or not further amendments are permitted
59
What is the function of a conference committee
To reconcile differences between house and senate versions of a bill
60
Why would a select committee be set up
When an investigation does not fall within the policy area of one standing committee
If an investigation is going to be v time consuming
61
What are the 6 stages of the legislative process in congress
```
Introduction
Committee
Timetabling
Floor debate and vote
Conference committee
Presidential action
```
62
What happens at the introduction stage
Formality
Between 10,000 and 14,000 bill introduced during typical congress
Only 2-4% become law
63
What is a filibuster
A device by which one or more senators can delay action on a bill by debating it at length
64
What is the presidential veto
The presidents power under article II of the constitution to return a bill to congress unsigned along with his reasons for the objection
65
What is a pocket veto
A veto power exercised by the president at the end of a legislative session whereby bills not signed are lost
66
What happens during the committee stage of the legislative process
Most imp stage
Conducted by relevant standing committee
Occurs before full chamber has debated the bill
Committee holds hearings on bills
Have full power of amendment
Committee writes a report and recommends future action
Most bills never get any further than this stage
67
What happens during the timetabling stage of the legislative process
This is done by house rules committee in house and by unanimous consent agreement in senate
68
What happens during the floor debate and vote stage of the legislative process
Full debate
Further amendments are possible
Votes are taken either voice of recorded
In senate a filibuster is possible
69
How can a filibuster be ended
By a successful cloture motion (60% of senators vote for motion)
70
In current senate which democrat is NOT in favour of getting rid of the filibuster
Joe Manchin (democrat but traditional)
71
What happens during the conference committee stage of the legislative process
It is used to reconcile the differences between the house and senate versions of the bill
This is often done behind the scenes by an ad hoc group
72
What happens during the presidential action stage of the legislative process
President has 4 options
Sign bill into law
Leave bill on his desk (it becomes law after 10 working days)
Presidential veto
Pocket veto (only useable at the end of the legislative session)
73
4 reasons congress is effective in fulfilling its legislative function
Process deliberately complicated to stop unpopular legislation
Around 300 new acts of congress signed into law each year which is a lot
Limited government is a founding principle of American government
Congress has passed some significant pieces of legislation in recent decades eg healthcare reform (affordable care act 2010), campaign finance, economic recovery (American recovery and reinvestment Act 2009)
74
What is meant by limited government
That the government should act only when it is essential
75
Give 4 reasons why congress is not effective at fulfilling its legislative function
Often the will of the majority can be frustrated by a well organised minority - need for super majority, filibuster, power of committee chairs
Small population states are over represented in the senate
Two yearly election cycle in the house mean members spend WAY too much time fundraising and campaigning rather than legislating
Spends lots of time debating and voting on bills of minor importance (eg commemorative stamps)
76
Why is the committee stage of the bill so important
Committees
have full power of amendment
Have life or death power over bills
Usually this is as far as a bill progresses (3-4%)
77
What is a filibuster
A device by which one or more senators can delay a bill by debating it at length
78
What options does the president have when a bill is sent to him
```
4 options
Sign
Veto
Pocket veto (end of legislative session only)
Leave on desk
```
79
How can congress override a presidential veto
Pass the bill again with a 2/3 majority in the house AND senate
80
What is meant by oversight
Congressional review and investigate of the activities of the executive branch of govt
81
How does congress carry out oversight function
Standing committee hearings
Subpoena of documents and testimony
The senates power to confirm appointments
The senates power to ratify treaties
82
Who usually conducts oversight work
Standing committees in both houses
83
What are the two models of representation in congress
Trustee model
| Delegate model
84
What is meant by representation
Either how legislators represent their constituents or who the legislators are and whether they are representative of their constituents (eg race/gender etc)
85
Who advocated for the trustee model
James madison
| Edmund Burke
86
What is the trustee model
The legislator makes decisions on behalf of their constituents
- ie they act as a trustee
The legislator decides based on their “mature judgement”
87
What is a criticism of the trustee model
It is elitist
88
What is the delegate model
The legislator acts in accordance with the views of a majority of their constituents
They do NOT exercise their own judgement
Linked with the principle of popular sovereignty
Views of people are paramount
89
Is the delegate model elitist
No it is seen as more populist and democratic
90
How do most members of congress see their representative role
As a blend of both models
| House members trend to delegate model as elections every 2 years so need to keep up with public opinion
91
How do members of congress engage with their constituents
```
Holding party meetings
Holding town halls
Conducting surgeries with constituents
Making visits around state/district
Appearing on local radio
Taking part in interviews on local tv or in press
Addressing local groups eg chambers of commerce/rotary clubs
Using email and social media
```
92
Give 3 reasons why congress is effective
Frequency of elections (especially in the house)
Constitutional requirement that members must reside in their state (and maybe in district if house member)
The number of ways constituents can now share their views with members of congress
93
Give 3 reasons why congress is not effective
Constituents views on many issues very divided
Many members of congress see themselves more as a trustee than a delegate
In todays era of hyper partisanship following the party line often trumps constituency representation as the main cue in voting
94
Explain the two different interpretations of the word representation
How legislators represent the views of their constituents
| How representative of society as a whole legislators are
95
Explain the difference between the trustee and delegate model of representation
Trustee - legislator makes decisions on behalf of their constituents ie acts as a trustee
Delegate - legislator decides in accordance with the views of a majority of their constituents
96
Give 4 ways in which congress members engage with their constituents
Social media
Email
Speaking at functions eg chambers of commerce/rotary clubs
Town halls
Holding party meetings
Conducting surgeries with individual constituents
Appearing on local media (radio/tv/press)
97
What are the 6 main factors that affect voting in congress
```
Constituents
Political party
The administration
Pressure groups
Colleagues and staff
personal beliefs
```
98
How do political parties influence voting in congress
Party unity within congressional parties has increased in last 20 years
However still few incentives to encourage party line voting
But those members who stray from party line may find themselves facing a primary challenger in next election cycle (eg Liz Cheney)
99
How does the administration affect voting in congress
```
The president, VP and senior members of the White House all lobby members of congress to support them on key votes (TWW)
Cabinet members (appointed by president) lobby in their respective areas
```
100
Success for the administration in affecting voting depends on what factors
The size of the presidents mandate
The presidents approval rating
Which term it is (first term more successful than second)
The president’s persuasive skills and relationship with his own party in congress
101
How do pressure groups affect voting in congress
Through direct contact with key members (eg at committee meetings)
By generating public support for the positions they favour
By organising rallies, demonstrations (BLM)
Through fundraising and campaigning
102
How do colleagues and staff influence voting in congress
They are the same state delegation (in the house)
Relevant committee members
Respected senior members
Senior members of staff (eg chief of staff)
103
How do personal beliefs influence voting
Always important
Especially on moral issues or matters affecting members personal philosophy
Key areas are abortion, gun control
104
Give three important factors that may determine the way members of congress vote
```
Constituents
Political party
Administration
President’s view
Pressure groups
Colleagues and friends
Personal beliefs
```
105
Give 3 examples of people within the administration who might lobby members of congress
President
Vice President
Members of White House staff
Cabinet members
106
Give 2 examples of groups who might lobby members of congress
```
Teachers Union
Environmental Groups
BLM
Greta thumberg
NRA
```
107
In what two ways do the two major political parties dominate congress
Almost all members are either democrats or republicans
| 2 major parties control all leadership positions
108
Name two consequences of the the two major parties having become more ideologically cohesive
Any two of
Era of hyper partisanship (brownstein)
Greater unity within the parties esp in house
More distinct conflicts between the parties
Big ticket items tend to pass on strictly party line votes
109
Give an example where a bill was passed despite receiving NO votes from the opposing party in either house
President Trump’s tax cuts in 2017
110
What does partisanship mean
A situation where members of one party regularly group together to oppose members of another party
Characterised by strong party discipline and little cooperation between parties
111
What does gridlock mean
Failure to get action on policy proposals and legislation in congress. Made worse by hyper partisanship
112
What has happened to the centrists in congress
Number has declined dramatically
113
Give 3 reasons why parties play an important role in congress
Leadership is run by parties
Committees are organised by parties
Party discipline is stronger with increased partisanship
Party is an important determinant of voting in congress
Almost impossible to be elected to congress without being a major party candidate
114
Give 3 reasons why parties do not play an important role in congress
Views of constituents often outweigh party considerations (esp in house)
Parties have no control over candidate selection
Both parties are made up of ideological factions that compete with party cohesion
The executive branch has few sticks or carrots to influence party discipline
Congressional leadership is fairly impotent in the face of opposition
