Congress Flashcards
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a bicameral Congress?
+ : resist the dangers of faction
Have checks and balances within their house
HOR job and requirements
- meant to be closer and accountable to the people and their wishes
- brief 2 year term
- 25
-7 years a citizen of U.S. - a resident of the state you’re representing
HOR structure
More governed by rules; formally structured
- power is retained by leadership positions (Speaker of the House)
- 25 young | young = controlled
Senate job and requirements
- More politically stable; Insulated from the people and their temporary errors and delusions
-Passions like shay rebellion; can’t enhance their prejudices through law
-30 years old, 9 years a citizen, resident of state
-6 year terms, 1/3 every two years, unlimited terms
Bicameral Economic Policy
- collect taxes
-coin, borrow, and regulate value of money
-regulate interstate and foreign commerce (Commerce clause)
Senate structure
- informal; less rules
-power to individual members
5 main lawmaking Powers of Congress
Power of the Purse (setting fed budget
Power to raise revenue (collect taxes, set tariffs)
Power to coin money (national currency)
Power to declare war
Power to raise and maintain military
What policy does Congress have control over
- economic policy
-foreign policy
-national security
-N&P
-reconstruction
-outward checks and balances
House Economic Policy
All bills to raise revenue must GENERATE IN THE HOUSE
Senate economic policy
- propose budgetary amendments; in practice became coequal partner in setting national revenue policy
What are “ Bills to Raise Revenue”
- increase as well as decrease the revenue available to the federal government
- basically Bills to raise taxes
Bicameral Foreign Policy
- regulate trade with other nations
Foreign policy senate
- Majority confirm ambassadors
- ratify presidential proposed treaties 2/3 vote
impeachment powers
HOR - issue articles of impeachment
Senate - Confirms impeachment with majority vote, convicts impeachment with 2/3 vote
Congress’ budgeting powers
- refuse to fund presidential proposals
- congressional action
Redistricting can be tough because
It could make people’s votes count unequally
The process of how a bill becomes a law is tedious because
- framers of the constitution saw people’s passions trample on minority rights, didn’t want the same to appear in laws
both congress and the house of reps are divided into …
Committees, to make them WORK more efficiently
- better to make laws in a small group, not a large one
How does a committee actually work?
- any one can propose a bill, including a committee as a whole
- has to go to a committee before it goes through Congress houses, and reported out of it
-being apart of a committee helps individual senators or reps in politics/ make a name for themselves when re-election rolls around
Constituency
A body of voters in a given area who elect a rep or senator
Apportionment
Process of determining # of reps per state
Redistricting
States redraw the boundaries of electoral districts
- every 10 years, following U.S. census
Gerrymandering
Manipulating boundaries for the purpose of achieving a self-interested result
partisan gerrymandering
Redistricting to benefit specific interests of groups of voters from specific political parties
independent Commissions
Redistricting in which is not done to benefit a group/ any parties.
- done to achieve true competitiveness within elections
What do Interest groups do
Appeal to congress, and bureaucracy to shape laws
1. Shape policies by mobilizing voters or putting direct pressure on elected officials
2. Gather information they can present to elected officials
What is an interest group
A body or association which uses various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and/or policy
What is a PAC (Political action committees), and how do they differ from interest groups
- collects and distributes campaign funds and information, which is directly adds to elections
- Interest groups deal with the legislative process, though they can give money to PACS, or create their own PACS to send certain candidates through elections
Interest groups call upon what theory of democracy
Pluralist “strength in numbers”
- group of like minded citizens that want to effect the policy making process
Racial and ethic gerrymandering
- Redistricting which concentrates ethic voters in specific districts
- outlawed with Shaw v Reno
malapportionment
Population is distributed in uneven numbers between legislative districts
- unconstitutional under the 14 A equal protection
-re-affirmed in baker v Carr
incumbency
Members of government running for re-election
- greater # of incumbents in HOR
- usually win because of name recognition in committees , media coverage, donor network, etc…
What component of elections is very valuable (literally)
Money
- buys airtime, pollsters (poll information about constituents, and is used as a weapon to scare off potential donors
Speaker of the House
- Top HOR leadership position besides “vp”
-Chosen by election led by members
House Majority leader
- strategizes how to get votes
- coordinate policy activity
-not as much power as senate’s majority party leader
Majority whip
- sustains unity and discipline
-collects info about how individuals will vote
Senate Majority Leader
-most important thing to know = shape legislative agenda
- decide which bills will go first
Committee chairs are chosen by
Majority party leaders
Policymaking process overview
- a bill is passed, goes to a committee, possibly sometimes to a sub committee, then after it gets considered, enters the house or senate floor for debate, then it gets voted on, sent to the next house or sent to congressional conference, and then to the president.
How do differences in the house and senate impact the policymaking process
-The house and the senate debate operates on different rules and structure. For example, the senate operates on unlimited debate, meaning once a bill gets to the floor, it can be filibustered, and killed because of that
House Rules Committee
Determines
-when a bill is subject for debate and vote
- how long the debate will last
Committee of the Whole
- all members of House
- only needs 100 for quorum ; to make the meeting valid
-easily considers complex and controversial legislation before it hits the floor for a ROLL CALL VOTE
unanimous consent agreements
An agreement in the senate that sets how long a bill has before it needs to be voted on
Hold
A delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects a bill
Filibuster
A tactic to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation
Cloture
A procedure where 3/5 senators can vote (60), to end debate and proceed to action
What does the president propose for each federal fiscal year…
A budget; in which the congress must vote on and consider when making or amending the budget
Entitlement programs
A program that provides benefits tho those who lawfully qualify
- majority of fiscal year’s federal budget has already been allocated to entitlement programs
- Social Security and Medicare (both for old people)
Mandatory spending
- money that is “locked in” or allocated for
- entitlement programs : Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid
Discretionary spending
- the amount of money available after mandatory spending to use at Congress and the president’s discretion
- small slice of the pie
Discharge petition
A motion filed by member of congress to move a bill out of committee
- nearly never happens
Standing committees
Consider legislation
Oversight bureaucratic agencies
Often divided into subcommittees which specialize bills even further
Joint Committees
Contain house and senate
Help party leaders speed things along in the legislative process
Conference committee
-temp joint committee which resolves differences between house and senate version of bill
Special committee
- reviews or investigate national crisis or scandal
Congressional committees often do what to bills
- compare house and senate versions
- kill them because of refusal to report a bill to full chamber, neglect
A bill needs how may votes in the senate to pass *
51
A bill needs how many votes in the house to pass
Simple majority (51%)
Budget surplus
Federal gov takes more money that is spent
What is the government’s primary income
Taxes
Budget defecit
Gov Spends more than incomes
National debt
Total $ owned by fed gov
Trustee role
Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their personal knowledge and judgement
Delegate role
Idea that main duty of members of congress is to carry out constituent wishes
Politico role
Representation where congress balances their choices with the interests of constituents and parties
Gridlock
Slowdown in congress’ ability to make laws
Lame duck period
Period at end of presidential term where congress may block president initiatives or nominees
- example; Justice Scalia and Obama
Descriptive representation
Reps are similar demographically to those they represent
- LGBTQ, lower income Americans are not represented today
Substantive Representation
- doing what constituents want
How do enumerated powers and implied powers in the constitution allow congress to create public policy
Enumerated powers such as making laws and power of the purse allow congress to influence federal policy and policy expanded by the bureaucracy. implied powers through the necessary and proper clause
What authorizes Congress to pass a federal budget
Bills of revenue
What gives congress the ability to raise revenue
Collect taxes is a bicameral power
