Congress Flashcards

Question

Voting trend: congressional elections

Answer 1

Poor, improve when coincide with presidential elections. In some mid terms it is less than 40% 2020-highest for last 120yrs. Circumstances e.g covid, BLM, partisanship Similar problems to UK Mid term blues-presidents party often does poorly. Can lead to gridlock

Answer 2

Becoming more significant-supposed to be solved via bipartisanship in constitution. Parties no longer working together Asymmetrical polarisation Oversight and legislative process operated by people who increase partisanship and less able to work together

Answer 3

Decline in competitive races, increase in safer seats due to partisanship Whoever wins Ohio has good chance of winning president election Coat tails effect-popular president can benefit their party, ride the crest of the waves Split ticket-vote for two dif parties e.g Biden president but state/district vote for rep. Partisanship and polarisation-becoming less sig, vote for 1 party

Answer 4

Congressional-groups within parties that meet to pursue common legislation objectives e.g House Demo Caucus is all demo house members. Senate demo caucus-all demo senators and 2 independents. Degree of co ordination to members of parties within house Ideological-pol factions with common ideological orientation e.g Blue Dog democrats Racial/ethnic-members sharing some race/ethnic group e.g congressional Hispanic caucus Interest group-members united as IG. e.g congressional wine caucus, can be from different parties

Answer 5

Folks back home. Concerned due to frequent elections, seeking re election Pork barrel politics-deliver the goods e.g trade support for resources. Senator Susan Collins Obamacare for funding for healthcare clinics in Maine Reps take positions on certain issues e.g Vermont hunting popular, sanders pro gun rights despite left leaning Please fat cat donors for campaign funds Weak party system Log rolling However high rates of incumbency-safer the seat, less likely you have to worry about votes

Answer 6

Members of executive branch. Seek to push legislative agenda through, get people onside (members in own party, sometimes across aisle)

Answer 7

Influence members e.g NRA with gun control. NAACP. International brotherhood of teamsters-haulage workers union e.g abortion, pro life groups PACs and super pacs can financially influence e.g citizens united v FEC

Answer 8

Lobbyists Personal beliefs Staff

Answer 9

Lots of pressure to consider when voting. Some are more important than others e.g constituents, party. Fluid-dif issues come along and make some factors more important e.g personal beliefs

Answer 10

Bill Committee Sub committee review and mark up Committee review, mark up and vote on a bill Debate and vote Other chambers consider bill Conference committee Both chambers vote on final bill President signs it into law

Answer 11

Intro-formality. No vote or debate Committee stage-conducted in standing committee, hearing and vote. Refs made to full chamber Timetabling- house rules comm which priorities bill acting as gatekeeper. Membership dom by maj party and chair works closely with speaker Floor debate and vote on passage

Answer 12

Intro-formality. No debate or no vote Comm stage-same as reps Timetabling-by unanimous consent agreement where senate leaders decide order to which bills will be debated Floor debate and vote on passage

Answer 13

Reps: agri, judiciary, homeland security, foreign affairs Senate: budget, energy and natural resources, banking, housing and urban affairs

Answer 14

If req to reconcile difs between House and Senate v of bill. Delegates from both houses Reconciled bill voted on in each house Declined in number in last 25 years but still used for big ticket leg e.g tax cuts and jobs act 2017

Answer 15

Sign, leave on desk or veto Poss pocket veto-bill awaiting president action when leg session ends. Bill lost, Congress cannot override. Clinton last president to do this

Answer 16

Avg no overrides per 2 year congressional session. 2001-12 3 Congressional override leg passed despite veto President officially veto leg Pocket veto can’t be overridden as session ended Override: Congress vote on bill again, 2/3 supermaj must be obtained in both chambers Many president had none, others has many e.g Johnson 15/20 override Check and balance-check on power of executive by leg Since 1789-veto used 1517 times. Congressional override 112. President success rate-93%, only need 34 supporters in senate

Answer 17

Judge whether people president is appointing is the right person Monitor law implementation, hold government to account Investigate abuse of power by people holding high office Examine agreements with other countries made by president Act as check on president's use of armed forces against other countries

Answer 18

Impeachment and removal Determine funding and agree budget Declare war Investigations-congressional committees Ratify treaties (Senate) Ratify federal justice and other appointments ( Senate)

Answer 19

Enumerated power- Treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours (vague) Any member of the House can start impeachment. House judiciary committee is a gatekeeper-majority must vote to make a rec to impeach to whole House (A1 S2) If successfully impeached, Senate holds the trial. Senators act as the jury, vote for/against removal (A2 S4). 2/3 Senate must vote to convict and therefore remove Since 1789, 62 impeachments initiated by House. 19 gone to trial, 8 resulted in convictions Not a criminal prosecution, just process to remove from office. Can face criminal charges upon leaving office

Answer 20

Clinton 1998 for lying under oath Trump has been impeached twice Nixon

Answer 21

Party line voting-no party wants to be the first to have a president removed Polarisation-less likely to get convicted Partisanship No president removed

Answer 22

HCJ-impeachment process Investigations Law making process Appear in large parts of oversight process Standing comm-oversees areas of government policy Investigate effectiveness of laws Involved in ratification process. Senate judiciary comm-appts of federal justice e.g SC-Barrat. Make rec to Senate. If senate is of dif party to presi then noms harder to go through e.g Obama, vote along party lines. Tie-VP casts deciding vote. Applies to cabinet members noms. SC appt for life-makes it most imp role

Answer 23

Power of purse-representatives agree to budget If budget not passed government runs out of money and forced to shutdown e.g 2018-19 (20d) was longest Continuing resolution-carry on with previously agreed budget while trying to resolve impasse

Answer 24

Congress declares war-last used WW2. Military action shifted to Presi->War Powers Act 1973 However not brought back under Congress remit, President able to deploy troops for up to 90 days without approval

Answer 25

Conducted by Congressional committees Senate Judiciary Committee (SC and judiciary noms) and House Judiciary Committee (links to impeachment process) Investigate US govt after the fact e.g alleged Russian interference in 2016 election investigated. House and Senate intelligence committees concluded that they did. Couldn't prove Trump knowingly engaged with Russians

Answer 26

Senate only START treaty 2011-nuclear arms reduction between US and Russia Senate agrees to treaty Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act 2015-did Senate ever agree to it? NAFTA 1994. Trump negotiated UMSCA-more controls at border over what goods could enter Ratify federal justices and other appointments (Senate only)

Answer 27

Taught law at Uni of Arkansas Attorney general for Arkansas 2 years Governor of Arkansas-beaten 1980, reelected 1982 1992-43% vote, 32 states+DC, 370 ECV 1996-379 ECV, 49.2% vote, 31 states+DC

Answer 28

Sig work on NAFTA Welfare reform Conservative fiscal policy ensuring budget surplus Attempted universal health coverage Introduced federal background checks and waiting period before people received guns Don't Ask Don't Tell-LGBT in military Defense of Marriage act Introduced websites for many areas of US government

Answer 29

1993-explosion at World Trade centre 1993-Navy attacks Baghdad 1993-NATA signed 1997-Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit 1998-House votes to impeach Clinton

Answer 30

Monica Lewinsky affair-obstruction of justice and perjury Allegations he lied and covered up details Reason for impeachment

Answer 31

Texas governor 2000-30 states, 47.9%, 271 ECV 2004-31 states, 50.7%, 286 ECV

Answer 32

Huge increase in federal spending and signed into law $1.35tn tax cut No child left behind Medicare Had policies that would intro wide-ranging domestic policies but derailed after 9/11

Answer 33

9/11 Iraq and Afghan wars 2008 financial crash Hurricane Katrina 2005

Answer 34

Criticised for slow response to Katrina and administration did not take full responsibility for disaster

Answer 35

Law professor at Chicago law school teaching constitution law 1996-elected to Illinois state senate, re elected 1998 and 2002 Elected to US senate for Illinois 2004-served for 4 years 2008-52.9%, 365 ECV, 28 states+DC 2012-51.1%, 332 ECV, 26 states+DC

Answer 36

Obamacare Closure of Guantanamo Bay Repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell Presided of de facto legalisation of gay marriage American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009-4750 trillion for US economy after financial crash. Huge amounts of federal money for infrastructure, education and tax breaks. Intervened to assist with General Motors and Chrysler when they faced bankruptcy DACA/DAPA

Answer 37

Financial crash Iraq and Afghan wars Won 2009 nobel peace prize Death of Osama bin Laden End of Iraq war 2011 Sandy Hook shooting 2013 federal govt shutdown

Answer 38

Qs about how the administration handled terrorist attack on US consulate Sept 11/12 2012 IRS scandal Keystone XL pipeline