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Politics Paper 3 > Congress > Flashcards

Congress Flashcards

1
Q

Congressional Caucuses

A

These are groups of legislators who share special interests and meet to pursue common legislative objectives.

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2
Q

Divided Government

A

When the House of representatives, Senate and presidency are not all controlled by one party.

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3
Q

Filibuster

A

When a senator given a prolonged speech on the floor of the Senate in order to obstruct the legislative process of a bill or confirmation of appointments to the executive or judiciary.

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4
Q

Gridlock

A

A situation in US politics where the president and Congress are equally powerful, constantly preventing each other from acting, resulting in difficulty passing legislation.

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5
Q

Incumbency

A

The current holder of a political office re House or Senate seat or presidency.

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6
Q

Mid-term elections

A

Congressional elections held mid-way through a President’s four-year term.

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7
Q

Oversight

A

The ability of one branch of government to supervise the work of another.

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8
Q

Partisanship

A

A situation in which Congressmen are incredibly loyal to their party, even when it means that the result is gridlock.

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9
Q

Unanimous Consent

A

A senator or congressman may request unanimous consent on the floor to set aside a specified rule of procedure so as to expedite proceedings.

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10
Q

What is one example of filibustering?

A

Strom Thurmond filibustered for 24 hours to try and prevent the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1957.

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11
Q

How many women were in the 118th Congress?

A

25 in Senate and 129 in House of Representatives

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12
Q

Standing Committees

A

They exist permanently and have areas of specialised interest - e.g. agriculture committee, arms services committee

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13
Q

House Rules Committee

A

Standing committee whose job is to prioritise the bills - when bills are reported it is up to the committee to decide among all bills submitted which ones will make floor and when.

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14
Q

Conference Committees

A

Exist to iron out differences in legislation - legislation must be the same in both houses.

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15
Q

Select Committees

A

Created to perform a special function, generally that cannot be carried out by permanent standing committees as it is too complex or would span across a number of committees

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16
Q

What does the Constitution say about Congress?

A

‘all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states, which shall consist of a senate and a house of representatives’

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17
Q

What are the powers of the House of Representatives?

A
  • Impeachment of president
  • Decide presidential elections if no candidate wins a majority of electoral college
  • Power of the purse
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18
Q

What are the powers of the Senate?

A
  • Hold impeachment trials
  • Ratify treaties
  • Confirm appointments to executive office
  • Choose vice president if electoral college is gridlocked
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19
Q

How many african americans were in the 118th Congress?

A

60 in the HoRs and 4 in the senate

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20
Q

How many Hispanic members were there in the 118th Congress?

A

55 in the HoRs and 6 in the senate

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21
Q

What powers do both the Senate and the House of Representatives have?

A
  • Creating legislation
  • Overriding presidential veto
  • Proposing constitutional amendments
  • Declaring war
  • Confirming a new vice president
  • Investigation
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22
Q

Who are the leaders of the House?

A
  • Speaker of the House
  • Majority + minority whip (counting votes and making members vote alongside party)
  • House of majority + minority leader
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23
Q

Who are the leader of the Senate?

A
  • Majority leader
  • Vice president sometimes presides over senate
  • Minority leader - spokesperson
  • President protempary - ceremonial role
24
Q

Use an example of the functional model to explain how Congress is representative:

A

Katie Porter - on lots of committees, active on social media, introduces bills, meets constituents, raises 2nd most amount of money.
California 47th district.

25
Q

What is an example of constituency representation?

A

Congressmen who represent steel constituents voting for Trump’s ideas to protect American steel, even if they were democrats.

26
Q

Compared to the 1970s how many representatives vote with their party?

A

around 70% in 1970s and now it is around 90%

27
Q

Why did Bush win his 2002 midterms?

A

Was after the 911 attacks and so people wanted to support their president in a time of emergency.

28
Q

How did Biden do in his 2022 midterms?

A

He lost the House but kept the Senate.

29
Q

What were the key concerns in the run-up to the 2022 midterms and how did it contribute to support for the parties?

A
  • Immigration (+ for republicans)
  • Crime (+ for republicans)
  • Dobbs vs Jackson (- for republicans)
30
Q

How did Trump do in his 2018 midterms?

A

Lost both the House and the Senate

31
Q

What were the key concerns in the run-up to the 2018 midterms and how did it contribute to support for the parties?

A
  • Healthcare failure (- for republicans)
  • Immigration (- for republicans)
  • Russian interference (- for republicans)
32
Q

How did Obama do in his 2014 midterms?

A

Lost both the House and the Senate

33
Q

What were the key concerns in the run-up to the 2014 midterms and how did it contribute to support for the parties?

A
  • Failed immigration reform (- for democrats)
  • Healthcare (+ for democrats)
  • Lost control of foreign policy (- for democrats)
34
Q

What is gerrymandering?

A

Manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency to favour one party.

35
Q

What is pork-barrel legislation?

A

Attempting to get something into legislation in the interest of your constituency by agreeing to vote for a bill as long as it includes something useful for your state or constituency.

36
Q

How does public opinion and constituencies affect voting in Congress?

A

Due to constant elections every 2 years, representatives feel more obliged to do what their constituents want to get voted in again.

37
Q

How do lobbyists and interest groups affect voting in Congress?

A

Lobbyists since 2008 spend minimum $3bn a year, so congressmen may be convinced to vote in favour of what the lobbyist wants.
NRA has contributed around $190,000 to 166 House Republicans - ensures they protect the 2nd amendment.

38
Q

What happens in the introduction stage of the legislative process?

A

In the House, the speaker receives the bill and places it into relevant committee(s).
In the Senate, the presiding officer receives the bill and places it into relevant committee(s).

39
Q

Why is the House Rules Committee important?

A

They decide when the bill is scheduled and under what rules it can be debated.

40
Q

What 3 options does a president have when they receive a bill?

A
  • Sign it
  • Leave it and if they do not sign it but Congress is still in session after 10 days the bill automatically becomes law
  • Veto the bill
41
Q

Strengths of the legislative process:

A
  • Checks and balances prevent tyranny
  • Ensures quality policy
  • Individual and states’ rights are protected
42
Q

Weaknesses of the legislative process:

A
  • Inefficiency/low output
  • High levels of partisanship
  • Poor-quality legislation
43
Q

On average how much legislation is passed in a good year?

A

3%

44
Q

What was the Affordable Care Act 2010?

A

Obamacare:
- requires that almost all americans to have health insurance with provisions for those on no/low income
- requires insurance companies to insure those with pre-existing conditions

45
Q

What was the failed DREAM Act?

A
  • aimed to allow all illegal immigrants who arrived in US before their 18th birthday to have the right to remain
46
Q

Example of effective oversight:

A

Trump was impeached twice after the Democrats took over the House

47
Q

When is oversight most effective?

A

Divided government

48
Q

What policy type is oversight more effective for?

A

Domestic policy

49
Q

Example of ineffective oversight in foreign policy

A

Even when senate protested about 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, Obama was able to enact it with little oversight

50
Q

How does presidential poll ratings affect oversight?

A

Congress able to exert more influence when a president’s poll ratings are low

51
Q

When is oversight most effective in terms of election cycle?

A

second half - president tends to lose at least one house after midterms

52
Q

How do national events effect oversight with examples?

A

In case of emergencies, Congress acts with deference and in short term it will look for direction from president.
In response to 911 the USA PATRIOT Act was passed easier and the president exerted more power in events of Hurricane Katrina and Russian invasion of Ukraine.

53
Q

How can Congress limit the Supreme Court?

A
  • Overturn a decision through a constitutional amendment
  • They ratify judicial nominations
  • Can remove justices through impeachment
  • Determine the size of the Supreme Court
54
Q

When did Congress overturn a Supreme Court decision?

A
  • 16th amendment over income tax
55
Q

When did Congress impeach a justice?

A
  • Samuel Chase 1824
  • Found not guilty
56
Q
A

Politics Paper 3 (2 decks)

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