Congress (No source comparative) Flashcards
1
Q
E+A 3 ways that the power of the purse may be significant in US politics
A
- Encouraging compromise between the executive and the legislature over the budget, as both houses must agree the president’s budget.
Effective in checking the power of the executive, e.g. in April 2017, President Trump removed funding for a border wall for the US–Mexican border from his budget in order to prevent a government shutdown.
However, he declared a national emergency in February 2019 to secure funding for the wall,
so was able to find a way around this check, demonstrating the limitations of this power. - the significance of government shutdowns, including their impact on the nation and public opinion.
shutdowns are more likely during periods of divided government, but can still occur during periods of unified government as the separation of powers means that Congress can defy the will of the president even when both chambers are held by their party.
Two very short shutdowns in 2018, caused by
the filibustering of Republican Senator Rand Paul, even though the Republicans held both Houses of Congress and the presidency - The impact of the power of the purse on US national debt.
Presidents are unable to reduce the size of the federal budget as Congress generally resists attempts to make cuts.
the significance of this for effective government, particularly given that Congress often passes continuing resolutions, as it cannot agree on the overall budget.
2
Q
E+A 3 ways that the committee system may be significant within congress
A
- Standing committees hold hearings during the committee stage of bills, carry out investigations and oversight, and consider presidential appointments (Senate only). Effective, particularly as members develop expertise in these policy areas,
Political significance of the Senate standing
committees in considering controversial nominations, such as that of Brett Kavanaugh. - Select committees investigate the executive,
e.g. the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
Significance of committee findings may be lessened by partisanship and division within the committee, as occurred when the House Select Committee on Benghazi could not agree on its conclusions and members
published three separate and conflicting reports. - House Rules Committee in setting the ‘rules’ for bills in the House, and the significance of the Chair of the House Rules Committee.
The number of debates under closed rules has increased in recent years, which is
significant as it gives the House less opportunity to amend and modify bills, and increases the influence of the majority party over legislation.
3
Q
E+A 3 ways in which members of congress represent their constituents
A
- Members of Congress communicate with their constituents through visits, meetings, social media, letters and email.
Communication is essential for representation as it allows members of Congress to fully
understand their constituents’ views, although ultimately they will decide which views to represent, as many are contradictory. - members of Congress join committees that are relevant to their state or district, e.g. from 2015 to 2020, the chair of the Senate Agricultural Committee was Senator Pat Roberts, senator for the agricultural state of Kansas.
This is a significant form of representation as it allows the member of Congress to win specific benefits for their state, e.g. Roberts steered the Agriculture Improvement Act 2018 through Congress, giving famers billions of dollars of funding and better access to crop insurance, which helped many farmers in Kansas. - Members of Congress lobby the government for funds or policies that benefit their constituents. Government allocates funding to states or districts to secure the support of key members of Congress, rather than because the spending is necessary, this is
known as ‘pork barrel funding’.
‘pork barrelling’ is a negative and controversial form of representation.
Despite attempts to restrict pork barrelling, it averaged $15 billion in 2018 and 2019.
