Congress (US 2)

Question 1

Number of representatives

Answer 1

435

Question 2

Number of senators

Answer 2

100

Question 3

Length of representative term

Answer 3

2 years (midterms occur every 2 years to re-elect them)

Question 4

senator term length

Answer 4

6 years (1/3 are re-elected every 2 years during midterms)

Question 5

Key legislative powers of congress (4):

Answer 5

-passing laws
-approving the budget
-declaring war
-regulating interstate/ foreign commerce

Question 6

Which chamber has the power to initiate revenue bills

Answer 6

The lower chamber (house of reps)

Question 7

Senate role in treaty ratification

Answer 7

They can ratify a treaty with 2/3 supermajority

Question 8

Senate role in appointments

Answer 8

They confirm presidential appointments with a simple majority

Question 9

Impeachment process in each house

Answer 9

The house impeaches someone (brings fourth charges) and then the senate (if they approve the impeachment) hold a trail and vote for removal of the impeached

Question 10

What is congressional oversight

Answer 10

The process by which Congress monitors the actions of the executive branch

Question 11

What is a filibuster and which chamber uses it

Answer 11

The delaying of legislation by prolonging debate, used in the senate only

Question 12

What is a cloture motion

Answer 12

A motion to end a filibuster, needs support from 60 senators

Question 13

What is a standing committee

Answer 13

A permanent committee in congress that handles specific areas of policy

Question 14

What is a conference committee

Answer 14

An ad hoc committee of both representatives and senators which aims to resolve conflict between each houses version of the same bill (after the bill has passed its third reading in each house)

Question 15

What is pork-barrelling legislation

Answer 15

When a representative utilises government funds aimed at a local project specifically designed to please voters and win votes by bringing money to a district

Question 16

What is gerrymandering

Answer 16

The drawing of district boundaries in a way which will put one party at a disadvantage (as the boundaries are set by the governing party, it will be the party trying to win government off of them that will suffer)

Question 17

What is an incumbency advantage

Answer 17

The idea that a congressperson who is already in office has a better chance of being elected than a candidate who is not in congress. This is due to status, funding and networking

Question 18

What are the exclusive powers of the senate (4)

Answer 18

-Try an impeachment (supermajority required to remove someone from office)
-elect the vice president if no candidate has over 50% electoral college votes
-ratify treaties
-confirm executive appointments

Question 19

Examples of senate treaty ratification (2);

Answer 19

-Obama received ratification for his 2010 START treaty (deal to scale back nuclear arsenals with Russia)

-the last senate rejection was in 2012 on a treaty concerning disabled rights

Treaty raftification powers have been eroded by presidential use of executive agreements

Question 20

Exclusive powers of the house (3):

Answer 20

-initiate impeachment
-elect the president if nobody gets a majority in the electoral college
-being consideration of money bills

Question 21

What are the concurrent powers (4):

Answer 21

-declare war
-amend the constitution
-represent through direct election (granted by 17th amendment)
-legislate (and thus overturn a presidential veto with 2/3rds vote)

Question 22

Why were the 2002 midterms and outlier

Answer 22

Usually, in the midterms, the party opposite to that of the presidents is elected to at least one chamber, but in 2002 it remained a unified government to better support the president through 9/11

Question 23

What is the average re-election rate for an incumbent and why are they so likely to do so

Answer 23

-it’s usually over 80%
-one tactic is to sponsor bills. That would usually adhere to the philosophies of their rivals (in 2020, half of the democrats who were re-elected increased their rate of sponsorship on progressive bills by 59%)

Question 24

Examples of pork-barrelling (2):

Answer 24

-$223 million in funds was secured by Alaskan senator ted stevens for the ‘bridge to nowhere” which would serve around 50 people

-John Murtha raised $2 billion in funds for his Pennsylvanian district. The John Murtha airport alone took $200 million in subsidies

Question 25

What do donations from outside spenders during the 2022 midterms tell us about Congress

Answer 25

The fact that outside spenders alone donated $2.1 billion (the most ever) shows that congresspersons may be lacking in effective representation of their constituents because these wealthy people and corporations will have disproportionate influence over their policies and actions in government

Question 26

What does the 2019 poll in which 63% of people said at least one of their candidates represents majority of their political views tell us

Answer 26

A majority of voters feel represented in congressional elections, supporting the idea that congress can effectively represent the people by aligning with the wishes of the masses. However this is only one poll and 63% is a fairly narrow majority, so perhaps this is indicative of a lack of representation

Question 27

What does the. 2019 government shutdown tell us about Congress

Answer 27

The 35 day (longest ever) shutdown following disagreements with Trump on appropriations shows that Congress are both unable to legislate effectively due to lack of presidential approval and cannot effectively control the executive branch, as Trumps own selfish desire to build the will infringed upon the funding over other federal projects

Question 28

What does the 2022 $1.5 trillion government spending bill tell us about congress

Answer 28

Congress members were allowed to earmark funds for the first time in 10 years, meaning $9 billion worth of funds were distributed to different districts in the interest of pork barrelling, meaning representatives were effectively listening to the will of their constituents and actively injecting money into their areas to generate affluence and win the popular vote

Question 29

What does the redrawing of district lines in 2020 tell us about congress

Answer 29

In some districts, this redrawing would automatically award new seats to each party should people have voted the same as they did in the previous election (e.g. republicans in Florida would pick up 5 seats). This means the congress can more effectively represent voters and have a stronger mandate to legislate, as there will be fewer wasted votes and more people voting for the winning party should they be fit into a safe district

Question 30

What does the diversity of the 118th congress tell us

Answer 30

It was the most diverse ever, with 28% female and 25% ethnic minority members meaning more than ever, policies affecting these groups will gain recognition and have an increased likelihood of being passed, meaning representation of the people has increased over the years to better reflect the population (although it still doesn’t do this, it has progressed a long way in recent years)

Question 31

What does the 2022 bipartisan safer communities act tell us about congress

Answer 31

The bill was backed by 15 republicans along with the democrats, proving that congress can still effectively cross party lines and legislate on important issues that will holistically impact US citizens 9althought tbh it didnt cross lines that much)

Question 32

What does the time limit on congressional oversight investigative hearings tell us about Congress

Answer 32

Presently, committee members are only allowed a 5 minute time limit to ask questions during investigations, limiting the power of congressional oversight as it is difficult to substantiate and rgument and thus gain sufficient evidence in such a short time, so thorough and fully fleshed out conclusions cannot be made

Question 33

What does the amount of time spent in congress tell us

Answer 33

In recent years, members of Congress generally spend 3 days a week in Washington. This limits both their representative and legislative function, because their constituents will have their views spoken on less frequently. And thus feel less represented on a governmental level and fewer bills can pass if there are not enough people sitting in congress to debate, go into committees and vote

Question 34

What does the gap in descriptive representation in the 118th congress tell us

Answer 34

Although the most diverse ever, there are still gaps in representation. If you look at the senate individually, only 11% are ethnic minority compared to 40% of the population, meaning policies impacting minority groups will not be prioritised in the senate, which may lead to either conflict when it comes to comparing bills in a. Conference committee or just complete ignorance to issues that need to be legislated on

Question 35

What does the 2016 refusal of Merrick Garland tell us about congress

Answer 35

The refusal of obamas Supreme Court appointment by a republican senate shows that congressional oversight is being used to pursue political aims of frustrating the other party, rather than checking overreach of power. The weaponisation of oversight may become dangerous by letting the executive abuse their power in times of unified government

Question 36

What do continuing appropriations bills tell us about Congress

Answer 36

They extend the deadline for agreement on an appropriations (money) bill, meaning congresspersons have time to consider the bill fully and amend any parts of t which they deem unnecessary, so that the final bill isn’t rushed and fully considers all aspects of debate (however delaying a money bill could be dangerous in limiting funds to important projects)

Question 37

What does the number of bills passed by the 118th Congress tell us

Answer 37

They have only passed 1% of bills, indicative of a legislative gridlock. Compared to the 90s, when success rate was over 10%, Congress are failing their legislative function, and if fewer bills are being passed then fewer important valence issues can be legislated on, so issues are left unresolved

Question 38

What does change in oversight investigation focus tell us about Congress

Answer 38

With the republicans winning the house in 2022, oversight shifted focus to try and impeach Biden for financially benefitting from his sons business deals, once again showing that oversight has been weaponised to pursue political aims and make the opposition look bad, rather than check executive action

Question 39

What does increased use of the filibuster tell us about Congress

Answer 39

In 2023-24, over 200 filibusters took place, compared to only 6 in 1969-70, meaning the legislative function is hindered as bills are increasingly being delayed and congressional time is wasted that could be used to debate more important bills

Question 40

What does the reelection of incumbents in 2024 tell us

Answer 40

In 2024, only 3/34 incumbents were not elected in the congressional elections, showing that incumbents have a higher re-election rate and thus continue to represent their constituents. This could hinder the legislative function by leading to policy stagnation, as no new ideas circulate in Congress