Effectiveness of Congress

Question 1

The power of investigation

Answer 1

• Congress can investigate any aspect of the executive branch and highlight problems that need correcting
• However, investigations end in recommendations so Congress really can only apply pressure.

Question 2

Ratifying justices (Senate only)

Answer 2

• As the Senate must approve nominees, they are usualy throughly vetted, meaning the Senate should not have to reject nominees often, although they can and still do
• The Senate is reactive in this power and can only act once the president has nominated someone; they cannot continually reject nominees otherwise they look partisan.

Question 3

Ratifying treaties (Senate only)

Answer 3

• The Senate has ratified (e.g START Treaty, 2010) and rejected treaties (e.g Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2012)
• The president can manoeuvre around this power by not using the phrase ‘treaty’, as Obama did with the Iran deal.

Question 4

Impeachment

Answer 4

• While impeachment is rarely used, it is an effective threat and Congress has shown it is willing to use this power.
• However, in all three full cases, the president was found ‘not guilty’. Failure to successfully impeach makes it a weaker power.

Question 5

Trump Senate nominations having a hard time

Answer 5

• Jeff Sessions and Steve Mnuchin both got confirmed eventually, however all Democrats voted against them both.
• Betsy Devos was only confirmed after Mike Pence was forced to cast his vote to break the tie.
• Three nominees to the federal judiciary also withdrawed after being heavily scrutinised by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Question 6

House of Representatives and the freedom caucus

Answer 6

• 12 moderate Republicans in the freedom caucus voted against Trump’s tax cuts
• More moderate Republicans sometimes made it hard for legislation to pass. This meant the House majority then tried to limit amendments to bills so that they would pass more easily.

Question 7

Increased partisanship - effect on committees

Answer 7

• The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where the chair Devin Nunes (R), led a campaign to suggest the DOJ and FBI were corrupt.
• This was pushed by the White House who wanted Mueller’s investigation to be undermined

Question 8

Importance of leadership - Trump tax reform

Answer 8

• Trump’s tax reform was passed in just 50 days, unusually quick.
• This is because House speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell really pushed it.
• The conference committee set up was also made up of 60% of members of their respective parties wider leadership