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Politics > P3 - Congress > Flashcards

P3 - Congress Flashcards

1
Q

What has happened to the number of women in congress

A 
in 111th (2009-2011), 76 in House and 17 in Senate
in 117th (2021-present), 118 House and 24 Senate
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2
Q

what has happened to the number of AAs in Congress

A 
in 111th (2009-2011),  41 in House and 1 in Senate
in 117th (2021-present), 55 in House and 3 in Senate
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3
Q

what has happened to the number of Hispanics in Congress

A 
in 111th (2009-2011), 28 in House and 1 in Senate 
in 117th (2021-present), 45 in House and 5 in Senate
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4
Q

who was the longest-serving House Rep

A

John Dingell (Democrat) for 59 years and 21 days as a House Rep from Michigan

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5
Q

what has happened to the average age of Congress

A

111th Congress it was 57.2 in House and 63.1 in Senate

115th Congress it was 57.8 in House and 61.8 in Senate

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6
Q

what does the number of House Reps depend on

A

state population

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7
Q

what are the factors around house reps

A

there are 435 voting members, they serve two-year terms, and they have constitutional requirements (25 years old, a citizen of the USA for 7 years)

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8
Q

who are the constitutional requirements of the Senate

A

30 years old, citizen for 9 years.

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9
Q

when was the Senate made an elected chamber

A

1913 by the 17th amendment

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10
Q

What are concurrent powers

A

powers shared by both the House and the Senate

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11
Q

what legislative power is concurrent

A

they both passed legislation

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12
Q

what types of legislation must pass through both houses

A

the budget and the veto override, and both chambers have equal power in terms of passing legislation

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13
Q

what concurrent power can be used against the President

A

the veto override.

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14
Q

what has to happen for a veto override to pass in the House and the Senate

A

290 in the House and 67 in the Senate (two thirds)

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15
Q

what foreign policy power is concurrent

A

declaring war

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16
Q

how does Congress declare war

A

both Houses must be in agreement for the USA to declare war. This power has been used 11 times since 1789, lastly in 1941 for the Second World War

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17
Q

what has to happen for constitutional amendments to pass in Congress

A

two-thirds of both Houses must agree to a constitutional amendment before it can be put to the states for ratification. Of around 11,000 proposed, only 33 have passed this hurdle.

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18
Q

which individual is elected via concurrent power

A

confirming a new vice president

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19
Q

what happens if the office of the vice president becomes vacant

A

a majority vote in the House and the Senate is needed to approve a new VP

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20
Q

what is congress’ most important power

A

legislating

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21
Q

What are the three exclusive powers of the House of Reps

A

initiate money bills, sole power to bring cases of impeachment, elect the president if the Electoral College is deadlocked.

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22
Q

what is the process of money bills

A

bills must be approved by both Houses, but only the House can initiate it as representatives of the taxpayers

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23
Q

when has the House of Reps chosen the President

A

in two elections, 1800 and 1824

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24
Q

What does the House of Reps do in terms of impeachment

A

the House brought charges of ‘perjury’ and ‘obstruction of justice’ against Bill Clinton in 1998. They have only brought proceedings against three presidents.

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25
Q

what are the exclusive powers of the Senate

A

Confirm presidential appointments, ratify treaties, try cases of impeachment and elect VP if the Electoral College is deadlocked

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26
Q

what do the presidential appointments include

A

the confirmation of judicial nominees, cabinet appointments and ambassadors

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27
Q

what is the process of ratifying treaties

A

treaties must be ratified by a two thirds (67) vote in the Senate

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28
Q

What does the SEnate do in terms of impeachment

A

the senate requires a two thirds (67) vote to convict and remove a president. They acquitted Bill Clinton of both charges in 1998

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29
Q

what does the Senate do in terms of VP

A

they elect the VP if the EC is deadlocked. In two elections, 1800 and 1824, the Senate chose the VP

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30
Q

what is the synoptic link of the powers within Congress

A

while the two Houses of US Congress are largely equal, with a few exclusive powers, the UK Houses of Parliament are quite different, with the House of Commons being superior through the Salisbury Convention

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31
Q

what was the incumbency rate in 2020

A

93%

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32
Q

what are the reasons for incumbent advantage

A
  • name recognition (leading to interest group campaign money)
  • legislative record allowing the incumbent to demonstrate the gains for the constituency
  • gerrymandering
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33
Q

what can midterms be seen as

A

a referendum on how well the president is doing and have a much lower turnout than elections in a presidential years

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34
Q

how does someone become a COngressional politician

A

a candidate must first win a primary to become the Democratic or Republican candidate for a seat, and then win the seat on election day under FPTP

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35
Q

what four factors affect voting in congress

A

constituency, party and partisanship, congressional caucuses, pressure groups and lobbyists

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36
Q

what is the introduction phase

A

where a bill can go through the House consecutively or concurrently

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37
Q

what is the committee process

A

there are subcommittee hearings and mark-ups.

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38
Q

what can committee chairs do to legislation

A

they can kill it by pigeonholing, which is leaving it untouched

39
Q

who timetables in the House

A

the house rules committee, which is dominated 2-to-1 by the majority party.

40
Q

who timetables in the Senate

A

the majority leader, so it is dominated by the majority party

41
Q

what is required in the house at the second reading and vote

A

a simple majority is all that is required

42
Q

what is required in the Senate second reading and vote

A

a simple majority is all that is required. However, a filibuster can prevent this in the Senate.

43
Q

what is the required at the third reading and vote in the house

A

a simple majority is all that is required

44
Q

what is required at the third reading and vote in the senate

A

a simple majority is all that is required. However, a filibuster can prevent this

45
Q

what is the conference committee

A

the conference committee is made up of an equal number of House and Senate members who reconcile the bills, which then need agreement from both Houses

46
Q

what can the president do in terms of legislation

A

the president can sign, veto or leave the bill on his desk for ten days. A two-thirds majority in both Houses can override any presidential veto

47
Q

what is the strength of the legislative process

A
  • high level of scrutiny
  • protects states’ rights
  • prevents a tyranny of the majority
  • with unanimous consent in the Senate, bipartisanship is required
48
Q

what are the weaknesses of the legislative process

A
  • incredibly slow
  • lack of bipartisanship leading to gridlock
  • congressional politicians often choose to focus on re-election over legislation
49
Q

how many pieces of legislation were enacted in the 116th Congress (2019-2021)

A

344 pieces

50
Q

how many pieces of legislation were enacted in the 95th Congress (1977 - October 1978)

A

804 pieces

51
Q

What was the earmarking in Sparta NC

A

Congress set aside $500,000 in federal funding for the constitution of a very unique museum, in a town that had a population of about 18,000 (Sparta Teapot Museum of Craft and Design)

52
Q

who secured the funding for Sparta NC

A

Rep Virginia Foxx with help from Sen Richard Burr, both Republicans from North Carolina. Foxx called the project a form of economic development that would benefit the state.

53
Q

How much has earmarking cost taxpayers since it was reallowed

A

$9.3 billion

54
Q

What has Garrett Groves (Rep Sen from Louisana)

A

he has forced 11 earmarks costing over a billion dollars

55
Q

What oversight can be carried out by Congress over members of the executive

A

impeachment and removal of members of the executive branch (e.g the attempted impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998)

56
Q

what oversight can be carried out by Congress over the actions of the executive

A

they can investigate the executive’s actions (the Russia investigation

57
Q

what emerged following President Trump’s election in 2016

A

allegations surfaced about Russian interference in the US election. Russian confirmation of meeting with members of the Trump campaign, and Trump’s unexpected firing of FBI director James Comey, led to a number of investigations being launched into potential Russian interference in US elections.

58
Q

who carried out an investigation into the US election

A

the House intelligence committee
Senate intelligence committee
House oversight committee
senate judiciary committee

59
Q

what did Comey say about the interference

A

there should be no fuzz on this whatsoever: the Russians interfered in our election

60
Q

what does Congressional oversight depend on

A
  • whether the House, Senate and presidency are presided over by the same party or not
  • when the next election is
  • which branch has the most recent mandate
  • the poll ratings and popularity of the president
    national circumstances
61
Q

How can Congress oversee the activities of the SC

A
  • the ratification of judicial nominees, following hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee
  • the creation of lower courts
  • justices can be impeached if they do not act in line with their constitutional requirement
  • Congress determines the number of justices n the court
  • Congress can initiate a constitutional amendment to overturn an SC ruling
62
Q

is Congress descriptively representative

A

no

63
Q

what per cent of America is female

A

50.8%

64
Q

what per cent of America is AA

A

12.1%

65
Q

what per cent of America is Hispanic

A

16.7%

66
Q

what per cent of US society has a bachelor’s degree

A

32%

67
Q

what per cent of Congress has a bachelor’s degree

A

97%

68
Q

who does Congress represent

A 
districts/states
individual constituents
their party
congressional caucuses
interest groups
descriptive representation
69
Q

how is the House effectively representative

A
  • shorter election cycle makes House members more responsive to constituents
  • Congressional politicians represent smaller numbers of people (usually)
  • party discipline is stronger in the House than in the Senate
  • As reps are based on population, more populous states can be better represented
70
Q

how is the Senate effectively representative

A
  • senators represent the view of the whole state, not minor districts
  • unanimous consent allows individual senators to be powerful in representing their state
  • unanimous consent also makes party discipline weaker so Senators can represent their state better
  • Six-year terms mean they can ‘get on with the business of government’
71
Q

what is the synoptic link between representation

A

the comparison of the two US Houses can be extended to a comparison of the UK’s House of Commons and House of Lords

72
Q

how has Congress’ power of war changed

A

development in weapons and technology mean wars are no longer fought or launched in the same way. Authorisations for the use of military force are more common than a formal ‘declaration of war’

73
Q

how has the passing of the budget changed

A

due to increased bipartisanship in Congress, arguments over the budget are so frequent now that continuing resolutions have become more commonplace

74
Q

how passing legislation changed

A

a lack of bipartisanship has led to record low production of legislation, a power being usurped by some presidents through executive orders. A decrease in legislative output and a focus on the president as the head of government rather than a SOPs.

75
Q

what is an example of Congress being reactive

A

stripping abortion out of Obamacare or refusing to ratify the appointment of Merrick Garland to the SC

76
Q

how have parties become more important

A
  • increased partisanship is clear, and has led to a fall in legislative output, and even gov shutdowns
  • differing parties control the presidency and Congress
  • they control significant appointments and roles, especially in the House
77
Q

How can it be seen that parties are not important anymore

A
  • parties are ‘broad churches’ - liberals and conservatives exist within both parties
  • party discipline is weak due to state loyalties
  • unanimous consent gives individual senators greater individual power
78
Q

how has the power of investigations been successful in oversight

A

congress can investigate any aspect of the executive branch and highlight problems that need correcting

79
Q

how has the power of investigations been weak oversight

A

investigations end in recommendations and Congress cannot bring criminal proceedings, meaning it can only apply pressure

80
Q

how has the ratifying of justices led to weak oversight

A

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

81
Q

how has ratifying justices led to strong oversight

A

as the senate must approve nominees, they are usually thoroughly vetted, meaning the Senate should not have to reject nominees often, although they still can and do

82
Q

how has electing the president been seen as effective oversight

A

the house has successfully exercised this power in 1800 and 1824

83
Q

how has electing the president been seen as weak oversight

A

this is largely a defunct power, but one that remains ‘just in case’

84
Q

how have ratifying treaties led to effective oversight

A

the senate has ratified (e.g START treaty, 2010) and rejected treaties (e.g Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2012)

85
Q

how has ratifying treaties led to weak oversight

A

the president can manoeuvre around this power by not using the phrase ‘treaty’, as Obama did with the Iran Deal

86
Q

how has impeachment been seen as effective oversight

A

while impeachment is rarely used, it is an effective threat and Congress has shown it is willing to use this power

87
Q

how has impeachment been seen as weak oversight

A

in all three full cases, the president was found ‘not guilty. Failure to successfully impeach makes it a weaker power

88
Q

how has the declaration of war been seen as effective oversight

A

Congress has used this power 11 times (though not since the Second World War) and authorises presidential military action

89
Q

how has the declaration of war been seen as weak oversight

A

congress arguably has little choice in authorising the action, especially if their constituents favour action, such as after 9/11

90
Q

how can legislation be seen as effective

A

legislation is well scrutinised through a lengthy process

with the increased likelihood of divided government, it reduces the tyranny of over branch

91
Q

how can legislation be seen as weak

A

there is a lack of legislative output by Congress
It is difficult to overturn a president’s veto
the likelihood of presidential bills passing is largely unhindered

92
Q

what circumstances affect if legislation is effective

A

the timing of the next election, poll ratings and national events

93
Q

what is the importance of committees in the US

A
  • they have immense power over whether bills should go through
  • creates policy experts
  • they are representative
  • iron triangles, lobbyists, pressure groups can influence them heavily
94
Q

what were the healthcare.gov hearings

A

healthcare.gov was meant to be an online marketplace where people could compare insurance plans and see the subsidies available to them. It was useless and wasted approx $300m of public money. Kathleen Sibelius was investigated as part of this. Committees question some of the contractors who built the website.

Politics (56 decks)

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