Powers of Congress

Question 1

What are the three exclusive powers of the house?

Answer 1

1) Impeach any executive member or member of the federal judiciary
2) Begin consideration of all money bills
3) Elect the president if the Electoral College is deadlocked

Question 2

What are the four exclusive powers of the Senate?

Answer 2

1) Ratify all treaties made by the executive
2) confirms most major executive and judicial appointments made by the President
3) Try cases of impeachment
4) Elect the VP if the EC is deadlocked

Question 3

When was the exclusive House power of electing the President if the EC is deadlocked last used?

Answer 3

1824

Question 4

What kind of majority is needed for the exclusive senate function of ratifying treaties?

Answer 4

⅔

Question 5

What kind of majority is needed for the exclusive senate function of confirming nominations?

Answer 5

Simple majority

Question 6

What kind of majority is needed for the exclusive senate function of trying cases of impeachment in order to remove them from office?

Answer 6

⅔

Question 7

What is to impeach?

Answer 7

To make an accusation or bring charges against someone

Question 8

Why does the House have the exclusive power of starting all money bills?

Answer 8

When the founding fathers made the constitution, it was the only elected chamber

Question 9

What two things did the House impeach clinton for and when?

Answer 9

1998 Perjury and the Obstruction of Justice

Question 10

Who was the only other president impeached by the House and what happened to him?

Answer 10

Andrew Johnson but was aquitted by the Senate in 1868

Question 11

How many Senators have ever been impeached?

Answer 11

1

Question 12

How many people have ever been impeached?

Answer 12

19

Question 13

How many SC justices have ever been impeached?

Answer 13

1

Question 14

How many cabinet members have ever been impeached?

Answer 14

1

Question 15

How many federal judges outside of the SC have ever been impeached?

Answer 15

14

Question 16

What is a kind of hidden power of the senate?

Answer 16

Whilst they will nearly always agree to Presidential nominations and treaties, the President will only ever submit appointments and treaties that he thinks the senate will confirm

Question 17

What were the two rejections by the Senate in 1998?

Answer 17

1) Comprehensive test ban treaty (18 votes short of ⅔ majority)
2) Clinton’s nomination of Ronnie White to federal trial court (5 votes short of a simple majority)

Question 18

What are the 5 joint powers?

Answer 18

1) Pass legislation including the budget
2) Conduct investigations into the executive
3) Initiate consitutional amendments
4) Declare war
5) Confirm a new VP

Question 19

Complete the sentence: Unlike in the UK where the HoC dominates the legislated, the two…

Answer 19

….chambers in the US have equal legislative powers

Question 20

How does the passage of legislation demonstrate how the two chambers have equal legislative powers?

Answer 20

Legislation passes concurrently and all legislation must successfully pass both stages of the house, with both houses conducting detailed scrutiny in committee

Question 21

How does the amendment process demonstrate how the two chambers have equal legislative powers?

Answer 21

Both houses have full power of amendment, often resulting in two different versions of the same bill once it has gone through both houses

Question 22

What are set up to reconcile the differences between the two bills if they cannot be sorted amicably?

Answer 22

conference committees

Question 23

What kind of committees do both houses always have?

Answer 23

Standing committees

Question 24

What are the four Ps of Standing committees

Answer 24

Permanent
Prestigious
Policy Specialist
Powerful

Question 25

What is required in both houses for overriding a presidential veto?

Answer 25

⅔ majority

Question 26

What is required in both houses for proposing a consitutional amendment?

Answer 26

⅔ majority

Question 27

What are the two functions of standing committees?

Answer 27

oversight and legislation

Question 28

Though both houses have standing committees to investigate the work of the executive branch, what can they also establish ?

Answer 28

Temporary select committees to do so

Question 29

When was the joint power to declare was last used?

Answer 29

December 1941

Question 30

What happened when the joint power to declare war was used in December 1941?

Answer 30

Congress declared war on Japan following Pearl Harbour

Question 31

What has happened to the joint power to declare war?

Answer 31

It has become somewhat redundant

Question 32

What are the other four times that the joint power to declare war has been used?

Answer 32

1) War of 1812 against GB
2) Mexican war 1846
3) Spanish American war 1898
4) WW1 1917

Question 33

When was the final power of voting in a new VP with a simple majority established?

Answer 33

1967

Question 34

What is the 1967 joint power to vote in a new VP for?

Answer 34

For when the office becomes vacant in between elections

Question 35

When are the two occasions when the 1967 joint power to vote in a new VP have been used?

Answer 35

1) 1973 when Nixon appointed Ford after Spiro Agnew Resigned
2) 1974 when Nixon resigned, ford became President and Nelson Rockefeller became VP

Question 36

What about state representation means that the senate is considered more important?

Answer 36

Senators represent the whole state not just a part of it

Question 37

What about terms means that the senate is considered more important?

Answer 37

6 year terms, three times as long as house members

Question 38

What about the number of members means that the senate is considered more important?

Answer 38

435 house members but in the senate just one of 100

Question 39

What is the implication of being one of 100 rather than one out of 435 that means that senate is more desirable?

Answer 39

Senators are therefore likely to chair a committee much sooner than their house counterparts would

Question 40

What kind of recognition do Senators enjoy that house members don’t?

Answer 40

Name recognition, not only in their state but across the country

Question 41

What kind of passage shows the prestige of the senate relative to the house?

Answer 41

It is virtually unheard of for senators to seek to become House Members, yet it is common for house members to seek to become Senators

Question 42

Senators, showing the prestige of the senate relative to the house, are more often seen as what?

Answer 42

Potential presidential candidates and vice presidential candidates

Question 43

What are the four recent examples of Presidential candidates or front runners being Senators?

Answer 43

1) Obama
2) Clinton
3) McCain
4) Sanders

Question 44

What are four recent examples of Vice Presidential candidates or front runners being Senators?

Answer 44

1) Joe Liberman
2) John Edwards
3) Joe Biden
4) Time Kaine
Only Biden was successful

Question 45

Which exclusive powers are more important which makes the senate a more attractive destination?

Answer 45

Senate

Question 46

What are the four ways in which the two houses can be viewed as equal?

Answer 46

1) All bills must go through all stages in both houses and neither house can overturn the other’s decision
2) Both have powerful standing committees conducting separate hearings
3) At the conference stage both are represented and both must agree
4) To override a veto, a ⅔ majority is required in both houses