Structure of Congress

Question 1

What are the two chambers of Congress?

Answer 1

• House of Representatives

- Senate

Question 2

Structure of the House of Representatives

Answer 2

• Lower house
• 435 members
• Represent a congressional district
• Serve two-year terms
• Must be at least 25 years old
• Must be a US citizen for at least seven years
• Must be resident of state they represent

Question 3

Structure of the Senate

Answer 3

• Upper house
• 100 members
• Represent entire state
• Serve six-year terms
• Must be at least 30 years old
• Must be a US citizen for at least nine years
• Must be resident of state they represent

Question 4

Who currently controls both chambers of Congress?

Answer 4

• The Republicans control the Senate, the Democrats control the House

Question 5

What are the concurrent powers of the House and Senate?

Answer 5

• Both chambers can pass legislation, override presidents veto, initiate constitutional amendments, declare war and to confirm a newly appointed vice president

Question 6

What are the exclusive powers of the House of Representatives?

Answer 6

• Can initiate revenue bills (all revenue bills must originate from the House)
• Can start the process of impeaching officials
• Can elect president if no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes

Question 7

What are the exclusive powers of the Senate?

Answer 7

• The Senate can confirm appointments
• Hold trials for impeached officials
• Ratify foreign treaties
• Elect vice-president if no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes

Question 8

Why is the Senate considered more prestigious than the House?

Answer 8

• House members only serve 2 year terms, senators serve 6 year terms. Therefore, House members will have to spend a lot more time campaigning than Senators instead of focusing on their constituent’s interests
• House members only represent a particular congressional district, while senators serve the entire state
• Unlike the House, Senate rules allow for unlimited debate, making it possible to filibuster

Question 9

Why do unlimited debate rules give individual Senators significant power?

Answer 9

• A cloture (a vote to end a filibuster) requires 60 votes. The need for a super majority gives individual senators significant power in the passage of legislation

Question 10

Why does the Origination clause give less power to the House than might first appear?

Answer 10

• The origination clause says that all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House, but the Senate can still amend these revenue bills. A ‘shell bill’ is when the Senate amends the entire text of a revenue bill from the House.