The US Congress Flashcards
what is the bicameral structure of congress?
congress is made up of 2 houses , the House of Representatives and Senate
how is the House of Representatives structured?
the states are represented proportionally, there are 435 members and each state has a certain number of representatives proportional to its population
how is the senate structured?
the senate is represented equally, with 2 senators per state, meaning there are 100 senators in total
how does the election cycle work?
the whole house is re elected every 2 years, senators serve 6 years while 1/3 of senate is up for re election every 2 years. the president is re elected every 4 years
what are mid term elections?
elections for the US congress that take place in the middle of a full presidential term
what requirements do you need to meet to become a member of congress?
must be at least 25 years old and must have been a US citizen for 7 years
what was unable to be passed by Congress for several months in 2020?
Coronavirus Relief bill
why was the coronavirus relief bill held up?
Negotiations in the senate were too slow
what bill did not get through congress for gun reform in 2009
The Background Check Expansion Act which was filibustered by the senate
what is an example of congress being bi-partisan?
The Cares Act 2020 which was a bi-partisanship economic stimulus package.
what was the support for the Cares Act
419-6 in the House and 96-0 in the Senate
another example of congress being able to act in a bi-partisan manner
Support for Ukraine in which they provided $13.6 billion in aid
What constitutional power is granted to Congress which directly allows them to check the executive?
impeachment
How many times was Trump impeached by the House of Representatives?
twice
what can congress overturn?
veto
example of Obamas veto being overturned
concurrent powers of Congress
In 2011 Obama tried to give victims of 9/11 the right to sue Saudi Arabia
example of Trumps veto being overturned
concurrent powers of Congress
The National Offence Authorisation Act that included provisions to rename military bases
What constitutional power is granted to Congress for foreign policy?
power to declare war
How has Congress granted itself further tools within foreign policy?
concurrent powers of Congress
The War Powers Act 1973- requests the president to inform Congress within 60 days of military action
How has Congress pulling funds through the power of the purse limited Presidents in foreign policy?
concurrent powers of Congress
pulled funding from the Iraq war
example of the power of the purse being overused by Congress
A united government makes it easy for the party in power to spend money as seen with Biden’s American Rescue Plan of which many blamed for stoking inflation
How was the power of the purse abused by Congress in 2018?
They shut down the government for 35 days in protest against Trump’s national border wall
How has high approval ratings of President’s prevented Congress from using their ability to reject, delay or amend bills?
George Bush passed the Patriot Act 28 days after the events of 9/11 boasting an approval rating of over 90% and was described as being wrapped in a flag-granted him extensive powers in combating terrorism
What did the Senate refuse to accept regarding voting rights?
They refused to accept Biden’s Voting Rights legislation in 2022 despite numerous state laws which appears to be promoting voter suppression-republican filibuster
