Unit 2 - Congress Flashcards
Congress
The legislative branch of the US government, they create federal laws, are based on Capitol Hill in Washington DC and is bicameral - consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate
Bicameral
Made up of 2 chambers
House of Representatives
The lower chamber of congress that is based on the size of the population of the state, there are currently 435 congressmen/congresswomen in total
Senate
The upper chamber, there are only 2 senators per state no matter the size and there are currently 100 of them
5 key bits of info about the House of Representatives
Represent a congressional district - a region of a state
Serve 2 year terms
Must have been a US citizen for 7 years
Must be a resident of the state they represent
Proportional representation in congress - number of representatives per state can sometimes change based on the size of the districts and them changing
5 key facts about the Senate
Represent an entire state
Serve 6 year terms but 1/3 of them are up for re election every 2 years
Must have been a US citizens for at least 9 years
Must be a resident of the state they represent
Equal representation in Congress
Why did the founding fathers design Congress in a way so that it has two chambers?
To increase representation in the House of Representatives (John Lockes idea) as the number of representatives depends on the size of the state
Some founding fathers wanted equal representation but some of them wanted more representation in larger states - thats why there are 2 chambers, as a compromise
What are the 3 roles of Congress?
Check the president and the executive branch
Create federal laws/pass legislation
Representing the people of their regions/states
What are the 10 powers of the congress?
- Law making
- Overseeing the executive branch
- Override the presidents veto
- Confirming appointments
- Ratifying treaties
- Initiating amendments
- Impeachments
- Confirming vice presidents
- Declaring war
- Electing the president and vice president if there is a deadlock
What does powers of the congress mean?
Things that congress is granted the ability to do based on the 3 roles that they have to fulfil
What is meant by congress having the powers of law making?
Both houses are equal in passing legislation meaning that all bills must pass through all stages of both houses and they cant override each other - granted in article 1 of constitution
What is meant by congress having the power of overseeing the executive branch?
Granted due to it being implied in the constitution, said that a legislative body may investigate any subject that has some power over legislature, through checks and balances - occurs exclusively only in committee rooms
What is meant by congress having the power to override the presidents veto?
Both houses must vote by a two thirds majority to override the presidents veto of a bill
What is meant by congress having the power to confirm appointments?
The senate alone have the power to confirm (by a simple majority) appointments made y the president like appointing someone to the Supreme Court, the president must seek the senates approval to replace vacancy’s in the federal judiciary
What is meant by congress having the power of ratification?
The senate ONLY has the power to ratify (by a two thirds majority) all treaties negotiated by the president so they must be kept fully uniformed throughout treaty negotiations
What is meant by congress having the power to initiate amendments?
The houses are co equal when it come to initiating amendments, a constitutional amendment must be approved by a two thirds majority in each before it can be sent for ratification
What is meant by congress having the power of impeachment?
Congress can impeach and remove all civil officers of the US for treason, bribery or high crimes - the house initiate the impeachment and can condemn executives for their actions but the senate trial the executive and find them either guilty or innocent - congress cannot be impeached as they are not officer sof the US but representatives
What is meant by congress having the power of confirming vice presidents?
Twenty fifth amendment of 1967 gave the power to confirm newly appointed vice presidents and also gave the power to Congress to fill the vacancy of a vice president if the current vice president becomes president
What is meant by congress having the power to declare war?
Both houses must agree to declare war (last time it happened was 1941 where US declared war on Japan) but this power has slowly been taken away and given to the president
What is meant by congress having the power to elect a president and vice president if there is a deadlock?
If no candidate wins the absolute majority of electoral college votes then the house has the power to elect the president and senate elect the vice president
Electoral college
The group of people concerned with electing the president
What party has the majority in the House of Representatives?
Republicans
Which party has the majority in the Senate?
Republicans
Who are the key individuals of the House of Representatives and their roles?
Speaker - Mike Johnson - Republican (speaker always come from the majority party)
Majority Whip - Tom Emmer - Republican
Majority Leader - Steve Scalise - Republican
Minority Whip - Katherine Clark - Democrat
Minority Leader - Hakeem Jeffries - Democrat