Unit 2A Review Flashcards
What if the President doesn’t like Congress?
They can use their veto power.
Committees are grouped into four:
Standing, Joint, Conference, Select (special) committees
Senate and House of Representatives are known as:
Committees.
What is the definition of Senate:
an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, especially a legislative assembly of a state or nation.
What is the definition of the House of Representatives:
the U.S. House of Representatives makes and passes federal laws.
Establishes what departments get
funding?
Appropriations
Is Appropriations a part of the Senate or HoF?
Both
Makes debate rules (House of
Representatives is hierarchical) ?
House Rules Committee.
Is House Rules Committee a part of the Senate or HoR?
House of Reps.
Establishes the budget?
Budget Committee.
Is the Budget Committee a part of the Senate or HoR?
House of Reps.
Leads foreign-policy legislation &
works with the Department of State?
Foreign Relations.
Is Foreign Relations a part of the Senate or HoR?
Senate.
Makes taxes law?
Ways and Means.
Are Ways and Means a part of the Senate or HoR?
House of Reps.
Oversees the working of our
military, research and
development, nuclear energy?
Armed Services.
Is the Armed Services a part of the Senate or HoR?
Senate
Joint Committees:
Are study committees that exist in a few policy areas with membership
drawn from both the Senate and the House.
Select Committees:
Temporary committees appointed for a specific (“select”) purpose.
Members seek committee assignments that will help them achieve three
goals:
(1) re-election.
(2) influence in Congress.
(3) opportunity to make policy in areas they think are important.
Goes to the member of the majority party who has served on the committee the longest?
Committee Chair.
- Watergate (1973)
- Assassinations (JFK and MLK) (1976)
- Intelligence (9/11) [Permanent Special Com.]
Are all examples of:
Select Committees.
1.) Joint Economic Committee
2. Joint Committee on the Library (maintains the Library of Congress and
National Mall)
3. Joint Committee on Printing (literally the committee on printing paper)
4. Joint Committee on Taxation (works w/ House Ways and Means)
-Are all examples of:
Joint committees.
Why was Article 1 of the Constitution written the way it was?
Overcomes problems with the Articles of Confederation
Why did the framers choose a two-house structure?
- Compromise between large and small states (Connecticut Compromise)
- Influence of the British Parliament (House of Commons & House of Lords)
- Combination of Popular (House) & Elite (Senate) Power
- Slows down the legislative process
Who is Congress?
Senate and the House of Represenatives.
President of the Senate =
VPOTUS
President Pro Tempore:
a) Acts in absence of the
VPOTUS
b) Most senior party member
Senate Majority Leader:
a) Real Power and Authority.
b) Schedules bills, rounds up
votes, assigns committees.
Senate:
Less rules, More
individual power.
House:
More rules, Structured
hierarchy.
Speaker of the House:
a) Presides over House.
b) Makes committee assignments.
c) Appoints Party Leaders.
d) Assigning bills to committees.
Majority Leader:
a) Schedule bills.
b) Rounds up votes.
Majority/Minority Whips:
a) Lean on wavering congressmen
whose votes are critical.
How many representatives are in the HoR?
435 (elected by population).
How many senators are in the Senate?
100 (two for each state).
Who is the President of the Senate?
The Vice President of the USA.
HoR requirements:
- 25 years old; citizen for 7
years; resident of the state
they represent - 2 year terms
- Represent the people
- 435 members (based on
state population)
Senate Requirements:
- 30 years old; citizen for 9 years;
resident of the state they
represent - 6 year terms
- Represent the state
- 100 members (equal
representation) - Originally chosen by state
legislatures, until the 17th
amendment
