US Congress Flashcards
What are term lengths for senators and for congresspersons?
Senators - 6 years
Congresspersons - 2 years
How many senators and congresspersons are there?
Senators - 100
Congresspersons - 435
Which party controls each chamber?
Senate - Democrats
House - Republicans
Which 4 powers are unique to the Senate?
- Try an impeachment case
- Elect a VP is no candidate has over 50% of the vote
- Ratify treaties
- Confirm executive appointments
Which 3 unique powers does the House have?
- Initiate an impeachment
- Elect the President if no candidate has at least 50% of the vote
- Begin consideration of money bills
What is gerrymandering?
The political manipulation of electoral boundaries to benefit a party or a socioeconomic group
What percentage of congresspersons and of the population are minorities, women, LGB, and christian?
Minorities - 25% vs 41% of population
Women - 28% vs 50.8% of population
LGB - 3% vs 7% of population
Christian - 88% vs 63% of population
What are the 4 stages of passing primary legislation?
- Introduction and sponsoring
- Committee stage
- Rules of the debate considered
- Floor debate
What is a filibuster and how is it overruled?
A Senate motion to block the passage of legislation
Overruled by 60% majority vote
Which committee decides the rules of the House and how?
The House Rules Committee - timetables legislative debate and sets the rules for debates
What are the 3 types of rules for debates?
- Open rules - any amendments
- Closed rules - no amendments
- Modified rules - some amendments
What are 8 obstacles to the passage of legislation?
- Divided government
- Committee pigeonholing
- Presidential veto
- House Rules Committee timetabling
- Amendments on the floor or in the committee
- Bicameral legislature
- Filibustering
- Limited influence of party whips
What are 3 benefits of difficult passage of legislation?
- High quality legislation
- Representation of constituent views
- Prevention of tyranny
What are 3 drawbacks of difficult passage of legislation?
- Low output of legislation
- Partisanship
- Too much compromise
What is the power of the purse?
Congress’s constitutional ability to tax and spend public money for the federal government
What is an impoundment?
Where the president refuses to spend the money given to him
What are the 3 provisions of the War Powers Act 1973?
- The collective judgement of congress and the president applies when troops are deployed overseas
- The president must notify congress within 48 hours of using military forces
- The president must end foreign military action after 60 days unless congress authorises it
What are the 2 types of committees in the US?
- Standing committees
- Select committees
What percentage of bills pass through the committee stage?
10%
What is congressional oversight?
The powers given to congress to hold the other branches of government to account
What are the 3 main forms of congressional oversight?
- Impeachment
- Senate advice and consent
- Committee hearings
What is a subpoena?
Congressional committees’ power to legally demand documents and testimony from anyone
Who was the latest successful example of impeachment, when, and why?
Judge Thomas Porteous, 2010, 4 counts of improper behaviour
How many presidents have been impeached and who are they?
4 - Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice)
Which 4 things constitute effective representation?
- Reflection of the public demographically
- Representation of constituent interests
- Most able candidates selected
- Representation of different views
Which 3 things constitute effective legislation?
- High output of bills
- Fair scrutiny of bills
- Wide appeal of passed laws
Which 2 things constitute effective oversight?
- Willingness to engage in oversight measures
- Fair and balanced judgements on government behaviour
