US Congress - Topic 2.1 Flashcards
Structure of Congress and the distribution of powers
What makes up bicameral Congress?
The House of Representatives and the Senate.
The House of Representatives is the elective lower house and is representative via popular sovereignty. The House represents the voice of the people.
The Senate was the unelective chamber until the 17th Amendment passed (1913) making it elective via popular sovereignty. The Senate represents the equal voice of the states.
How many members are there in Congress?
For both House and Senate?
House of Representatives - 435 members (one for every 700,000)
The Senate - 100 members (two for each state)
Population of the US (as of Jan. 2024) - 332 million
What do congressional election cycles look like?
For the House of Representatives, all 435 representatives are elected every two years. There is no limit on how many terms someone can be a representative for. Each term is two years long.
For the Senate, one third of the Senate is elected every two years, with one senatorial term being six years long. There is no limit for how long someone can be senator for.
These are called midterms
What is the significance of incumbency?
The incumbent holds a significant advantage over their challenger mainly because of the costs that come with running a political campaign. The average cost of congressional elections is $7 billion, meaning the candidate needs to be well known to get a high level of funding.
Being well known means it is both easier to fundraise money, but also have less of a need to spend a lot. Incumbents are provided with a website for their platform. Incumbents have ‘franking’ privileges,’ meaning that mail is paid by Congress.
What is the significance of gerrymandering in congressional elections?
Congressional districts for the House of Representatives are drawn within each state with the ruling party of every state legislature controlling the redrawing process every 10 years, after the decennial census. Gerrymandering has become prevalent in recent years in order to get better outcomes for the ruling party or to suppress the voice of minorities or their political rivals. Therefore, a incumbent candidate is more likely to win.
As of 2024:
Hal Rogers (R-KY-HofR): 43 years
Mitch McConnell: (R-KY-Senate): 39 years
What is the impact of the election cycle?
Between 1901 and 1969, there was divided government just 21% of the time. Since 1969, government has been divided 70% of the time. Over the last six elections, the federal government has been divided 5 times. Because of the frequency of divided government, Congress has not had the chance to run efficient and how it’s meant to, helping cause the political chaos in the US right now.
What are the exclusive powers of the House of Representatives?
Power of the Purse:
- The house alone can only bring appropriations bills, giving them considerable individual power of the president. The President submits their annual budget to the House Budget Committee, where then the committee decide on the budget. However, the Senate must approve these bills
To bring charges of impeachment:
- They are the only ones to bring charges on the president, officials or justices of the federal courts. Impeachment simply removes that individual from power and the trial conducted by the Senate
To choose the President if the Electoral College is in deadlock:
- If no candidate manages to get 270 or more votes in the Electoral college, the House decides as they are representative of their constituents directly. In this case, each state gets one vote regardless of their size. (This hasn’t happened since 1824 with the election of John Quincy Adams)
What are the exclusive powers of the Senate?
To try cases of impeachment:
- When the House bring impeachment charges, the Senate then trys the official. The House are the prosecution while the official is the defendant; they both call witnesses and evidence. Two-thirds are required of the Senators to find someone guilty and impeach them
Advice & Consent:
- Ratify treaties - To check the President, the Senate can scrutinise treaties and can approve or reject treaties by a two-thirds majority vote. (2012 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)
- Confirm appointments - The Senate confirm appointments to the federal courts, the cabinet and ambassadorial posts. There will often bee hearings on the suitability of most candidates before a vote of the whole Senate. (Amy Coney Barrett - 2020 Trump nomination)
To choose the Vice president if the Electoral College is in deadlock:
- Since the VP acts as the President of the Senate, the Senate get to choose the VP if there’s electoral gridlock. (The last time for this to happen is in 1824 with John C. Calhoun)
What are the concurrent powers of both chambers of Congress?
Part 1:
To create legislation:
- Only Congress can propose, delay, amend and pass legislation; and can reject presidential legislation
To override vetoes:
- Once a bill has passed Congress, it needs the presidential signing. If the president vetoes, a supermajority vote is needed to overturn the veto
To declare war:
- With the agreement of both houses, Congress has the power to formally declare war on another nation. (Last to do on Romania and Bulgaria in 1942)
What are the concurrent powers of both chambers of Congress?
Part 2:
To propose constitutional amendments:
- With a supermajority vote, Congress can propose constitutional amendments. (Last successful amendment was in 1992 - 27th)
To confirm a new VP:
- A vacancy in the VP position must be filled by a simple majority in Congress (according to the 25th amendment). This often happens when the president dies, steps down or is impeached.
To investigate:
- Congress can launch investigations (via implied powers) into any areas which it has created legislation or may need to create legislation and federal programs. Congress has the power to subpoena any witness. As this is an implied power, there is no need to act on these results from trial.
