USA Legislative Branch: Congress Flashcards
Structure of Congress
HOR
- 435 Members
- 2yr
- 25yr old, 7yr citizen of USA, citizen of the state
Senate
- 100 Members
- 6yr terms, 1/3 for re-election every 2 yrs
- 3yr old, 9yr citizen of USA, citizen of the state
Connecticut Compromise
Small states
- Wanted equal representation
- Like New Jersey plan
Large states
- Wanted represenation based on population
- Liked Virginia plan
Roles of Congress
- Passing Legislation
- Representing the people
- Overseeing the executive
Powers of Congress
- Legislative powers
- Overriding a presidential veto
- Initiating amendments to the Constitution
- Ratifying treaties (Senate only)
- Declaring war
- Congressional oversight
- Confirming presidential appointments (Senate only)
- Impeachment and removal from office
- Electing the president and VP
Legislative process in Congress
First Reading
- Bill is introduced
Committee Stage
- Bill is examined by committee
Timetabling
- HRC timetables bills for debate
Second Reading
- Debate + Vote
Third Reading
- Final Debate + Vote
Conference Committee
- Reconciles 2 bills
Presidential Action
- Sing the bill, leav on the desk. veto, pocket veto
The composition of Congress
117th Congress
- 33% Females
- 9% Hispanic
- 88% Christians
- 52 African Americans in HOR, 3 in Senate
Party allegiance
117th Congress
All HOR members Republican/Democrats
2 members of Senate were independent
- Bernie Sanders
- Angus King
Filibuster
Senators can debate for as long as they wish
- 3/5th to end it
- Strom Thurmond 24Hr 18m against 1957 Civil Rights Act
Does Congress perform its legislative function effectively?
Yes
- Transfomative legisltaion passed, Obama Care 2010
- Major legislation passed during unified government
- Bipartisanship possible, 2018 First Step Act
- Emergency Legislation passed
No
- Only 2-3% of bill become laws
- 112th Congress 283 bills, least productive ever
- Gridlock common
- Filibusters
- Presidential vetoes rarely overtuned
Ways in which Congress can carry out oversight function
Investigating the executive
- Committees investigate executive actions
- 2020 HOR Select Committee on Reform, Trump Covid Handling
Confirmation of appointments
- 2017 Betsy Devos, education secreatary, lack of knowledge, 50-50 confirmed by VP
Impeachment
- 2019 Trump, Ukraine aid, investigate Hunter Biden 52-48
- 2020 Trump, 6th of Jan, 57-43 guilty
Senate ratification of treaties
- 1999 Nucear Test treaty
Does Congress fulfil its oversight function effectively?
Yes
- Strong oversight during divided government.
- Committees high-profile scrutiny
- Easy to check unpopular president
- 3 Presidents impeached
- Presidents must work closely with senate
No
- Weak oversight during unified government.
- Investigations partisan
- Hard to check popular president
- No president ever removed
- Confirmation process politicised
Power of the purse
Only Congress can allocate money for federal government
- 2018/19 Mexico Wall Funding, government shutdown, 35 days
Does Congress use the power of the purse effectively?
Yes
- Forces president inco cooperation
- Effective check on president
- Shutdowns are rare
No
- Shutdowns unpopular
- Presidents can use emergency powers
- Pork barreling happens
Party system: Congressional caucuses
Group of members of Congress who work together
to achieve similar legislative aims
House Republican caucus — all Republicans in the House
Senate Republican caucus— all Republicans in the Senate
House Democrat caucus — all Democrats in the House
Senate Democrat caucus — all Democrats in the Senate
Party system: Speaker of the House
- Presides over debates, keeps order
- Elected by all members of the HOR
- Comes from majority party
- Mike Johnson 2023-now
Party system: Majority/minority leaders
- Act as floor leaders
- Coordinate party during debates and votes
- Try to achieve party unity
- Steve Scalise Republican
- Hakeem Jeffries Democrat
Party system: Discipline
Whips try to persuade party members to support the party’s agenda.
Party system: Partisanship
- 164 competitive districts in 1997
- 91 in 2020
- 2020 Cares Act, Senate 96-0
Standing committees
- Permanent
- Focuses on specifica area of policy
- 20 HOR and 16 Senate standing committees
- Hold hearings during committee stage of the bill
- Hearings held to consider presidential nominees.
Select committees
- Set up to deal with a specific urgent issue
- Prevent standing committee overload
- 2017-20 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Russian interference in 2016 presidential elections
House Rules Committee
- Sets rules, time bill has on the floor
- Open rules allow amendments, closed not
- 13 members, 2:1 ratio to majority party
- 115th Congress 56% of bills debated under closed rules
Conference committees
- Temporary committees set up to reconcile 2 bills into 1 bill
- Then sent for approval to 2 houses
- 104th Congress 67reports
- 115th only 7 reports
Ways in which Congress can perform its representative role
Communicating with constituents
- 2023 AOC town hall meetings
Passing legislation
- Joe Manchin, West Virginia senator, opposed BBB 2021
Committee membership
- Pat Roberts 2015-20, Kanzas senator, chair of Senate Agricultural Committee, 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act
Lobbying the executive
- $400m bridge to nowhere
Constituency casework
- Day to day issues
Re-election rates
2020
- 95% of HOR and 84% of Senate re-elected
Powers of HOR and Senate
HOR
- Can initiate money bills
Senate
- Can ratify treaties
- Can confirm presidential appointments
Is Congress the broken branch of government?
Yes
- Gridlocks
- Only 2–3% of bills become law.
- Partisanship
- Shutdowns unpopular
- Congress is unpopular with public
- Investigations partisan
- Pork barreling
- Senate confirmations politicised
- Uncompetitive seats
- Not declared war since 1941, regular military action
No
- Major legislation passed
- Bipartisan compromise still possible
- High re-election rates
- Investigations high levels of scrutiny
- Power of the purse
- 3 presidents impeached
- Polarisation in Congress = divided USA.
