The First Branch of The First Branch of GovernmentGovernment

The United States Congress

3 types of behavior3 types of behaviorAdvertising

– Nobody’s senator but yoursCredit claiming

– Has to be credible– Pork barreling; casework

Position taking– Inherently costly

http://www.house.gov

A Map of CongressA Map of Congress

CongressCongress is bicameral is bicameral

Bicameral (House and Senate) – different time perspectives – different rules and norms

Senate and HouseSenate and House

Senate– 6 year terms– 100, prestige– More moderate– generalists– Individuals senators

are powerful

House– 2 year terms– 435– More partisan– specialists– Most individual Reps

are not important

Bicameralism: Two Bicameralism: Two EqualEqual ChambersChambers

House• 435 members• Citizen representation• 2 year terms• Hierarchical• Partisan• Committees and leaders dominate• Speaker and Rules Committee

Senate• 100 members• State representation• 6 year terms• Collegial• Less partisan• Members mattermore• Filibuster

Effect of Effect of BicameralismBicameralismFragmentation

– Geography– 435 and 100 people sharing power

What would policy be like if Congress was unicameral and elected in at large elections?

Congressional Staff Congressional Staff

Authorized Budget per Legislator – House = $570,000 – Senate = $2.3 million

free mailings to districts. 54$ million in 1946; $2.2 billion in 1994.

659% increase controlled for inflation.House Staff 870 in 1930, 7,400 in 1993

How aHow aBillBill

Doesn’tDoesn’tBecomeBecomea Law—a Law—

Congress Congress as a law-as a law-

defeating, defeating, not not

lawmaking lawmaking institutioninstitution

What does Congress do?What does Congress do?

What does Congress do?What does Congress do?

http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d106/hot-subj.html

21 bills on defense economics27 bills on taxationonly 46 Major Bills Enacted Into Law This

Congress

Congressional CommitteesCongressional Committees

W. Wilson, Congress in Committees is Congress at work

What do Committees do– Hold hearings– Write legislation– Exercise oversight

CommitteesCommittees

International Relations CommitteeAgriculture Committee

Features of CommitteesFeatures of Committees

19 committees, 84 subcommittees Division of labor Fixed membership Fixed jurisdiction, like a monopoly Legislative Specialization Manage flow of legislative business Importance of seniority http://clerk.house.gov/committee_info/index.html

Committee MembershipCommittee Membership

Determined by Political Parties Guided by members’ seniority and

preference Preferences based on constituency needs to

better chances of reelection

Policy Consequences of Policy Consequences of CommitteesCommittees

PROs– more opportunities for credit claiming – Facilitate specialization serve institutional

policy needs Cons

– reinforces fragmentation – Encourages log-rolling

Congressional CommitteesCongressional CommitteesW. Wilson, Congress in Committees is

Congress at workWhat do Committees do

– Hold hearings– Write legislation– Exercise oversight– http://commerce.senate.gov/public/ – http://energy.senate.gov/public/

Congressional Congressional LeadershipLeadership

House Speaker: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) http://speaker.house.gov/ http://www.dems.gov/

Minority Leader: John Boehner- http://republicanleader.house.gov/

House GOP Conference http://www.gop.gov/web/

guest/home

Senate LeadershipSenate Leadership

Majority Leader: Harry Reid (R-NV)Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell (R-

KY)

Leadership and PartiesLeadership and Parties

Party caucuses– Elect leaders and committee chairs– structure the workings of Congress– Develop common policy positions– Weaker in senate than House

Leadership powersLeadership powers

Control committee appointmentsRefer bills to committeesControl Rules Committee

According to Sinclair, why is the House more likely to pass major legislation than the Senate?

Party Discipline and VotingParty Discipline and Voting

US Congress – rose to near 70% in 1996

UK Parliament --90% German Bundestag -- 98%

Evaluating LeadershipEvaluating Leadership

More useful for what they are not than what they are– 1994 Freedom to Farm Act

No SanctionsDo not do anything to undermine the

electoral needs of members

Criticisms of CongressCriticisms of Congress

Process– Lengthy and inefficient– Favor policy minorities

Results– Members focus on getting constituency

benefits, NAFTA– Process of bad legislation- ESEA, EDA

Why do we hate congress, but Why do we hate congress, but love our love our

senator/representativesenator/representative Evaluate Congress by collective standardsEvaluate Senator/Representative in

representative termStandards are mutually exclusive

Representation vs. Representation vs. LawmakingLawmaking

Congress plays two important roles– Lawmaking or getting things done– Representation or Legitimacy- airing points of

view

Impact on Institutions Impact on Institutions

Congress is a reelection machine. Mayhew-- "If a group of planner sat down

and tried to design a pair of American national assemblies with the goal of serving members' electoral needs year in and year out, they would be hard pressed to improve on what exists."