Congress: The BasicsEssential Information

IV. Institutions of National Government: The Congress, the Presidency, the

Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts35–45%

A. The major formal and informal institutional arrangements of powerB. Relationships among these four institutions and varying balances of powerC. Linkages between institutions and the following:

1. Public opinion and voters2.Interest groups3. Political parties4. The media5. State and local governments

HW: Read chapter 7pp. 228 – 260 by 10/1 A day & 10/2 B day

Answer this question• Should Congress reflect the will of the people?• Or should they pay attention to their own points

of view, even if they disagree with their constituents?

Legislative Branch = Congress

• Location in ConstitutionoArticle I

• Term of Congress = 2 yearso2 one year Sessions oSession = January-December

Connecticut Compromise

• Bicameral Legislatureo two chamberso Senate & House of Representatives

• Senate o states represented equally

• House of Representatives o states represented according to the size of their population -

population represented equallyo in 1789 1:30,000 / Today 1:600,000

Why is Congress bicameral?

What are the differences between the House and the

Senate?

What are the differences between

the House and the Senate?•

Special Powers

Constituency The people a politician

represents

• Senate opeople living in the state

• House of Representativesopeople living in the district

Size and apportionment

• Reapportionment = reallocation• Constitution guarantees at least 1 representative

per stateo 7 states with one seat

• Congress reapportions House seats every 10 years, after a census

• Reapportionment Act of 1929 set permanent size of the House at 435 members.o 1 seat = about 700,000 peopleo Increases or decreases the number of seats a

state has in the House plus electoral voteso Influence increases with representation

Districts• 1842:

oCongress stipulated all seats in the House would be filled from single member districts

o each state legislature assigned the responsibility of drawing the boundary lines of its congressional district.

Figure 7.2: What is gerrymandering?

What is gerrymandering?

• Legislative process by which the majority party in each state legislature redraws congressional districts to ensure the maximum number of seats for its candidates

• Consequences?o Protects incumbents and discourages

challengero Strengthens majority party while weakening

the oppositiono Increases or decreases minority representation

Supreme Court and redistricting

• Historically rural areas dominated state legislatures, so congressional districts often favored less populous rural areas.

• Wesberry v Sanders (1964) – “one person, one vote”o Triggered widespread redistrictingo Gave cities and suburbs greater representation

• Limits on redistricting:o Districts must be equally populatedo Districts must be compact. Lines must be contiguouso Cannot dilute minority voting strengtho Districts lines CANNOT be drawn based solely on race,

but race can be a factor

o Gerrymandering has not been eliminated

Legislative Branch

• Seniority o length of time spent in officeo length of continuous time spent assigned to a

particular committeeo committee assignments & reelection of incumbents

• Incumbentso Single most important factor in determining outcome

of electiono person currently holding public office and seeking

reelectiono Over 90% get reelected each term in the House of

Representatives o in the Senate, incumbents are reelected at a rate

over 75%

To Learning Objectives

Table 7.4: What are the advantages of incumbency?

Money $$$$ - raise more campaign contributionsPACs contribute more to incumbentsoutpend challengers 2:1

Why are incumbents reelected?

• More multiple choice questions related to this paradox than any other topic:o A majority of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is

doing.o Same polls report that most Americans believe their own

representative deserves to be reelected.

Make sure you can explain the reasons why

incumbents are usually reelected.

Consequences?• Congress contains a large number of

experienced leaderso Continuity of leadershipo Continuity of policy

• Continuity discourages radical changeo Encourages close relationships with interest

groups

• No incentive to reform campaign finance lawso Incumbents benefit

So, is the high rate of reelection a good

thing or a bad thing? Explain.

Watch this video and answer the following:

This clip shows:• The power of committee chairmen• Congressional oversight of departmentsThe video clip shows lively banter between the Committee Oversight & Government Reform Chairman Darryl Issa and Department of Labor officials regarding a change in the process for reporting labor statistics.1. Who has a great deal of influence over the issues

that the committee chooses to investigate?2. The committee chair of any committee is typically a

member of the ______________?(hint: which party?)3. Why might this discussion be described as

“partisan”?

How Congress is organized

• Role of Political parties1. Key role in organization2. Majority party = party with the most votes3. Minority party = party with the 2nd most votes4. Majority party advantages

o Committee chairso Chooses Speaker of the Houseo Assigns bills to committeeso Holds majority on each committeeo Controls the House Rules committeeo Sets the legislative agenda

The House of Representatives

• More formal structure than the Senate; why?o Example: debate is much more restricted

• Speaker of the Houseo Presides over the Houseo Oversees House businesso Stands second in line for presidential succession

• Other House leaderso Majority leader – elected leader of the party in controlo Minority leader – elected leader of the minority partyo Elected whips – maintain close contact with members &

try to ensure party unity on important votes

The Senate• Smaller, less formally organized• Vice President

o Constitution: president of the Senate

• Other Senate leaderso President pro temp presides in the absence of the vice

president; held by a member of the majority party with the longest service in the Senate.

o Majority leader – elected leader of the party that controls the Senate; this is the true leader of the Senate

o Minority leader – elected leader of the minority party

Committee System• Importance

o Dominant role in policymakingo Particularly in the House

• Standing committeeso Permanent; focus on legislation in a particular areao ex: foreign relations, agricultureo All bills referred to standing committees: amended,

passed, killedo Fosters development of expertiseo Divided into subcommittees (ex: committee on

Energy and Commerce, subcommittee on Environment and the Economy)

Other types of committees• Select committees – formed for a specific

purpose, for a limited timeo Usually to conduct an investigation (Senate Special

Committee on Aging)

• Joint committees – include members of both houseso Focus public attention on a major issueo Ex: Joint Committee on Taxation

• Conference Committeeso Temporaryo Resolve differences between House and Senate versions

of a billo Members appointed by party leaderso From the committees that originally considered the bill

House Rules committee• Controlled by the Speaker

o “traffic cop”, Speaker’s “right arm”

• Sets guidelines for floor debateo Gives each bill a rule that places it on the calendar,

limits time for debate, determines the type of amendments that will be allowed

• Closed ruleo Strict time limits on debates o Forbids amendments from the floor

• Open ruleo Less strict time limits on debateso Permits amendments from the floor

Committees• House Committee on Ways and Means

o Taxation, tariffs, other revenue raising measure

• Committee Chairs and the Committee Systemo Chairs have great power and privilege• Call meetings• schedule hearings• hire staff• Recommend majority members to sit on

conference committees• Select all subcommittee chairs• Receive favors from lobbyists, contribution

from PACs

Committee Chairs• Historically: chosen by seniority

systemo Majority party member with the most

continuous service on the committee automatically became the chair

• Now electedo Seniority is still the norm for selecting chairs in

both chambers

Legislative Process• 5,000 bills introduced each year• Only about 125, or 2.5%, become

laws• Process

o Lengthy, deliberate, fragmentedo Formidable obstacles that defeat most

bills

Creating bills• Anyone can write a bill• Most are not written by members of

Congress• Most originate in the executive branch• Business, labor, agriculture and other

interest groups often draft bills• Only members of Congress can

introduce billso Drop them in the “hopper”, a box hanging on the edge of the clerk’s

desk.

Process• Committees

o Subcommittee – study, hearing, revisions, approval

o Most bills die in committee (pigeonholed or buried)

o House: discharge petition can blast a bill out of committee – needs majority of the House

• Floor Actiono House: Rules Committee decides time for

debate, if amendments are allowed• Floor debate & vote

o Senate: allows unlimited debate• Filibuster, cloture• Senators can threaten filibuster

Conference Action• Made up of members from original House

and Senate committees• this version is returned to each chamber

for a vote

How Members Vote• delegate model: cast votes that reflect

preference of constituents• Trustee model: use best judgment to

make policy in the interests of the people

Congress & the Executive Branch• Oversight

o Review of executive agencies, departments or offices

o Senate confirms cabinet heads and presidential appointments to federal courts

o Methods of oversight• Guidelines for new agencies• Hearings and investigations• Budget control• Reorganizing an agency• Evaluating an agency’s program

Congress & the Executive Branch

• Foreign Policyo Constitutional division of power

• Congress declares war; Senate ratifies treaties• President = Commander-in-chief; can wage

war and negotiate treatieso War Powers Resolution( most exams ask about this)

• Passed by Congress in 1973• Response to Vietnam• Ensures Congress has a voice in presidential

decisions committing troops• President must notify Congress within 48

hours of deploying troops and• Must bring troops home within 60 -90 days

unless Congress extends it