Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Congress
- Functions of Congress
- Law Making
- Oversight of the executive
- Representation
- The Debate on Congress
- Congress is effective
- Fulfils it's functions effectively.
- Members are highly responsive to the wishes of their districts.
- Oversight of the executive is carried out rigirously
- Laws are carefully examined independently of the executive
- Congress is ineffective
- Ceased to function effectively
- Contributes to deadlock
- Dealing with the federal deficit 2013
- Dominated by special interests
- Low approval ratings from the American people
- Partisanship has made it impossible for parties to work together
- The Structure of Congress
- House of Representatives
- 435 members, two year terms
- Seats allocated to states according to population size
- 2015: 244 R, 188 D, 3 V
- Senate
- 100 members, 6 year staggered terms
- All states have 2 senators
- 2015: 53R, 45D, 2I
- Strengths
- Especially in representatives they are tied to the voters
- In the Senate, staggered elections means increased expertise
- In the Senate there is no pendulum swing
- Both are democratically elected
- Separation of powers
- Weaknesses
- Gridlock
- Chambers of different parties
- Congress and president of different parties
- Equal in power
- Representatives are always up for reelection
- Only works through bipartisanship
- Over-representation of small states
- Key figures in Congress
- House of Representatives
- Speaker
- Usually a leading figure in majority party,
expected to be impartial but does enjoy voting
rights
- Newt Gingrich
- Contract with America
- John Boehner
- Majority Floor Leader
- Meant to maintain a degree of party unity.
- Kevin McCarthy
- The Senate
- President of the Seante
- The Vice President. Voting rights only in a tie.
- Joe Biden
- President Pro Tempore
- Presides in absence of the President of the Senate
- Orrin Hatch (since 1977)
- Senate Majority Leader
- Ensures party legislation success,
committee appointments, mobilising
support
- Mitch McConnell
- Passing Bills
- First Reading
- Committee Stage
- Timetabling
- Second Reading
- Third Reading
- Conference Committee
- Presidential Action
- Sign Bil into law
- Do nothing
- Pocket Veto
- Veto
- Increased use of 'ping-ponging'
- 2% of Bills in 2007-2008
- Open Rule
- Closed Rule
- Pigeonhole
- Specialists
- 3-5% Pass
- Why is it so difficult to
pass laws in Congress?
- Crowded process
- Complex process
- 'Built-in-negative'
biased (Dendenburg)
- Super majorities
- Decentralisation of power
- Two chambers have equal power
- Chambers may be
controlled by
different parties
- Weak party discipline
- 33 House
Dems voted
against
Healthcare
Reform
- An effective process?
- The Bill must have a lot of support
- The Bill is highly scrutinised
- Only strong Bills get though the beginning of the proecss
- Individual senators get their say
- Bipartisanship
- Opportunities to amend the Bill
- It is a system that
requires parties to
work together and
so is ill-fitted for
today's Congress
- Bork Barrel Politics
- Involves members of Congress inserting clauses into
bills which direct federal funding to projects within
their states/districts
- They do this to win support and can
insist on the inclusion of 'pork' in
exchange for their votes.
- 'BRIDGE TO NOWHERE' Senator Ted Stevens of
Alaska = $398 million of federal money on a bridge
for 50 people
- At the beginning of 2011 John Boehner and
Chairman Inovye said there would be no more
earmarks for two years.
- This ban is still in place but indirectly the process continues
- Advantages
- Benefits a state/district. Therefore
more support for the candidate
- Often helps secure the passage of a Bill
through bipartisanship
- Members know what their local
people want and have local knowldge
of their state/district
- Encourages congressmen to look after their area
- Dont have to be in the majority
- Helps secure the
passage of Bills
- Strong congressional check on spending
- Only a tiny part
of Gov't spending
(2% in 2009)
- Disadvantages
- Does not benefit the
entire nations interests
- Gives some members more leverage than others
and more influence, therefore is undemocratic
- Gives an unfair advantage to incumbents
- Impossible to scrutinise earmarks
- Earmarks are often unrelated to funds
- Awards funding on politics not on merit
- Fosters a culture for federal spending
- Effectively buying votes
- Secracy
- Why do members vote as they do?
- Political Party
- 'Party votes' were at 75.8% in 2011.
- Contentious Issues
- Conservative Democrats vote
Republican: Heidi Heitkamp
- Moderate Republicans vote
Democrat: Susan Collins
- Constituents
- Trustee model of Representation
- Dick Lugar, R Indianna Senator since 1970's: Did
not go home much and worked with Obama. Tea
Party 2012 won the primary and lost the election.
- The Administration
- Members of the executive branch.
- Supporting an unpopular president is
costly, Elizabeth Dole 2008
- Two-war street of mutual cooperation
- Pressure Groups
- They make direct
contact with the people
- Money raised can fun politicians
- Personal Beliefs
- Conscience Issues
- Committee System
- Standing Committees
- Exist in Both Houses
- Permanent, policy specialists
- Party balance reflects chamber
- Members often serve committees
closest to interests of districts/states
- Re-elected members often reassigned
- Legislation
- Conduct investigations
- Hold confirmation hearings
- House Rules Committee
- Gate-keeping role.
Structure and Timetables.
Open and Closed Rules.
- Appropriations Committees
- Spending. Authorizes money
for gov't to fulfill its functions.
- House Ways and Means Committee
- Taxation
- Conference Committees
- Merges Senate and House Bills
- Select Committees
- Investigate particular issues that could come under the remit of a number of committees
- See Committee Chairmen
- Congressional oversight
- Strengths
- Recently has improved
- Different parties can produce different versions
- Members don't have to support their party
- Susan Collins CIA Report
- Lots of support for reports
- $40 million for CIA report
- Reports take time and are long and details
- CIA Report 6000 pages
- The truth does come out and
people are held to account
- Attracts publicity
- Senate CIA Report gained global headlines
- Weaknesses
- Often the whole
report is not released
- Reports can take time
- The truth doe not always come out
- Very partisan
- Often not objective
- Congress did not spot the
problem early enough/at the time
- Little/no self examination into
the role of congress
- Does not hold members of
congress accountable
- Minority report can undermine
the credibility of the findings
- Dependent on the majority
- People not always held to account
- Scrutiny of the Executive
- Separation of powers
- Scrutiny of Executive Legislative Proposals
- Scrutiny of Appointments
- John Kerry Senate vote 94-3
- Robert Bork
Supreme Court loss
- Process is not watertight, recess appointments eg John
Bolton. Poor nominees are sometimes confirmed eg.
Michael Brown. Partisanship eg. Alito. Use of filibuster
- Scrutiny of Teaties
- 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
- Partisanship. Process is not watertight
eg. Executive Agreements such as the
US-Afgan Strategic Partnership
- Scrutiny of use of Armed Forces
- War Powers Act 1973
- Scrutiny of Public Fanances
- Congressional Budget Office
- Scrutiny of Policies
- CIA Report
- Partisanship
- Investigations into Executive incompetence/corruption
- Clinton
- Impeachment
- SEE MEMBERSHIP
- SEE GROWING POWER OF PARTY IN CONGRESS