National Government Final
Congressional decisions are product of a complex interaction of a number of factors, only some of which will be apparent.
constituency, interest groups, and political parties.
What are the three main factors or agents that influence congresspeople in making their decisions?
constituency, interest groups, and political parties.
Can most bills start in either chamber of Congress?
most bills can but revenue bill must begin in house of representatives
Why does Congress often grant broad discretion to the executive branch in implementing a law?
the ability to issue an executive order confers enormous, unilateral power to the President
What is Congressional delegation?
Someone who communicates the ideas of or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level.
How many members are there in the House compared to the Senate?
100 serve in the U.S. Senate and 435 serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
What is the difference between treaties and executive agreements with foreign nations?
A treaty is carried on to the successive Presidents while an executive agreement has to be renegotiated every time.
What is logrolling?
An arrangement in which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other's bills.
Who is the leader of the Senate and how is he or she chosen?
Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell. elected by a majority vote of all the senators of their party assembled in a caucus.
Congressional leaders and the importance of committee assignments
Committees monitor on-going governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to the Senate.
Does Congress do the bulk of its work meeting as a whole or within various committees?
Congress divides its tasks among approximately 250 committees and subcommittees
Does Congress have independent specialized staff agencies?
Congress has created a number of independent agencies to help administer various aspects of the federal government's power and authority.
What were some basic changes that House Speaker Gingrich did?
House of welfare reform, capital gains tax cut in 1997. several government shutdowns, and impeached President Bill Clinton
Once similar bills are passed by both the House and the Senate, how do they work out the differences and form a unified bill?
Members from each house form a conference committee and meet to work out the differences
What are open rules and how can they affect a bills potential for being passed?
Open Rules permit the offering of any amendment that otherwise complies with House rules, and allows debate under the 5-minute rule.
What is the "bully pulpit"?
Teddy Roosevelt's reference to the White House as a "bully pulpit" meaning that he could use it as a platform to promote his agenda.
What is the presidential pocket veto?
The president's decision not to sign the legislation is a pocket veto and Congress does not have the opportunity to override. pocket veto cant be overruled by congress
What does it take for Congress to override a presidential veto?
a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.
What are congressional caucuses?
a group of members of the United States Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives.
What are some things that interest groups provide for congresspeople?
advocacy, policy formulation and membership support.
What is the State of the Union address?
every January or February the President talks about important issues facing Americans and offers his ideas on solving the nation's problems, including suggestions for new laws and policies.
What is agenda setting?
exclusive, concentrated in only the Speaker of the House and the majority leader of the Senate
Do congresspeople spend more time in Washington DC or in their home states and districts?
home states and districts
What is congressional oversight power?
it provides the legislative branch with an opportunity to inspect, examine, review and check the executive branch and its agencies.
Can Presidents directly propose laws in the House and Senate?
no
Do proposed bills need to be considered by the full House or Senate even if they were never reported out of a relevant committee?
no
Was Andrew Jackson the only Pres. who led the US troops in the field as President?
no George Washington did too
Have Executive Orders undermined the idea of checks and balances?
no because judicial branch can declare those acts unconstitutional.
Has Congressional delegation increased or undermined the power of the legislative branch compared to the executive branch?
no because the supreme court said "the legislative power of Congress cannot be delegated,"
What are veto gates?
points in the legislative process where a proposed bill can be defeated, so that it fails to become a law.
What is the Pres.'s appointment power?
power to appoint federal officials
What is the real beginning of a proposed law?
proposing a new law
Where does the Speaker of the House rank hierarchically in relation to the President?
speaker of the house is under the vice president
What are the minimal requirements to become President?
the president must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.
What is gatekeeping authority
the right and power to decide if a change in policy will be considered.
What is executive privilege?
the right to keep communications confidential to the presidency
Between House members and Senators, which group will act more like delegates and which group will act more like trustees?
trustees are senators delegates are house
What is the filibuster and which chamber has that option?
used in the U.S. Senate to delay or block a vote on a measure by preventing the debate on it from ending.
How important is party unity to the effectiveness of congressional party leadership?
very important because it affects the legislative process and whoever has more unity can push the agenda
What are congressional "whips" and what is their primary role?
whips are assistant leaders mainly responsible for counting heads and rounding up party members for votes and quorum calls, and they occasionally stand in for the majority or minority leaders in their absence.
Are Presidents usually considered the leader of their respective political party?
yes
Can Congressional leaders raise money to help their colleague's campaigns?
yes
Can the President legitimize a nation-state by formally receiving an ambassador from that state (country)?
yes
Do Congressional leaders have more access to the press and TV?
yes
Do Representatives pay the most attention to their constituents when they are actually voting on bills?
yes
Does the majority party in power in the respective chambers of Congress have significantly more power than the minority party?
yes
Generally speaking, the entire federal bureaucracy is part of the executive branch.
yes
Have Presidents assumed informal powers beyond the formal powers articulated in the Constitution?
yes
Have wars been fought without Congress actually declaring war?
yes
Is it harder to prove that interest groups have kept something out of a law than that they put something into it?
yes
When parties are weaker do representatives have more freedom to go rogue on some issues and votes?
yes
When the President and the majority of Congress are in the same party, does Congress usually follows the President's lead as far as the general policy agenda?
yes
How effective was the War Powers Resolution?
yes it prevents the president from making long-term troop commitments without congressional approval.
Do political parties matter when it comes to congressional leadership?
yes political parties provide Congress with organizational structure and discipline.
