Unit 5: The U.S. Congress

Enumerated Powers of Congress (Article I, section 8)

- lay and collect taxes, duties, imports - declare war - regulate interstate and international commerce (commerce clause) - establish rules of naturalization - coin money - set the standard of weights and measures - establish post offices and post roads - override a veto - create courts lower than the Supreme court

filibuster

-tactic used by opponents of a bill -unlimited debate as a way to prevent the Senate from ever voting on a bill

conference committee

2nd most important committee, formed when the senate and house pass different versions of the same bill

cloture

60 (3/5s) members vote to halt a filibuster, results in an immediate "as is" vote on the bill

B

A "cloture motion" passed in the Senate does which of the following? A) Returns a bill to committee. B) Cuts off debate on a bill. C) Criticizes a senator guilty of improprieties. D) Removes a President who has been impeached by the House. E) Brings a bill directly to a vote without formal committee approval. Related Content & Skills

D

A member of the United States Senate, Jane Smith, personally opposes a bill that calls for a single-payer system of healthcare, in contrast to the majority of her constituency, who are in favor of the legislation. Based on the trustee model of constituent accountability, which of the following actions will Senator Smith most likely take when it is time to vote on the piece of legislation? A) Vote for the bill according to the desires of her constituency. B) Vote for the bill to win favor with her party leadership C) Vote against the bill to maximize support from interest groups that support her reelection campaign. D) Vote against the bill according to her own conscience, which may cause her to lose support among her constituents.

C) Speaker of the House

A new president has been elected after running on a campaign of lowering taxes and reducing spending on discretionary programs but now must work with Congress to ensure legislation passes which achieves those goals. Which of the leaders in the diagram plays the most crucial role in shaping the legislation that the president wants passed? A) President pro-tempore B) Vice president C) Speaker of the House D) House majority leader

C) An increase in gridlock and failure to compromise on legislation

Based on the data, which of the following is the most likely consequence for the legislative process in Congress? A) More competitive races for House seats in the general election B) A decrease in party-line voting on important legislation introduced in the House C) An increase in gridlock and failure to compromise on legislation D) Greater cooperation between Congress and the president on nominations

A) The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party.

Based on your knowledge and the diagram, which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress? A) The role of the minority leader in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party. B) The vice president is responsible for creating and setting the legislative agenda for the Senate. C) The Speaker of the House has very little power to control members of the majority party in the House of Representatives. D)The majority leaders in both chambers work to ensure that a bipartisan agenda is passed in the Congress.

C

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally. This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy. The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty. Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. . . . It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. -George Washington's Farewell Address, 1796 Which of the following scenarios illustrates Washington's concerns? A) An increasing number of voters are not turning out to vote in elections. B) Federalism can lead to different public policy outcomes between states. C) Ideological divisions within Congress can lead to partisan gridlock. D) Members of the press fail to report on the illegal activities of certain members of the bureaucracy.

D) the United States House of Representatives

The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in A) A White House budget resolution B) the Congressional Budget Office C) the United States Senate D) the United States House of Representatives E) the Office of Management and Budget

false

The framers intended for Congress to have the capacity to react quickly to problems of national interest and develop near instantaneous solutions. True False

B

To get an important bill passed in the House, a provision is added that allocates $500 million to study the impact of global climate change on manatees in Florida. This is an example of A) the free rider problem B) pork barrel legislation C) an issue network D) gerrymandering

House

Unique Power of Senate or House? Bring impeachment charges against federal employees

Senate

Unique Power of Senate or House? Confirm presidential executive & judicial nominations

House

Unique Power of Senate or House? If electoral college lacks a majority (270), this chamber chooses the president

House

Unique Power of Senate or House? Initiate ALL revenue bills (taxes)

Senate

Unique Power of Senate or House? Ratify all Treaties

Senate

Unique Power of Senate or House? Try impeachment hearings

Senate

Unique Power of Senate or House? All Actions that impact state government

-Bills of Attainder ( laws that find ppl guilty of a crime and sentence them to prison) -Ex Post Facto Laws (punish ppl for actions that occurred before the behavior was made criminal)

What is Congress not allowed to pass?

members agree to just set the bill aside and move on to the next item (kill the bill)

What is the goal of a filibuster?

Revenue bills

What type of bill specifically must begin in the House?

committees

Where does most of the legislative business of Congress occur?

The House

Which chamber is more institutionalized? (more rules)

The Senate

Which chamber was meant to protect elite and state interests?

C

Which of the following accurately describes the composition of congressional committees? A) Committees are organized by the executive branch to ensure that both branches can communicate and negotiate policy goals. B) The United States Constitution requires that Congress organize itself into committees, with each party having equal access to committee seats. C) Committees are organized by the majority party to maintain control of the policy-making process. D) Committees are organized by state delegations so that each state has some role in deciding which bills get passed.

C

Which of the following best reflects the holding in the case Baker v. Carr (1962) ? A) Declared that racial gerrymandering was a violation of the due process clause. B) Stated that the Tenth Amendment exclusively reserves the power to review congressional districts to the states. C) Created a one-person, one-vote standard for reviewing congressional districts. D) Stated that the Seventeenth Amendment requires regular review of the constitutionality of congressional districts.

C

Which of the following is an example of a power exclusively granted to the Senate in Article II of the Constitution? A) Declaring war B) Overriding a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority veto C) Confirming ambassadors D) Creating spending bills

C

Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation? Responses A) The NAACP leadership sends representatives to Washington to lobby for changes to the Voting Rights Act. B) Congress passes a bill allocating money to clean up nuclear waste sites after a wave of large-scale peaceful protests. C) A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt. D) A presidential candidate advocates using an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors.

pork barrel

Winning federal projects, grants, etc. for their home district or state

closed

a bill's supporters generally prefer a ______________ rule, which severely limits floor debate and amendments

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

advises Congress in the budget evaluates likely economic effects of different spending programs provides analysis on the costs of proposed policies

General Accounting Office (GAO)

audits the money spent by executive departments called for assistance with an oversight hearing to investigate an agency

select committee

committee appointed for a limited time for a limited purpose (ex. after watergate and 9-11)

joint committee

committee that draws their membership from both reps and senators (only exist in a few policy areas such as taxation and economy)

Reapportionment

designates the number of seats in the house assigned to each state, handled by congress after the census

-Development and approval of government policies -providing necessary funds to execute law: appropriations (power of the purse) -oversight of the executive bureaucracy

major functions of Congress?

earmarks

members of Congress insert into very important bills special funding for their own region

logrolling (reciprocity)

members trading legislative votes

legislative oversight

monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy through committee hearings

discharge petition

must be signed by 218 members to bring a bill to the floor

President Pro Tempore (Senate)

not required by the constitution but developed because the VP was a no show leads during floor discussions, little power over the party agenda most senior member with the Majority party

pork barrel legislation

one of the most important forms of patronage

open

opponents of a bill prefer a ______________ rule, which permits lengthier, potentially damaging floor debate & makes it easier to add amendments that may cripple the bill or weaken its chances of passage

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

part of the library of Congress responds to congressional requests for information does not recommend policy, but provides background research also tracks the status of every major bill before Congress

standing committee

permanent and most important committee

safe seats

protected by district lines , historically held by one party, difficult to defeat the incumbent

gerrymandering

redrawing congressional voting districts in bizarre shapes that are not contiguous (ONLY IMPACTS THE HOUSE)

Politico View (Type of Legislative Voting)

refers to a role played by elected reps who act as trustee or as delegates, depending on the issue; playing politics

Trustee View (Type of Legislative Voting)

refers to a role played by elected reps who listen to constituents' opinions and then use their best judgement to make a final decision

Delegate View (Type of Legislative Voting)

refers to a role played by elected reps who vote the way their constituents want them to, regardless of their own opinion

House Rules Committee

sets floor debate rules for a bill; plays a key role in agenda setting

constituency services

specifically helping constituents with difficulties relating to the federal government (also called casework)

women

the most underrepresented demographic in Congress is...

House Rules Committee and House Ways & Means Committee

the two really important House committees are

House Ways and Means Committee

unique and powerful committee that drafts tax legislation

did they even read the bill? do the congressman actually know what they are signing and are they well educated on it?

what are concerns with logrolling?

basically buried in the stack of bills and doesn't become priority

what does it mean if a bill is "pigeonholed"? (most bills are)

in committee

where do most bills die?

the Senate

which chamber is more deliberative?

the Senate

who does gerrymandering not affect?

individual state legislatures

who draws each congressional districts?