congress self-assessment questions - unit 2a review

According to Madison, what effect does a bicameral legislature have on the policymaking process?

"No law or resolution can now be passed without the concurrence, first, of a majority of the people, and then, of a majority of the States. It must be acknowledged that this complicated check on legislation may in some instances be injurious as well as beneficial..."

Describe the gerrymandering techniques, cracking and packing.

"cracking" (i.e. diluting the voting power of the opposing party's supporters across many districts) and "packing" (concentrating the opposing party's voting power in one district to reduce their voting power in other districts).

Identify 3 types of laws that Congress is able to make as a result of the necessary and proper clause.

- Set a minimum wage (regulate commerce) -Punish tax evasion (levy and collect taxes) -Draft an army (to raise an army and navy)

Identify two redistricting practices that are unconstitutional.

-Can't dilute minority voting strength. -Can't be drawn based only on race.

Identify 3 enumerated powers of Congress.

1. Collect taxes, pay debts, and provide for the common defense of the U.S. 2.Borrow money 3. Regulate Commerce (Commerce Clause)

Identify two differences in the roles of the House and Senate.

1. Senators represent their entire states, but members of the House represent individual districts. 2.The House elects a Speaker who exerts great control. The Speaker is in charge of the calendar (what bills are debated and when that occurs) and influences the House Rules Committee in deciding the legislation to be considered. The Senate does not have a position similar to Speaker. In the Senate, the majority and minority leaders generally work together in consultation with all members to determine the schedule.

How many Senators are there?

100 (2 per state)

How long is the term for a Representative?

2 years

How many members of the House of Representatives are there?

435

How long is the term for a Senator?

6 years

Explain why the number of filibusters has dramatically increased in recent decades.

As partisanship grew senators turned to the filibuster more frequently in an effort to stand in the way of the majority party.

Why do some people argue that partisan gerrymandering impedes democracy?

Because its not giving everyone a fair chance to vote and actually impact the outcome.

Why are independent agencies given administrative discretion by Congress?

Because laws may not be detailed or specific enough to apply to an individual action.

Why might some argue that it is a good strategy for the opposing party to always oppose the president?

By working together and opposing the President they could win the broader messaging war.

Name one of the Senators representing this state.

Christopher Van Hollen

Describe the merit system and the civil service.

Civil service, also known as the merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections.

Describe how congressional oversight empowers Congress over bureaucratic agencies.

Congress creates bureaucratic agencies and departments and enables them, especially through funding, to implement laws on a daily basis. It also exercises oversight to make sure that the bureaucracy is doing its job properly and efficiently.

Who is the Representative for this congressional district?

David Trone

What is another term for enumerated?

Expressed

Should it be okay to draw districts specifically to hurt minority representation? To increase minority representation?

Gerrymandering should be used to increase minority representation not hurt minority representation.

Why would an anti-federalist likely be horrified by the 17th Amendment?

Having the state legislatures elect the senators reassured anti-federalists that there would be some protection against the federal government's swallowing up states and their powers, and providing a check on the power of the federal government. And the 17th amendment abolished that by having the people vote on there states senator.

In your opinion, should partisan gerrymandering be allowed?

I think it should be allowed because it is used to help a specific political party which is a strategy political parties can use to help themselves so I think its fair.

Describe the pressure that increased entitlement spending is putting on the federal budget.

In the effort to balance the national budget, the government must reduce other spending if one area is in high demand. Since entitlement spending is required to be funded by congress, discretionary spending must be cut, but this requires prioritizing necessities like defense and education, which can be extremely difficult. Programs are bound to be cut, which will leave supporters extremely dissatisfied and upset; there is no way to cut programs and please everyone.

Identify a difference between cabinet departments and independent regulatory commissions.

Independent agencies closely resemble Cabinet departments, but they are smaller and less complex. Generally, they have narrower areas of responsibility than do Cabinet departments. Most of these agencies are not free from presidential control and are independent only in the sense that they are not part of a department.

How could the different constituencies lead to differences in formality and rules?

It could lead to a difference in rules because The Senate is more involved than the House in cultivating national constituencies, forming questions for national debate, and gaining general public support for policy proposals.

What argument could a person make in favor of having nonpartisan independent commissions take over redistricting?

It would remove the bias from the line-drawing process.

Describe the difference between discretionary and mandatory spending.

Mandatory: Spending authorized by law that continues without the need for annual approval by congress (SOCIAL SECURITY) Discretionary: Spending that must be approved by congress in the annual budgetary process (NATIONAL DEFENSE SPENDING)

What landmark Supreme Court decision held that the necessary and proper clause grants Congress has implied powers?

McCulloch v. Maryland

Identify 2 reasons the House of Representatives considered to be closer to the people than the Senate.

Members of the House of Representatives have to run for reelection every two years, unlike the Senate who has to run every six years. Because of the short time that the members of the House are in congress, they can hear more ideas from the people and try to put them into action. Also, due to the large number of people in the House of Representatives, one would believe that these member are closer to the people and listen to what they have to say.

Who is the current president of the Senate?

Mike Pence

Who is the current Senate Majority Leader?

Mitch McConnell

Who is the current Speaker of the House?

Nancy Pelosi

Do members in Congress from the president's party have an obligation to support policies that the president supports?

No.

Describe one effect of divided government.

Separations encourage more policing of those in power by the opposition, as well as limiting spending and the expansion of undesirable laws.

Identify one congressional power that belongs solely to the Senate.

The Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials

Describe the difference in constituencies of the House and Senate and how this can affect policy making.

The Senate is designed to represent states equally, while the House is designed to represent their district. This affects policy making because the constituents all have different viewpoints that they would want to be represented by the candidate they elect. So the policies that would be brought up / passed would be the ones that the constituents believe in.

Following the 17th Amendment, who is a Senator's constituency?

The people are now the Senator's constituency.

What is reapportionment?

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Describe the role of the Committee of the Whole in the House.

The purpose of a committee of the whole is to relax the usual limits on debate, allowing a more open exchange of views without the urgency of a final vote. Debates in a committee of the whole may be recorded but are often excluded from the assembly's minutes.

Why do you think the House is more formal and rules based than the Senate?

The size of each chamber causes the difference. The House of Representatives has 435 members and the Senate has only 100 members. Since the House is more than four times larger than the Senate, it would be difficult to operate without strict rules.

Which is considered the Upper House and which is considered the Lower House of Congress?

The upper house is the Senate, and the lower house is the House of Representatives.

Why might some people argue that gerrymandering is undemocratic?

The would argue that it is undemocratic and unfair because it's basically having the state legislator decide the outcome of the election more than the people are.

Identify one way presidents can influence an agency.

They can influence an agency by appointing agency directors and subheads (with Senate approval) issuing executive orders compelling an agency to do/not do something. increasing or decreasing an agency's budget (through the Office of Management and Budget)

Why might this sometimes be "beneficial?" (16)

This could be beneficial because it allows for laws to go through the long process which allows for fairness and lots of consideration of the bill and how it will affect people.

At other times, why may this "be injurious?" (16)

This could be injurious because it now takes such a long time for a bill to be considered and processed and the chances of a bill you may want to be passed are slim.

How does congressional redistricting show the importance of state elections?

This shows that some states don't have as many representatives so seats can become more competitive and there may be new seats or less seats to elect people

Under the original Constitution, who was a Senator's constituency, and who was a Representative's constituency?

Under the original constitution the state legislators were the Senator's constituency and the people were the Representative's constituency.

While a simple majority is enough to pass a bill in both the House and Senate, why are 60 votes really needed in the Senate for controversial legislation?

Without 60 votes, any senator can block most bills using a procedure known as the filibuster.

Is it okay for the opposing party to decide to oppose everything the president proposes, even if they aren't actually against that particular policy?

Yes.

Identify the holding in Shaw v. Reno (1993).

a landmark United States Supreme Court case in the area of redistricting and racial gerrymandering. The court ruled in a 5-4 decision that redistricting based on race must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause.

Identify the facts of Baker v. Carr (1962).

a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question, thus enabling federal courts to hear redistricting cases.

Describe the politico model of representation.

an official who represents the view of both the people and themselves.

Describe one criticism of the bureaucracy.

promotes excessive rules, regulations, and paperwork.

What is the role of government corporations?

provide a market-oriented public service and to produce revenues that meet or approximate its expenditures.

Who is in charge of congressional redistricting?

state legislatures