How Congress WorksPart I

Who’s in Congress?

House-Senate Differences House

• 435 members; 2 yr terms• Low turnover• Speaker bill referral hard

to challenge• Scheduling/rules

controlled by majority party with powerful Rules Committee (controls time of debate, amends., etc)

Senate• 100 members; 6 yr terms• Moderate turnover• Referral decisions easily

challenged• Scheduling/rules agreed

to by majority & minority leaders

House-Senate Differences

House• Debate limited to 1

hour• Members policy

specialists• Emphasizes tax &

revenue policy• More formal &

impersonal

Senate• Unlimited debate

unless cloture invoked• Members policy

generalists• Emphasizes foreign

policy• More informal &

personal

Party Leadership in Congress

Role of Political Parties

• Not mentioned in the Constitution!!!!!!!!!!!!• Majority party is the party with the most votes,

the minority party has the 2nd most votes• The majority party:

– Chooses the Speaker of the House/Senate Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore

– Holds committee chairs and majority on committees• House Rules Committee**********

– Sets the legislative agenda in each of the chambers

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE• Chosen by majority party• Chief presiding officer (constitutionally) of the

House AND 2nd in line for the presidency• Decides whom to recognize to speak on the floor• Rules on germaneness of motions• Decides to which committee bills go• Schedules bills for action• Appoints members of special and select

committees• Has some patronage power

JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Crab Night

HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER

• Chosen by majority party• Assists Speaker• Plans party’s legislative program• Steers important bills through the House• Party leader

KEVIN McCARTHY (R-CA)

HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP

• Party floor leader• Keeps close watch on how majority

members intend to vote• Attempts to influence voting

STEVE SCALISE (R-LA)

But it could be this guy…

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER

• Party leader for the minority party• Performs similar tasks to House Majority

Leader• Has no power over scheduling work in

the House

NANCY PELOSI (D-CA)Former Speaker of the House – first female to hold that office

HOUSE MINORITY WHIP

• Assists party minority leader• Keeps close watch on how minority

members intend to vote• Attempts to influence voting

STENY HOYER (D-MD)

President of the Senate

• Vice-President of the United States• Elected in general presidential election• Chief presiding officer (constitutionally)

of the Senate• Cannot participate in floor debate• Casts vote only in case of tie

JOE BIDEN (D-DE)Also holds a part-time job as Vice-

President of the United States…

President Pro-Tempore

• Chosen by majority party; often most senior member (longest service)

• Presides over Senate in absence of vice-president

• More about prestige than power• 3rd in line of presidential succession…which

is kinda scary…

President This GuyThe late Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) – age 92

ORRIN HATCH (R-UT)

Senate Majority Leader

• Chosen by majority party• Holds the actual power in the Senate• Steers party’s bills through Senate• Plans Senate’s work schedule in

consultation with Minority Leader• Makes sure majority members attend

important sessions

MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY)

Senate Majority Whip

• Chosen by majority party• Assists Majority Leader• Rounds up members for key votes• Heads group of deputy whips

JOHN CORNYN (R-TX)

Senate Minority Leader

• Chosen by minority party• Minority party leader in Senate• Develops criticisms of bills from majority

party• Consults with Majority Leader re:

Senate’s work schedule • Tries to keep members working together

HARRY REID (D-NV)

Senate Minority Whip

• Chosen by minority party• Assists Minority Leader• Rounds up members for key votes• Heads group of deputy whips

DICK DURBIN (D-IL)

Strength of Party Structure?

• Measure of party strength: 1. Ability of leaders to control party rules

and organization2. Extent to which party members vote

together in the House and Senate• Senate: less party-centered and leader

oriented

• Party polarization - vote in which majority of democrats oppose majority of republicans

Nolan McCarty, Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal (PolarizedAmerica.com) have charted the trends from Reconstruction through 2010

CAUCUSES

• Groups (may be bipartisan) meeting to pursue common legislative objectives

• Rivals to parties in policy formulation• Examples: Democratic Study Group, Congressional

Black Caucus, Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Human Rights, Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Out of Iraq Caucus, Rural Caucus, Travel & Tourism Caucus, House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children

"Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work.”- Woodrow Wilson

COMMITTEES– Committee assignments help members get

reelected, gain influence, and make policy.• House committee members tend to develop expertise in

their policy area more so than Senators

– Some committees are “more equal” than others.

– New members express committee preferences to party leaders.

– Those who have supported their party’s leadership are favored in the selection process as parties try to grant committee preferences.

COMMITTEES

– Committee Chair – Dominant role in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills on the floor.

– Seniority System – Members who have served on the committee the longest and whose party is the chamber majority become chair.• Replaced by elections, but seniority is still the

norm

Legislative Committees

Function and Purpose

Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose

1. Consider bills (a.k.a. “mark-up” bills)Most bills die in committee where they are pigeonholed or buried

Bills can be forced out of committee with a discharge petition signed by a majority of House members

Some bills are sent to floor for a vote, usually with a recommendation

Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose

2. Maintain oversight of executive agencies

Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing re: the Department of Defense Budget (May, 2006)

Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose

3. Conduct investigations

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Hurricane Katrina (Feb., 2006

Types of Committees

Standing Committees - full legislative functions and oversight responsibilities specific policy areas– Subcommittees – formed to tackle very specific

tasks within the jurisdiction of the full committees Select or Special Committees - groups appointed for a

limited purpose and limited duration Joint Committees - includes members of both

chambers to conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks

Conference Committee - includes members of House & Senate to work out differences between similar bills

Standing Committees

House Standing CommitteesAgricultureAppropriationsArmed ServicesBudgetEducation & the WorkforceEnergy & CommerceEthicsFinancial ServicesHomeland SecurityHouse AdministrationIntelligence

JudiciaryNatural ResourcesOversight & Government

ReformRulesScience, Space, &

TechnologySmall BusinessTransportation &

InfrastructureVeterans AffairsWays & Means

House Rules Committee• The Rules Committee is controlled by the Speaker of

the House, it serves as the Speaker’s “right arm” or traffic cop

• Sets guidelines for floor debate• Places a bill on the legislative calendar• Determines what, if any, amendments will be permitted• Establishes time limits for debate

• Open Rule – less strict time limits for debate and allows amendments from the floor

• Closed Rule – strict time limits on debates and does not permit amendments from the floor

House Committee on Ways & Means

• One of the most desired committee appointments

• Has jurisdiction on all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures

• Members of the Ways and Means Committee cannot serve on any other House committees

Senate Standing Committees

Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry

AppropriationsArmed ServicesBanking, Housing, & Urban

AffairsBudgetCommerce, Science,

TransportationEnergy & Natural ResourcesEnvironment and Public

Works

FinanceForeign RelationsHealth, Education, Labor &

PensionsHomeland Security &

Governmental AffairsJudiciaryRules and AdministrationSmall Business and

EntrepreneurshipVeterans Affairs

Special, Select Committees

Select Committee on Ethics

Select Committee on Intelligence

Special Committee on Aging

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee during a hearing on the Benghazi attacks.

Joint Committees

• Joint Economic Committee• Joint Committee on the Library• Joint Committee on Printing• Joint Committee on Taxation• Special joint committees are formed when

the Congress feels it is necessary– Select Committee on Energy Independence

and Global Warming

Congressional Staff Agencies• Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

– analyzes the president’s budget – makes economic projections about the performance of the

economy, the costs of proposed policies, and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives.

• Congressional Research Service (CRS), administered by the Library of Congress. – The CRS uses researchers, many with advanced degrees and

highly developed expertise, to respond to more than 250,000 requests yearly for information.

• General Accounting Office (GAO)– reviews the activities of the executive branch to see if it is following

the congressional intent of laws– investigates the efficiency & effectiveness of policy implementation.

Congressional Oversightover the executive branch

• Senate must confirm cabinet nominees• Sets guidelines for bureaucratic agencies• Holds hearings and investigations on executive

branch actions• Has control over the budget• Can reorganize bureaucratic agencies• Evaluates bureaucratic agency programs• ONLY CONGRESS CAN DECLARE WAR

Title: Resolution Artist: Bob GorrellDate: 12/28/06 Source: http://www.gorrellart.com/

Artist: R.J. Matson, New York Observer & Roll CallDate: 1/18/07Source: http://www.cagle.com