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The First Branch of The First Branch of GovernmentGovernment
The United States Congress
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3 types of behavior3 types of behavior
Advertising– Nobody’s senator but yours
Credit claiming– Has to be credible– Pork barreling; casework
Position taking– Inherently costly
http://www.house.gov
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A Map of CongressA Map of Congress
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CongressCongress is bicameral is bicameral
Bicameral (House and Senate) – different time perspectives – different rules and norms
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Senate and HouseSenate and House
Senate– 6 year terms– 100, prestige– More moderate– generalists– Individuals senators
are powerful
House– 2 year terms– 435– More partisan– specialists– Most individual Reps
are not important
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Bicameralism: Two Bicameralism: Two EqualEqual ChambersChambers
House• 435 members• Citizen representation• 2 year terms• Hierarchical• Partisan• Committees and leaders dominate• Speaker and Rules Committee
Senate• 100 members• State representation• 6 year terms• Collegial• Less partisan• Members mattermore• Filibuster
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Effect of Effect of BicameralismBicameralism
Fragmentation– Geography– 435 and 100 people sharing power
What would policy be like if Congress was unicameral and elected in at large elections?
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Congressional Staff Congressional Staff
Authorized Budget per Legislator – House = $570,000 – Senate = $2.3 million
free mailings to districts. 54$ million in 1946; $2.2 billion in 1994.
659% increase controlled for inflation.House Staff 870 in 1930, 7,400 in 1993
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How aHow aBillBill
Doesn’tDoesn’tBecomeBecomea Law—a Law—
Congress Congress as a law-as a law-
defeating, defeating, not not
lawmaking lawmaking institutioninstitution
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What does Congress do?What does Congress do?
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What does Congress do?What does Congress do?
http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d106/hot-subj.html
21 bills on defense economics27 bills on taxationonly 46 Major Bills Enacted Into Law This
Congress
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Congressional CommitteesCongressional Committees
W. Wilson, Congress in Committees is Congress at work
What do Committees do– Hold hearings– Write legislation– Exercise oversight
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CommitteesCommittees
International Relations CommitteeAgriculture Committee
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Features of CommitteesFeatures of Committees
19 committees, 84 subcommittees Division of labor Fixed membership Fixed jurisdiction, like a monopoly Legislative Specialization Manage flow of legislative business Importance of seniority http://clerk.house.gov/committee_info/index.html
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Committee MembershipCommittee Membership
Determined by Political Parties Guided by members’ seniority and
preference Preferences based on constituency needs to
better chances of reelection
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Policy Consequences of Policy Consequences of CommitteesCommittees
PROs– more opportunities for credit claiming – Facilitate specialization serve institutional
policy needs
Cons– reinforces fragmentation – Encourages log-rolling
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Congressional CommitteesCongressional Committees
W. Wilson, Congress in Committees is Congress at work
What do Committees do– Hold hearings– Write legislation– Exercise oversight– http://commerce.senate.gov/public/ – http://energy.senate.gov/public/
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Congressional Congressional LeadershipLeadership
House Speaker: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) http://speaker.house.gov/ http://www.dems.gov/
Minority Leader: John Boehner- http://republicanleader.house.gov/
House GOP Conference http://www.gop.gov/web/
guest/home
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Senate LeadershipSenate Leadership
Majority Leader: Harry Reid (R-NV)Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell (R-
KY)
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Leadership and PartiesLeadership and Parties
Party caucuses– Elect leaders and committee chairs– structure the workings of Congress– Develop common policy positions– Weaker in senate than House
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Leadership powersLeadership powers
Control committee appointmentsRefer bills to committeesControl Rules Committee
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According to Sinclair, why is the House more likely to pass major legislation than the Senate?
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Party Discipline and VotingParty Discipline and Voting
US Congress – rose to near 70% in 1996
UK Parliament --90% German Bundestag -- 98%
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Evaluating LeadershipEvaluating Leadership
More useful for what they are not than what they are– 1994 Freedom to Farm Act
No SanctionsDo not do anything to undermine the
electoral needs of members
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Criticisms of CongressCriticisms of Congress
Process– Lengthy and inefficient– Favor policy minorities
Results– Members focus on getting constituency
benefits, NAFTA– Process of bad legislation- ESEA, EDA
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Why do we hate congress, but Why do we hate congress, but love our love our
senator/representativesenator/representative Evaluate Congress by collective standardsEvaluate Senator/Representative in
representative termStandards are mutually exclusive
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Representation vs. Representation vs. LawmakingLawmaking
Congress plays two important roles– Lawmaking or getting things done– Representation or Legitimacy- airing points of
view
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Impact on Institutions Impact on Institutions
Congress is a reelection machine. Mayhew-- "If a group of planner sat down
and tried to design a pair of American national assemblies with the goal of serving members' electoral needs year in and year out, they would be hard pressed to improve on what exists."