us congress beyond legislative process— investigative and oversight roles of congressional...
TRANSCRIPT
US CongressBeyond Legislative Process—
Investigative and Oversight Roles of Congressional Committees
Purpose of Select/Special Committes
• ID Purpose, Scope and Types of Select Committees:
• List examples of historical select committees:
• List examples of current select committees:
Additional Role of Standing Committees– Outside of Legislative Process
• Define “ombudsman””
or alternative description……
THIS ROLE GENERATES SPECIFIC TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEMBERS (and staff), SIG’s, and Government Agencies
The Iron Triangle describes a relationship formed among government agencies, congressional
committees and interest groups who work together. .
Bureaucracy
Congress (specifically committees)
Interest Groups
All three groups work to satisfy each other’s needs.
Bureaucracy
Congress
Interest Groups
The Iron Triangle also includes “Government agencies” which are part of the bureaucracy.
Write the answers to these questions in your notes:
• Define interest group. Name one function
• Define committee. What is its function?
• What is the bureaucracy? What is it function?
What role does Congress play in the Iron Triangle?
What role do Interest Groups play in the Iron Triangle?
What role does the Bureaucracy play in the Iron Triangle?
Putting it all together…summarize the role that Congress, Interest Groups and the Bureaucracy play
in the Iron Triangle.
Real life examples . . . Small Business Committee
(House and Senate)
U.S. Chamber of Commerce:
Small Business Nation
Small Business Administration
Similar to the idea of the Iron Triangle is an Issue Network…
An issue network is a network of people- interest groups, congressional committees, government
agencies, the media ,think tanks, White House aids, universities- who regularly discuss and advocate
public policies.
So what’s the difference between an Iron Triangle and an Issue Network?
Iron Triangle• Relationships only benefit
the 3 participants by perusing a favorable policy for the interest group
• The policy may come at the expense of the general public
Issue Network• Seek to support public
interests (wide ranging constituency), not private ones
• Could work against Iron Triangles by opposing policy pushed by an interest group and enacted by the government
Iron Triangle Activity
Now, you’ll research an iron triangle. Pick one that interests you:
Choice 1: Military- Industrial ComplexHouse and Senate committees on Armed ServicesDefense Contractors- RaytheonDepartment of Defense
Choice 2: Gun Policy/RightsHouse and Senate Judiciary Committee (Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism)National Rifle AssociationU.S. Department of Justice (ATF)
Choice 3: Social Security/The ElderlySenate Special Committee on AgingAmerican Association of Retired People (AARP)Social Security Administration
Journal 1: Iron Triangle• Part 1- Congressional Committee
– What is the purpose/jurisdiction of the committee? – Look at the members of the committee. Who has the majority? Are there any
particular groups of states represented on the committee that have an interest in this topic?
– What special interests are affected by this committee? • Part 2- Bureaucratic Agency
– What is the purpose of this agency? What does it regulate? • Part 3- Interest Group
– What is the purpose of this interest group? What is its “Interest”? – Go to the website “Open Secrets.” How much money has this organization
given to politicians/PACs? Who have they lobbied?• Part 4- Iron Triangle
– Construct an Iron Triangle based upon the information you researched. Label the triangle and arrows between the corners, showing how the groups satisfy each other’s needs.
Rubric for Iron Triangle ActivityLevel 4:
Ideas are detailed and reflect a complete understanding of the material.Level 3:
Meets all requirements for task (responds to all prompts correctly and completely)
Ideas are easily understood, thorough, and accurate; you include important details
Level 2:Meets most requirements for task
Ideas are understandable, but may be overly general or incomplete; response may contain repetitive or unessential information
Level 1:Meets few requirements for task (incomplete or does not respond to prompts directly)Ideas are hard to understand, or show major misunderstandings; details may be too general, irrelevant or incomplete