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11 Congress


The Representatives and

Senators

11.1


The Members

Not glamorous job? Perks Power

$174,000 annual salary

Generous retirement and health benefits

Constitutional requirements House: 25, citizen for 7 years

Senate: 30, citizen for 9 years

Reside in state

435 Representatives; 100 senators

11.1


TABLE 11.1 Portrait of the 114th Congress 11.1

Differences - House and Senate

The House

• Represent narrow constituencies

• more organized, with centralized authority

• members have a greater policy specialization

• generally quicker to act

• stronger rules

• stronger parties and committees

The Senate

• Represent broader, statewide constituencies

• less organized, more collegial

• more individualistic

• senators tend to be “generalists”

• more deliberative

Representation Styles

Trustees

Act based on their own judgments when they disagree with their constituents.

Senators

Delegates

Closely follow and act on the preferences of their constituents.

House


Why Aren’t There More

Women in Congress?

Fewer women running Childcare

Risk averse

Bias Must be more qualified

11.1


11.1 How old do you have to be to run

for the office of senator?

a. 25

b. 35

c. 30

d. 21

11.1


Congressional Elections 11.2


Incumbents Over 90% win reelection in House

Senators do not have it as easy

Incumbents perceive themselves as

vulnerable Hence fundraising and campaigning

Who Wins Elections? 11.2


FIGURE 11.1 Incumbency factor in

congressional elections

11.2


The Advantages of

Incumbency

Advertising Constituent contact

Credit claiming Casework

Pork barrel projects

11.2


Advantages of Incumbency

Position taking

Weak opponents

Campaign spending

11.2

Challengers are naïve But sometimes incumbents are vulnerable

Redistricting

Public mood


Open Seats and Stability and

Change

Vacant seat means no incumbent running Most turnover occurs here

Stability from incumbency Development of expertise

Term limits?

11.2

Incumbency Effect Careerism in Congress –

Drastic reduction in membership turnover

Incumbency –

Powerful predictor of electoral success

Experience/Fundraising

Voting Records


The Role of Party

Identification

Parties and districts Drawn for one-party dominance

11.2


11.2 Why do incumbents have such a

strong electoral advantage?

a. They attract more campaign contributions

b. They can use the congressional franking

privilege

c. They have more name recognition

d. All of the above

11.2


How Congress is Organized to

Make Policy

11.3


American Bicameralism

Bicameral legislature Bills must pass both houses

Checks and balances

Result of Connecticut Compromise

The House More institutionalized and seniority-based

Rules Committee

The Senate The Filibuster

Less centralized and seniority-based

11.3


TABLE 11.2 House versus Senate: Some key

differences

11.3


Congressional Leadership

Chosen by party

The House Speaker of the House

Majority and minority leaders

Whips

The Senate Vice president

Majority leader

Congressional Leadership in Perspective

11.3


Congressional Leadership 11.3

J. Scott Applewhite/AP Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images;

Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Senate

• President Pro Tempore

– Constitution

– Ceremonial leadership

• Majority party’s most senior member

• Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah

• First elected to the Senate in 1976

• Appointed January 6, 2015

Whip System • Communications network

– Poll members - voting intentions on bills

• Conveys wishes of leaders in Congress

– Sometimes applying pressure.

– Helps maintain party unity

• Between 12 and 20 assistant whips selected according to geographic zone.


The Committees and

Subcommittees

Four types of committees Standing committees

Joint committees

Conference committees

Select committees

11.3


TABLE: 11.3 Standing committees in the

Senate and in the House

11.3

Important Congressional Committees • House of Representatives

– Rules Committee • Order of bills for a vote

– Ways & Means • Tax legislation, SSN, trade

– Appropriations • 13 revenue bills

• Senate – Intelligence

• CIA, Defense, Homeland

– Homeland Security • Civil Service and national

security

Committee Leaders

• Committee Chairs

– Majority of committee vote for chairmen

• Usually most senior committee members of majority party.

• Ranking Committee Members

– Senior member of minority party serving on committee.

• Consults with Chairman deciding committee business.


The Committees and

Subcommittees

The Committees at work: Legislation

The Committees at work: Oversight

11.3


TABLE 11.4 Sharing oversight of homeland

security

11.3


Getting on a committee Constituent needs

Appealing to leadership

Committee chairs and the seniority system

Committees and

Subcommittees

11.3


Caucuses: The Informal

Organization of Congress

As important as formal structure

Dominated by caucuses 500 caucuses today

Goal is to promote their interests

Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus

11.3

Informal Organizations • Caucuses

– Senators or representatives who share certain opinions, interests, or social characteristics.

• Examples – Liberal Democratic Study

Group

– Conservative Democratic Forum

– Travel and Tourism Caucus

– Steel Caucus

– Congressional Black Caucus

– Hispanic Caucus


Congressional Staff

Personal staff Casework

Legislative functions

Committee staff 2,000 staff members

Legislative oversight

11.3

Staff Agencies

• Provide legislative branch with resources and expertise independent of executive branch

• Oversee administrative agencies and evaluate presidential programs and proposals.

• Congressional Research Service – Research facts and competing arguments relevant to policy proposals.

• Government Accountability Office – Investigate financial and administrative affairs of any government

agency or office.

• Congressional Budget Office – Assess economic implications and costs of federal programs.


11.3 How many staff members does

Congress employ to help it do its job?

a. More than 11,000

b. 3,200

c. Less than 2,000

d. Staff are volunteers from the member’s

constituency, and their numbers vary

11.3


11.3 How many staff members does

Congress employ to help it do its job?

a. More than 11,000

b. 3,200

c. Less than 2,000

d. Staff are volunteers from the member’s

constituency and their numbers vary

11.3


The Congressional Process

and Decision Making

11.4


FIGURE 11.2 How a bill becomes a law 11.4

Legislative Process • Typical congressional session

– Close to 8,000 bills are introduced.

– 85% to 90% “die in committee”

• All revenue bills start in House of Representatives

• HR - “normally” 13 Appropriation bills passed each fiscal year.

• Omnibus bills includes all bills in one vote.

• Bills often drafted to be inclusive – Spread the benefits widely among beneficiaries

– Principle of “distributive tendency.”

• “Christmas Tree” Bill. – Everyone gets something


Presidents and Congress:

Partners and Protagonists

President’s legislative agenda Persuade Congress

Work at the margins but usually win

Yet Congress is quite independent

11.4


Party, Constituency, and

Ideology

Party influence Economic and social welfare policies

Polarized politics Parties more internally homogeneous

Less likelihood of compromise

11.4


FIGURE 11.3 Increasing polarization in

Congress

11.4


Party, Constituency, and

Ideology

Constituency opinion versus member

ideology Trustees versus instructed delegates

11.4


Lobbyists and Interest Groups

D.C. is crawling with lobbyists 12,000 of them

Spent $3 billion in 2011

Former members of Congress

How lobbyists persuade Provide policy information

Provide promises of money

Ghostwrite legislation

Status quo usually wins

Disclosure requirements

11.4


11.4 On what tactics do lobbyists rely

to influence policy in Congress?

a. Promising money for reelection campaigns

b. Providing expert policy information

c. Ghostwriting legislation

d. All of the above

11.4


11.5 Understanding Congress


Congress and Democracy

Democracy depends upon successful

representation

Congress unrepresentative Members are elites

Leadership chosen, not elected

Senate based on states, not population

Obstacles to good representation Constituent service

Reelection campaigns

Representativeness versus Effectiveness

11.5


Congress and the Scope of

Government

Does size of government increase to

please public? Pork barrel spending

Contradictory preferences Against large government, for individual programs

11.5


11.5 How does the Senate undermine

democratic representation?

a. Its members tend not to show up for roll

call votes

b. It is forbidden from overriding a

presidential veto

c. It represents states rather than people

d. None of the above

11.5


11.5 How does the Senate undermine

democratic representation?

a. Its members tend not to show up for roll

call votes

b. It is forbidden from overriding a

presidential veto

c. It represents states rather than

people

d. None of the above

11.5

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