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How is Congress structured? - Coggle Diagram
How is Congress structured?
Senate
Senators appointed by state legislature
Until 17th Amendment- made them elected too
Six year terms to keep Senators more insulated
100 senators
Two senators per state
Average state population = 6.8 million
1/3 of seats up for election every 2 years
Rules
Give significant power to individual senators
Much harder to change
Emphasis on tradition and precedent
Business is generally conducted through unanimous consent
Debate is unlimited
Ending a debate requires a supermajority of 60 votes
Allows individual senators to fillibuster- the longest speech lasted 25 hours!
Leadership
Senate (upper house)
President of the Senate
President Pro Tempore
Senate Minority Leader
Senate Minority Whip
Elected by the Minority party
Coordinates the Minority party's response to the Majority
Leads negotiations with the Majority leader
100 senators
Elected by the senate
Presides when the VP is absent
Cannot break a tie
Senate Majority leader
Senate Majority Whip
Elected by the Majority party
Acts as chief spokesperson and strategist
Speaks first on the floor- manages the agenda
Lack unilateral support
Must negotiate for unanimous consent deals with the opposition to pass bills
The US Vice-President
Can only vote in the event of a tie
Cannot participate in debates
House of Representatives
Representatives directly elected by the people
Two year terms to keep Representatives responsive
435 representatives
1 representative per district
Average district population = 760,000
All 435 seats contested at each general election
When this happens in the middle of a presidential term, it is known as a "midterm election"
Often seen as an opportunity to discover the popularity of the president
Many presidents have lost one or both Houses in the midterms
Rules
Concentrate power with the majority party
The majority party accepts a package of House rules at the start of each Congress
The majority controls the agends
The majority decides which bills are debated
Debate is limited by terms set by the Majority
On the House Rules Committee
Leadership
House of Representatives (lower house)
Speaker of the House (Majority leader)
House Majority floor leader
House Majority whip
Elected by party caucuses
Ensures members attend key votes/debates
Tells members how to vote
Warns leaders of potential rebellions
Second in command
Influences the legislative calendar
Oversees the work of all House committees
Elected by Majority party
House Minority floor leader
House Minority whip
Elected by party caucuses
Ensures members attend key votes/debates
Tells members how to vote
Warns leaders of potential rebellions
Elected by Minority party
Chief strategist- leads efforts to block bills and win back control of the House
Floor leader + spokesperson for the opposition
435 representatives
Elected by the House (but is actually the leader of the Majority party)
Second in line to succeed the president
Parliamentary role
Maintains order
Enforces rules
Recognises members to speak
Refers bills to appropriate committees
Congressional commitees
Standing committees
Permanent committees with numerous functions
Oversee departments
Scrutinise legislature
E.g. House Agriculture Committee
Important because they:
Review, amend, and advance bills
Monitor and evaluate federal processes + departments
Appropriations committees allocate funds and oversee federal spending
(Federal only)- Conduct hearings and confirm nominees for high executive / judicial roles
(Federal only)- Review and confirm international treaties negotiated by the President.
Select / Special committees
Temporary committees
Deal with specific issues
Make recomendations
E.g. Senate Aging (Special) Committee
Joint Committees
Committees composed of Representatives and Senators
Conduct studies
Hold investigations
E.g. Joint Committee on Taxation
Conference Committees
Temporary committees
Reconcile differences between House and Senate bills
E.g. Bipartisan Innovation Act Conference Committee
The majority party decides what proportion of seats in each committee the parties should get
Expansion of Congress
1st Congress
26 senators
65 House Representatives
Today's Congress
100 senators
435 House Representatives
Incumbency
Name recognition is a very important factor in all elections
This means that the incumbent has an easier time being re-elected, as they are already well-known
They can also use their money more effectively
2020 saw 9/10 most expensive Senate election races ever
In 2020, an incumbent Senate Republican spent $34 per vote, whilst his democratic challenger spent $92 per vote
Incumbents also have congressional advantages
They are provided with a website
Explains their policy beliefs
Demonstrates their policy successes
Show off their influence
Offer an easy way for constituents to contact them
Incumbents have "franking priviledge"
The cost of mailings to their constituents is paid for by Congress
This may not be used specifically for re-election, it can be used to further demonstrate success and earn greater name recognition
Requests increased from 651 January 2020
To 1,529 by April.
Gerrymandering
The party controlling a state's legislature can redraw constituency boundaries after a census every ten years
This has lead to oddly shaped and geographically unclear boundaries
As the incumbent party gerrymanders the borders to retain power
This led to 58 legal cases in 21 states to challenge proposed maps in 2022
Divided government
Between 1901 and 1969, the federal government was divided just 21% of the time.
Since 1969, the US government has been divided 70% of the time
Seven Congresses since 1969 have had each house controlled by a different party
As a result of the last seven elections, the US federal govt. has been divided five times