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Congress
How is Congress different from Parliament?
• Congress• Role of party in
election• Independent powers
from other branches• Can’t be part of other
branches• Individuals have
much more power (start bills, franking, Confirmation )
• Parliament• Role of party in election
(get on ballot by convincing your party to place your name there)
• More loyal to their party• Majority party chooses
executive (Prime Minister)
• Members have very little actual power
How is Congress different from Parliament?
• Congress is made up of people chosen to represent the state and district.
• Parliament represents their party
• Members or Congress are more concerned with their own constituents and careers than their party.
• Make sure you read the evolution of Congress
Congress
• As of 2009, 82% of HR is male and 18% is female.
• 17% Senate is female
• The Senate is 1% African American and the House is approximately 9.6% African American
• the Senate is 3% Hispanic and the House is approximately 5% Hispanic
Population of USA from Census Bureau (2010 abstract)
• White population 66%
• Black 13%
• Hispanic 15%
• Male 49%
• Female 51%
Incumbency rate in Congress
House of Representatives
House of Representatives(435 seats)
• Party Divisions (February 9, 2011)
• 242 Republicans
• 193 Democrats
• 0 Independents
After 2010 Census
Nebraska’s Congressional
Districts
Lee Terry
Jeff Fortenberry
Adrian Smith
• Marginal District: Where a winner gets less than 55% of the vote.
• Safe District: Where the winner gets more than 55% of the vote
• In the 1960’s 60% of the HR districts were safe
• in the 1980’s 90% of the House districts are “safe”
• In 2008, 2/3rd of the Senators won with 60% of the vote.
Why have House Districts become safer for incumbents?
• Free mail, travel at taxpayers expense, get their name in the news more, name recognition
• Secure funds and programs to help their districts
Senate Today100 seats
Party Divisions
(as of January 2011)
• 51 Democrats
• 47 Republicans
• 2 Independent (lean left)
Theories on how members of Congress Behave
• Representational– Vote to please their constituents because they want to
get re elected– A congressman with a large African American
population will likely vote for a civil rights law.– Gun rights (South Dakota Congressman would most
likely vote for it.– Generally there isn’t any correlation between voter
opinion and Congressional votes on issues that people don’t have a strong opinion (foreign relations) or issues that are split in the district (abortion)
– Often time public opinion isn’t strong or is split.
• Organizational– Based on the assumption that since most
constituents do not know how their legislator has voted, it is not essential to please them.
– When constituency opinions are not at stake Congress gets their cues from their colleagues.
– The principle cue is his or her party– The party a member belongs explains more
about his or her voting record more than any other single factor
– If the party doesn’t have a clear position on a policy then a Congressperson might look at the committee members from your party who dealt with the particular bill.
– May look to other Congress members with similar views as you.
– If it is a matter that effects your state then you may take your cue from other members of your states delegation (Senators and Representatives from your state)
• Ellsworth Air force Base
• Attitudinal– That there are so many conflicting pressures
on members of Congress that they cancel each other out, leaving them virtually free to vote their own beliefs.
– Ideology of a member effects how he or she votes.
– Many tend to be consistently liberal or conservative on both domestic and foreign policy.
– On many issues the average member of the HR has opinions close to the average voter
– However, the Senate are less in tune with public opinion. (more liberal or conservative)
Ideology in Congress• Members of Congress are more sharply
divided by political ideology than they once were.
• Since 1998 Congress is more divided on ideological and partisan lines.
• Are also more divided than the average voter so it is harder to reach a conscientious and less likely to negotiate.
Party Unity
• Party Polarization: When Democrats and Republicans vote opposite on most bills.
• In Congress The parties seem to take the extreme sides on issues where the public takes more moderate stances– Example: Abortion – Most Americans support but with some important
restrictions (health of mother, age, etc)– Congress: Democrats support with no restrictions
and Republics oppose for all reasons
House voting with Party (2008-10) From Washingtonpost.com
• These scores represent the percentage of votes on which a lawmaker agrees with the position taken by a majority of his or her party members. The scores do not include missed votes. All lawmakers who served during this congress are included.
• Party Voting Averages • Democratic (236 members)
– 92.3%
• Republican(205 members) – 85.4%
• All Members(441 members)– 89.1%
Senate voting with party (2008-10)
• These scores represent the percentage of votes on which a lawmaker agrees with the position taken by a majority of his or her party members. The scores do not include missed votes. All lawmakers who served during this congress are included.
• Party Voting Averages • Democratic (49 members)
– 87.3%• Republican(49 members)
– 81.4%• All Members (100 members)
– 84.4%
• HR Voting with party
• Senate Voting with party
Some theories why is Congress becoming more partisan
• Most House districts are not competitive so the only election that matters in that district is the primary. – Primary turnout is lower and usually the more
ideological voters participate. • Around 10% (?)
– This means that those on the extremes will have a better chance of getting elected.
• Voters have become more partisan and Congress has followed suit.
• Party does make a difference in Congress.
• Not nearly as much as it does in parliament but party affiliation is the most important thing to know about a member.
• Knowing the party of a member will not tell you all you need to know, but it will tell you more than any other single factor.
Organization of the Senate
• Vice President– Presiding officer – Can only vote in a tie breaker– Can’t introduce legislation
• President Pro Tempore (Pres Pro Tem)– Largely honorary position– Required by Constitution– Presiding officer when VP isn’t present– Given to majority party member with most
seniority
Senate• Majority Leader
• Whip – Senator that helps the party stay informed
about what party members in the Senate are thinking.
– Helps to round up votes.
Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (Dem) Nevada
Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell (Rep) Kentucky
Vice President
Joe Biden (D)
Tie breaking votes
President Pro Tempore
Daniel Inouye
Democrat, Hawaii
Richard Durbin
Majority Whip From Illinois
Assumed office January 7, 1997
Minority WhipJon Kyl of Arizona
South Dakota Senators
John Thune (Rep)
Tim Johnson (Dem)
Organization of the House of Representatives
• Speaker of the House– Chosen form majority party– Principle leader of the majority party– Presiding office of the entire House
• Majority Leader– Floor leader from the majority party– Typically becomes the speaker when the
person in that position dies or retires
• Minority Leader• Whip
John Boehner Republican Ohio
Speaker of the House
House Majority LeaderEric Cantor (Virginia)
Majority Whip
• Kevin McCarthyof California
Nancy Pelosi (Dem) California
Minority Leader
House Minority WhipSteny Hoyer (Maryland)
South Dakota Representative
Kristi Noem (Republican)
Congressional Committees
• Standing Committees– More or less permanent bodies with specific
legislative responsibilities– These are the most important type – They can propose legislation by reporting it to
the full HR or Senate– Usually each HR member is on 2 and each
Senator is on 2 “major” committee and 1 “minor” committee.
• Select Committee– groups appointed for a limited purpose and
only last for a few congresses
• Joint Committee– Have both members of the HR and Senate– Most important one is the “Conference
Committee”
• Committee Chairpersons always come from the majority party
• There will always be more majority party members in each committee.
• Senate Committees
• House Committees
• Most work of Congress gets done at the committee level.
Congressional Caucuses• An association of members of Congress created
to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest.
• List of caucuses • Personal interest Caucus
– Common interest like environment, the arts, etc.
• Constituency caucuses– Established to represent certain groups (Vietnam
Vets, African Americans etc)
• Intraparty Caucuses– Coalition and are often moderate (Blue Dog
Democrats)
Staff Agencies
• Congressional Research Service (CRS)– Provides information to members on
Congress– It is politically neutral– It provides facts and doesn’t recommend
policy– Also keeps track of every major bill and
produces summaries for each bill introduced
• General Accounting Office (GAO)– Produced financial audits of money spent– It also investigates agencies and policies and makes
recommendations on almost every aspect of government
• Defense contracts, Drug enforcement policy, FBI, etc.
• Congressional Budget Office (CBA)– Advises Congress on the likely economic effect of
different spending programs and provides information on the cost of proposed policies.
– Provides an analyses of the President’s budget and economic projections (These economic projections are often different from the Presidents)
Introducing a Bill
• Only by members of Congress
• Public Bill– Pertaining to public affairs)
• Private Bill– Pertaining to a particular individual– Example: seeking special permission to
become an American citizen
• Simple Resolution– Passed by either HR or Senate– Used to establish rules that each body will operate
• Concurrent resolution– Settles housekeeping and procedural matters that
affect both houses
• Joint Resolution– Requires the approval of both houses and signature
of the President– Is essentially the same as a law.– Constitutional Amendment proposals are joint but
don’t require the President to sign them.
After the bill is introduced it is referred to committee
• Sequential Referral– The speaker refers a bill, or parts of a bill, to different
committees.• Committees are where most of the work of Congress
gets done• Committees do the following
– Hold Hearings – Change the bill (majority vote) known as “mark up”– Pass or kill the bill (majority vote)
• Discharge Petition: Signed by 218 members of the HR that will move a bill to floor debate and vote even if the committee is opposed to the bill
• Very rarely ever happens (only a couple of dozen times in the last century)
• Easier to do this in the Senate but still rarely ever happens
House Rules Committee
• After a bill makes it past the HR committee but before it goes to the floor
• Closed rule– A strict time limit on debate and forbids
amendments being added on the floor
• Open rule– Allows amendments on the floor
• Restrictive Rule– Permits some amendments but not others.
Bill then goes to the floor of Congress
• One the floor the following can happen:– Debate the bill– Change the bill (majority vote to change)– Pass or kill the bill (majority to pass)
• “Committee of the Whole” (HR)– Whoever is present– Can debate and change the bill
• Quorum– Majority of members (218 in HR)– Needed to pass the bill
House of Representatives
• “Committee of the Whole” (HR)– Whoever is present– Can debate and change the bill
• Quorum– Majority of members (218 in HR)– Needed to pass the bill
Senate Debate
Filibusters
• Traditional
• Double Track Legislation
• Cloture Rule
Famous Filibusters
• During the 1930s, Senator Huey P. Long effectively used the filibuster against bills that he thought favored the rich over the poor. The Louisiana senator frustrated his colleagues while entertaining spectators with his recitations of Shakespeare and his reading of recipes for "pot-likkers." Long once held the Senate floor for fifteen hours
Famous Filibusters
• South Carolina's J. Strom Thurmond who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
• He read recipes and names out of a phone book for part of the time.
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Filibusters over timeAs of January, 2010 (Argus Leader)
After a bill passes both houses• Conference committee• Floor votes • President
– Sign– Veto
• Overriding a veto • 96% of vetoes don’t get overridden
– Do nothing• Becomes law after 10 days• Pocket veto: If congress adjourns before those ten
days are up
Congressional Spending
Congressional Fiscal Powers
• Congress has all monetary powers
• Tax, Borrow, Spend
• “Power of the Purse”
• Mandatory spending
• Discretionary Spending
Government Spending
National debt
• As of today
What is difference between debt and deficit?
What is a trillion?
• If you spend a million dollar each day since Jesus was born you still wouldn’t have spend $1 trillion. ($733 billion) Argus Leader October 24, 2009
1 million seconds = 12 days1 billion seconds = 32 years
1 trillion seconds = 32,000 years
$10,000
$1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000)
$100 million
And $1 BILLION dollars
ONE TRILLION dollars
• Loan calculator
USA Today, Feb. 27, 2009
~ PORK ~
What are “Pork” or “Earmarks”?• Government funding of something that
benefits a particular district, whose legislator thereby wins favor with local voters.
• Earmarks are government funds that are allocated by a legislator for a particular pet project, often without proper review
According to
•In fiscal year 2009, Congress stuffed 10,160 projects into the 12 appropriations bills worth $19.6 billion.
•Total pork identified by CAGW since 1991 adds up to $290 billion.
Earmarks of the Yearson Defense spending bills
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Cost of Earmarkson Defense spending bills in billions
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USA Today, Feb. 27, 2009
2007 highway spending billTIME, October 1, 2007
• Even after the bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August, there are $2 billion in earmarks
• $450,000 for North Dakotas International Peace Gardens.
• $100,000 in New York to help develop a nine hole golf course
• $250,000 for the state of Washington to promote the wine industry.
• $50,000 for a mule museum in California
2008 Pork from
• $246,100 by Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) for the Grand Opera House in Dell Rapids.
• $551,250 for the Heart of America Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge;
• $98,000 to develop a walking tour of Boydton. The town has a population of 474, and covers .82 square miles.
• $98,000 for renovations to the Wakely Lodge Resort, the site of a nine-hole public golf course in Indian Lake.
• $1.8 million for swine odor and manure management research in Iowa
• $2,265,000 for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in Wisconsin
2009 Pork• $1 million to control
Mormon crickets in Utah
• $173,000 for research on asparagus production in Washington
• What would cutting pork do?
• IF we cut $17 billion (pork in 2009) out of a $1 trillion deficit…
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Deficit Pork
Deficit
Pork
