How Congress Works

1. How Congress Works

2. Consensus Building: reconciles competing interests Representation: expresses the diverse views of the American people Law Making: creates bills to address issues and solve problems in American society Key Functions of Congress Oversight: ensures that laws passed by Congress are effectively carried out by the executive branch Approval: confirms presidential appointees and treaties (Senate Only) Investigation: investigates government agencies, including the White House---impeachment

3. Congressional Rules • -Developed to help Congress operate • Everyone has a different opinion and different goals • -House has more rules than Senate • why??? • More people in one space • -Parliamentary Procedures • both Houses of Congress use a formal system of debate which keeps the debate orderly What do you think Congress would be like, and achieve, if there were not rules?

4. Leadership in the House & Senate How things are done in the two chambers affects what is done in the two chambers. The House is four times as big as the Senate. How do you think this affects how things are done?

5. The New Speaker of the House: Nancy Pelosi (D), CA • Priorities : • diminish the role of lobbyists • insure that lawmakers have time to read legislation before voting on it. • open House-Senate legislative negotiating sessions to the media • make sure earmarks are identified by the name of lawmaker who sponsored it • make sure earmarks are approved by policy making committees (oversight)

6. House Leaders Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi • Leaders from majority party • -Speaker of the House • -basically runs the House of Representatives • 3rd in line to be President • -sets up the calendar and schedules bills for debate Senate Leaders -Vice President -official leader but only votes in a tie and is rarely present -President Pro-Tempore -mostly symbolic position given to the longest serving Senator from the majority party Vice President Joe Biden is the official leader of the U.S. Senate. However, he rarely attends and only votes in a tie. Therefore, the President Pro Tempore, the day-to-day leader of the Senate, is Senator Robert Byrd.

7. Vice President • Is the president of the Senate • May not take part in the debate • May try to influence a vote through contact with senators • May recognize members and put questions to a vote • May vote only in the event of a tie • President Pro Temp • Presides when the vice president is not present • Usually is the most senior member of the majority party Leadership in the Senate: Democratic • Temporary Presiding Officer • Presides when neither the vice president nor the president pro temp is present • Usually a senior member of the majority party • Majority & Minority Whips • Serve the same function in the Senate as they do in the House • Democratic Whip: Senator Barbara Boxer (California) • Republican Whip: Senator Robert Bennett (Utah)

8. New Faces in the Crowd: Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, IL. 5th District Terms in Office: 3 Previous Leadership: Chair of the Democratic Campaign Committee House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, MD 5th District Terms in Office: 12 Previous Leadership: House Minority Whip House Majority Whip James Clyburn, S.C. 6th District Terms in Office: 7 Previous Leadership: Chair of the Democratic House Caucus

9. Congressional Leadership • -Majority Leader • -each House chooses a leader of the majority party to be floor leader • Party with most representation • -Minority Leader • -each House picks a minority party member to its floor leader • Party with least representation • -Party Whip • -each party in each House has a Party Whip to keep track of voting on important issues • Get party members to vote with the rest of the political party House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid House Minority Leader John Boehner Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell House Majority Whip James Clyburn Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin

10. Congressional Leadership House of Representatives Senate Speaker of the House – Always from MAJORITY party Vice President – Rarely attends and only votes in a tie Majority Leader Minority Leader President Pro Tempore – Always from MAJORITY party, day-to-day leader Majority Party Whip Minority Party Whip Majority Leader Minority Leader Majority Whip Team Minority Whip Team Majority Party Whip Minority Party Whip House Committee Chairpersons – ALWAYS from majority party Majority Whip Team Minority Whip Team Senate Committee Chairpersons – ALWAYS from majority party

11. The New Majority Leader in the Senate: Harry Reid • Political Experience: • Nevada State Legislature • Lieutenant Governor • Nevada Gaming Commission • House of Representatives (1982) • Senate (1986) • Minority Leader (2005) • Majority Leader: 2007 Senators Durbin & Reid meet with President Bush on New Footing Age: 67 Party: Democrat Religion: Mormon

12. Filibuster A senator refuses to give up the floor in order to prevent a vote. If 60 senators vote to end a filibuster, a vote must be held within 30 hours. (cloture) Strom Thurmond (1957)24 hours against civil rights legislation Huey Long filibustered on behalf of the poor Is the filibuster democratic? We’ll debate this more in class!

13. Staff Support • -personal staff of each member of Congress • Run home and D.C. offices • -Committee staff who function as experts in the committee’s area • Gather information for speeches and meetings • -Library of Congress • Congressional Research Office gathers facts/arguments for bills • -General Accounting Office • investigates and reports on gov’t spending • Looks for ways to improve government spending • -Government Budget Office • -predicts costs of gov’t programs The Library of Congress is an essential tool for Congressional operations. In researching new bills (also called “legislation”), the Library of Congress helps to gather historical facts, arguments, and old related bills for the discussion on the new bill.

14. Congressional Committees Letters Requesting Committee Assignments

15. “Congress in session is Congress on display. Congress in committee is Congress at work.” President Woodrow Wilson Concern of the Committee: The Details of the Bill Concern of the Congress: Full Scope of the Bill The Congress debates

16. Committee Government • -developed committees to divide the work load of Congress • Committee membership important to Representatives • -standing committees-- Permanent committees of Congress who study, revise, and pass legislation • Continue from session to session – education, commerce • -select committees--committees which study more temporary problems in society • -joint committees-- committees which involve members of both Houses of Congress meeting together Both houses of Congress operate in committee government as an attempt to divide the Congressional workload and achieve better and faster legislation.

17. View All Committees Here: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html Select Committees Standing Committees Joint Committees • Address temporary priorities in Congress • Senate Select Committee on Ethics • Address issues of concern to both chambers • Joint Committee on Economics Authorizing Appropriations Rules Budget • Make laws • Hold hearings • Hearing Schedule • Determines how much $ will be spent • The Immigration Fence • Sets the Rules • Jurisdiction of the Senate Rules Committee • Raises $ for appropriations to spend • House Ways and Means Committee

18. Committee Membership • -Based on seniority • -Term that refers to how long a member has been in Congress and is important in assigning committee memberships • -Party leaders make committee assignments • From majority and minority • -majority party of each house appoints the chairperson of each committee • Decide when committees will meet, what bills will be studied, and forms subcommittees Friday, October 12, 2007

19. Committee Leadership If you are chosen head of a committee, you will: • Control your committee’s agenda • Schedule meetings and hearing of the full committee • Help schedule subcommittee hearings and meetings • Handle committee’s budget and staff • Serve as the committee’s spokesperson • Sit on House and Senate conference committees • Steer your party’s legislative agenda in the Senate Find out who’s on the new Democratic team here:

20. Criteria for Committee Assignments Party Loyalty: Essentially your voting record Geography: Vacancies tend to be filled with people from the same states Seniority: Numbers of years of service on a particular committee Attitude: Civil, cooperative & willing to compromise Preference: Senator Landrieu serves on Energy & Natural Resources, key issues for Louisiana

21. Congressional Committees

22. Regulates floor debate • Sets limits on amendments • Influences which bills do and do not get consideration • Supports the agenda of the majority party • Click here to view a special rule for a bill. • 9 members from the majority party—chosen by the Speaker • 4 members from the minority party Is the Rules Committee democratic?

23. End of Course Question Which of the following do the whips play an important role of ensuring in Congress? a. Party members are committed to voting along party lines b. The speaker has support to maintain their position. c. Editing legislation through committees d. Party members are supporting the president

24. End of Course Question Why is the seniority system in Congress an effective way to select leaders and assign committee members? a. If offers new members the ability to learn from experienced members b. New members are not capable of holding leadership positions c. They are better leaders d. Experienced leaders make the best decisions

25. End of Course Question What is the difference between the Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore? a. The Speaker of the House is in charge of the Senate and House when they are in session. b. The president pro tempore is in charge of the Senate and the House when they are in session. c. The Speaker of the House is just in charge of the House. The president pro tempore is just in charge of the Senate. d. The Speaker of the House is only in charge when the vice president is not president.

26. End of Course Question How is the Speaker of the House selected? a. selected by members of their party b. selected by seniority c. selected by the constituents d. selected by the House of Representatives

27. End of Course Question Why are joint committees beneficial to the law making process? a. It aligns members from both houses so that they can create the details of bills together b. It fosters and builds bipartisan relationships c. It allows the speaker and the president pro tempore to work together d. It assists whips in promoting bills

28. End of Course Question How does the U.S. Constitution provide for stability and continuity in the Senate? a. by requiring members to be 30 years of age or older b. reelections every two years for one-third of the Senate c. by requiring members to be legal citizens d. giving each state two senators

29. End of Course Question Why are joint committees beneficial to the law making process? a. It aligns members from both houses so that they can create the details of bills together b. It fosters and builds bipartisan relationships c. It allows the speaker and the president pro tempore to work together d. It assists whips in promoting bills