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Chapter 12. Congress. Constitution (Art. I is biggest and framers expected it to be the dominant branch) Makeup (113 th Congress) Peoples house? 100 Women/43 AA/31 HA/9 Asian/ 7 LGBT Getting better Elections Incumbents win HR 90%, Sen less (Statewide) Adantages
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Congress • Constitution (Art. I is biggest and framers expected it to be the dominant branch) • Makeup (113th Congress) • Peoples house? • 100 Women/43 AA/31 HA/9 Asian/ 7 LGBT • Getting better • Elections • Incumbents win • HR 90%, Sen less (Statewide) • Adantages • Advertising (Franking) • Credit claiming • Position taking • Weak opponents • Campaign spending
Congress • Bicameral (U.S. and every state except Nebraska) • House v. Senate (see table 12.2) • House has Rules Committee • Senate has Filibuster • Others • Big v. Small • People v. State • Young v. Old • Passion v. Deliberation
Congress • Leadership • House • Speaker* (Boehner) #1 • Majority Leader (Cantor) #4 • Minority Leader (Pelosi) #5 • Majority Whip (McCarthy) • Minority Whip (Hoyer) • Senate • VP* (only ties) (Biden) • President Pro Tempore* (show) (Leahy) • Majority Leader (Reid) #2 • Minority Leader (McConnell) #3 • Majority Whip (Durbin) • Minority Whip (Cornyn) *Only leadership positions in Constitution
Congress • Behavior • Representational/Delegate=Constituents • Organizational/Partisan=Party • Attitudinal/Trustee=Self • Politico=All 3
Committee • Standing (Permanent) • Joint (Only a few-Taxes/Econ./Mil) • Conference (work on versions of same bill) • Select (Temporary)
Congress • Caucuses • Same interest • Push committees to act (power)
Congress • Staff • Personal • Committee • Staff Agencies • CRS • GAO • CBO *Most on casework
Congress • How a bill becomes a law • See Figure 12.2 • Open/Closed and Restrictive • Most Bills die in committee (90%)
Congressional Budget • Revenues • Expenditures *Deficit (spend more than we take in) **Surplus (spend less than we take in)
(Budget cont.) • Sources of Revenue • Income Taxes (16th) • Corporate Taxes • Social Insurance Tax • Debt
Fiscal Policy (tax and spend) • Tax expenditures • Expenditures over the years • New Deal (soc. sec.) • WWII • Cold War • Medicare/Medicaid • Uncontrollable expenditures • Entitlements
(cont.) • Budget process • Who’s involved (see 421) • Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 • Calendar • Budget Comm. In each house • CBO
Economy • Two ways to effect the economy • Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy • Fiscal Policy • Tax and Spend • Congress
Monetary Policy • NOT CONGRESS • Government manipulation of the money supply using the Federal Reserve