Organization of Congress: Parties and Caucuses

1. Organization of Congress: Parties and Caucuses Congress is not a single organization instead it is a vast and complex collection of organizations by which the business of the legislative branch is carried out and through which its members form alliances.

2. Party Organization • Party organization is important in Congress, but it is only one of many important elements. • The Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate are organized by party leaders • Key leaders are elected by the full party membership within the House and Senate

3. Party Organization of the Senate • 1. President Pro Tempore • Chosen by the majority party from their membership • It is mostly honorary position that is required by the Constitution so that the Senate has a presiding officer in the absence of the vice president • This is a position that is not relished so the job is usually assigned to a junior Senator. • 2. Majority leader • The real leadership in the Senate • Chosen by the Senators of the majority party • Principal task of the majority leader is to schedule the business of the Senate in consultation with the minority leader. • The majority leader has the right to be recognized first in floor debate • 3. Minority leader • Chosen by the senators from the minority party • 4. Whip • A senator who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking. • They round up members when an important vote is being taken. • Attempt to keep a head count on how the voting on a controversial issue is likely to go.

4. Party Organization in the Senate Cont. • 5. Policy Committee • Each party in the Senate has one • Made up of dozen Senators who help the party leader schedule Senate business, choosing what bills are to be given major attention and in what order. • 6. the key party organization is the group that assigns senators to the standing committees of the Senate. Why? • Democrats steering committees • Republicans committee on committees • It is important for a party to have control of the chairmanship because it helps determine what issues get to the floor for a vote.

5. Cont. • The key aspect of selecting party leaders, making up of the important party committees, and the assigning freshman senators to committees • 1 achieving ideological and regional balance • 2. personal popularity • 3. ability of the leader to make an effective TV appearance • 4. Who owes whom what favors

6. Party Structure in the House • Leadership in the House carries more power than in the Senate Why? • 1. House being so big must restrict debate and schedule its business with care • 2. Leaders who do the scheduling and determine how the rules shall be applied usually have a large influence. • Speaker of the House • He or she is elected by the majority party • Preside over all House meetings • They are the majority leader and the presiding officer of the entire House • As the presider of the House they are expected to be fair • As the party leader they are expected to use their power to help pass legislation the party wants • The speaker has some important formal powers • Decide who shall be recognized to speak on the floor of the House • Rules whether a motion is relevant to the business at hand • Decides the committees to which new bills shall be assigned • Influences what bills are brought up for a vote • Appoints the members of special and select committees • Since 1975 has been able to nominate the majority party members of the rules committee

7. Party Structure Cont. • Majority leader • Becomes speaker when the person in the position dies or retires • Minority leader • Whip has assistant whips • Rounds up votes from state delegations • Committee assignments and the scheduling of legislation is discussed; • Democrats steering and policy Committee • Republicans they divided this into two committees • 1. committee on committees • 2. policy committee • Each party has a congressional campaign committee that provides funds and other help to party members running for election.

8. CAUCUSES • An association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest • Closed meeting of the members of a political party either to select a candidate for office or agree on a legislative position • Today they are organizations of legislators from a single party with a common background, shared ideology, interest in an issue. • Rival to parties as a source of political leadership • Susan Hammond observed; • The caucus formation accelerated fast in the 1970s as members sought to respond to increased external demands. • Members get benefits, gain information, become identified as leaders, and symbolically show that they care about an issue of importance to constituents

9. Caucuses cont. • Hammond has identified six types of caucuses • 1. Intraparty caucuses formed by members who share a similar ideology • 2. Personal interest common interest in an issue • 3. Constituency Caucuses represent certain groups 4 types • A. national • B. regional • C. state/district • D. industry

10. Organization of Congress : Committees • These are the most important organizational features of congress. • It is were the real legislative work of congress is done and it is the chairmanships of these committees and subcommittees that most of the power in congress is found. • The number of these committees and jurisdiction of them are of great interest to members of congress, since decisions on these subjects determine what group of members will pass on legislative proposals, oversee the workings of agencies in the executive branch, and conduct investigations.

11. Committees Cont. • There are three kinds of committees • 1. Standing committees they are permanent with specified legislative responsibilities • 2. Select committees appointed for a limited purpose and usually lasting for only a few congresses • 3. joint committees both representatives and senators serve • Conference committee appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same piece of legislation before final passage.

12. Committees Cont. • Standing committees are the important ones • They are the only committees that can propose legislation by reporting bills out to the full House or Senate • Each member of the House sits on two standing committees unless they are a members on a exclusive one like the Appropriations, Rules, or Ways and Means than they are only on one • In the Senate a member can serve on two major committees and one minor one.

13. Selection of chairmen of the committees • When the speaker was strong chairmen in the house were picked based on loyalty to him • As this leadership weakened, seniority on the committees governed the selection of chairmen. • At times (1971) caucus have been used to elect committee chairmen by secret ballot • The Republican take over in 1995 imposed six-year term limits on House chairmen. • Traditionally the committees have been dominated by the chairmen, and they often do their most important work behind closed doors. (hearings/reports) In the early 1970s Congress decentralized its operations by a series of changes that were called a bill of rights for representatives and Senators.

14. Staffs and specialized offices • The size and job of job of congressional staffs have increased fivefold since 1947 to 1991 • Some staffers perform routine chores, many help draft legislation, handle constituents, and shape policy. • In 1935 the typical representative had two aids in 1998 that number jumped t 17 • There are thousands today who work for committees and congressional research agencies. • What do staffers do?

15. Staff Agencies • They work for the Congress has a whole • They were created to give Congress specialized knowledge much like the chief of staff does for the president. • CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE • Part of the library of congress • Respond to congressional requests for information • Neutral body that does not recommend policy • Look up facts to and indicate arguments for or against a proposed policy • Keeps track of the status of every major bill in congress and makes a summary of each bill introduced.

16. General Accounting Office • Financial audits of the money spent by executive branch departments. • Investigates agencies and policies and makes recommendations on almost every aspect of government ( defense contracts, drug enforcement policy, FBI, Medicare/medicaid) • The president appoints the comptroller general but serves for 15 years and is more of a servant of Congress than the president.

17. Congressional Budget Office • Advises congress on likely economic effects of the different spending programs • Provides information on the costs of proposed policies • Prepares analyses of the presidents budget and economic projections that often come to conclusions different from those of the administration . Gives congress arguments to use in the budget debates.