Congress: The Basics

1. Congress: The Basics • House of Representatives • 435 members • Elected every two years • Majoritarian Institution • Senate • 100 members (2 per state) • Elected every six years • Filibuster gives power to the minority

2. Congress: The basics • Powers: • To legislate

3. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; …To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures …To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; …To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; …To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, … the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; …To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof Congress’ Constitutional Powers

4. Congress: The basics • Powers: • To legislate • To tax and spend money • To confirm justices and ratify treaties (Senate) • To impeach • To create, fund, and oversee the executive branch

5. The President and Congress: A strategic relationship

6. Is the president a better representative of the people than Congress is?Who should take the lead in domestic policymaking?

7. Congress is a better representative People don’t really vote for president based on issues Presidents play to their base as much as the median voter “300 million people are more likely to be represented in all their diversity by 535 people than by one person” President is a better representative Ideological polarization makes most members of Congress unrepresentative of the whole country President has to win median voter in moderate states

8. How can the president take the lead in Domestic policy? • Proposals

9. The power to “propose” “He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient” (II:3).

10. How can the president take the lead in Domestic policy? • Proposals/ “Agendasetting” • Bully pulpit • Party leadership & loyalty

11. How can the president take the lead in Domestic policy? • Proposals • Bully pulpit • Party leadership & loyalty • Veto threats • Budgeting

15. Discretionary domestic spending • Energy • Homeland Security • Commerce • Agriculture • Science • Natural Resources • Justice • Education • Transportation • Veterans Affairs • Health

16. How can the president take the lead in Domestic policy? • Proposals • Bully pulpit • Party leadership • Veto threats (more next time) • Budgeting • Executing the laws with discretion (more on that later)

17. How does Congress take the lead in domestic policy? • Writing the laws

18. Congress’ Legislative Powers “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives (I:1)…. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States …To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.” (I:8)

19. How does Congress take the lead in domestic policy? • Writing the laws • Deciding which bills to act upon • Overseeing the bureaucracy (more on that later)

20. What affects the president’s ability to successfully lead Congress?

21. What affects the president’s ability to successfully lead Congress? • Presidential popularity?

22. Does public approval affect success in Congress?

23. What affects the president’s ability to successfully lead Congress? • Presidential popularity? • Size of electoral victory?

24. Does size of electoral victory affect success in Congress?

25. What affects the president’s ability to successfully lead Congress? • Presidential popularity? • Size of electoral victory? • Skill?

26. “Skills” that can help • Personal charisma • Strategic thinking

27. What affects the president’s ability to successfully lead Congress? • Presidential popularity? • Size of electoral victory? • Skill? • Structures in Congress? • Size and strength of party coalitions?

28. Average percent of House Democrats who vote with the president

29. Average percent of House Republicans who vote with the president

30. What should the relationship between the president and Congress look like? • To what degree should Congress look to the president for policy leadership? • To what degree should partisanship govern the president’s relationship with Congress? • Under what circumstances do you think the president and Congress should compromise? You will turn in notes for participation credit.