Congress

1. 11 Congress

2. Representatives and Senators 11.1

3. The Members Not a glamorous job, but there are perks Power $174,000 annual salary Generous retirement and health benefits Constitutional requirements House: 25, citizen for 7 years Senate: 30, citizen for 9 years Reside in state 435 Representatives; 100 senators 11.1

4. 11.1 TABLE 11.1: Portrait of the 113th Congress: Some statistics

5. The Members Demographics Descriptive representation = representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics Substantive representation = representing interests of groups which they themselves are not members of Does this matter? 11.1

6. Why Aren’t There More Women in Congress? 18% of House and 25% of Senate are women Fewer women running Childcare Risk averse Bias Must be more qualified 11.1

7. Congressional Elections 11.2

8. Incumbents Those already holding office Over 90% win reelection in House Senators do not have it as easy (60%) Attract better competitors, have larger constituencies, attract more attention Incumbents perceive themselves as vulnerable Hence fundraising and campaigning 11.2 Who Wins Elections?

9. Do you know your representatives? Most Americans do not – therefore are not voting based on where their members of Congress stand on key issues 11.2 Who Wins Elections?

10. 11.2 Who Wins Elections?

11. 11.2 Who Wins Elections?

12. Senators Michael Bennet (D) and Cory Gardner (R) Representatives 1 – Diana DeGette 2 – Jared Polis 3 – Scott Tipton 4 – Ken Buck 5 – Doug Lamborn 6 – Mike Coffman 7 – Ed Perlmutter 11.2 Who Wins Elections?

13. Presidential “Coattails” When voters support congressional candidates because of their support for the president 11.2 Who Wins Elections?

14. 11.2 FIGURE 11.1: Incumbency factor in congressional elections

15. Advantages of Incumbency Advertising Being visible Constituent contact Credit claiming Casework Pork barrel projects 11.2

16. Advantages of Incumbency Credit claiming Telling voters about all of the things they have accomplished for them while in Congress Casework – Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get. Pork barrel – Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district 11.2

17. 11.2 Big Dig

18. Advantages of Incumbency Position taking Taking positions on topics that are important to voters, which voters use to decide if they want to reelect them Weak opponents Strong ones are scared off by the benefits of being an incumbent Campaign spending Spending money gets name recognition. Incumbents already have name recognition, so they don’t have to spend money on that. That name recognition gets them donations sooner than challengers. 11.2

19. Role of Party Identification Parties and districts Drawn for one-party dominance Gerrymandering 11.2

20. 11.2

21. 11.2

22. Defeating Incumbents Challengers are naïve But sometimes incumbents are vulnerable Redistricting Public mood 11.2

23. Open Seats and Stability and Change Vacant seat = no incumbent running Most turnover occurs here Stability from incumbency Development of expertise Term limits Limitations on the number of terms that someone in Congress is allowed to serve 11.2

24. How Congress is Organized to Make Policy 11.3

25. American Bicameralism Bicameral legislature A legislature that is divided into two house. US Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska – because Nebraska Bills must pass both houses Checks and balances Result of Connecticut Compromise 11.3

26. American Bicameralism House More institutionalized and seniority-based Rules Committee The committee in the House that reviews most of the bills coming from a committee before they go to the full House Puts bills on calendar, chooses how long debates will last 11.3

27. American Bicameralism Senate Less centralized and seniority-based Filibuster A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the Senate from ever voting on a bill. 60 members present and voting can halt a filibuster Allows Senators to halt almost any legislation with the threat of a filibuster Can’t get rid of it because what if you become the minority some day? Cloture A vote to end unlimited debate on a bill in the Senate and bring it to a vote 11.3

28. 11.3 TABLE 11.2: House versus Senate: Some key differences

29. Congressional Leadership Chosen by party House Speaker of the House An office mandated by the Constitution. Is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency. Presides over the House when in session Major role in making committee assignments Appoints key legislative leaders Exercises control over where bills get assigned 11.3

30. Congressional Leadership Senate Vice president Technically is the president of the Senate, but really only casts votes to break ties Majority leader The principal partisan ally of the Speaker, or the party’s manager in the Senate. Responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes on behalf of the party’s legislative positions. 11.3

31. Congressional Leadership House and Senate Whips Party leaders who work with the majority leader or the minority leader to count votes beforehand and to lean on waverers whose votes are critical for a bill favored by the party Minority leader Principal leader of the minority party 11.3

32. 11.3 Congressional Leadership

33. Committees and Subcommittees Four types of committees Standing committees Separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas Joint committees Congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses Conference committees Congressional committees formed when the Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill Select committees Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation 11.3

34. 11.3 TABLE: 11.3: Standing committees in the Senate and in the House

35. Committees and Subcommittees Committees at work: Legislation Legislative oversight Congress’s monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings. 11.3

36. 11.3 Congressional committee at work

37. 11.3 TABLE 11.4: Sharing oversight of homeland security

38. Getting on a committee Constituent needs Appealing to leadership Membership is made up of members from each party, with majority party having more 11.3 Committees and Subcommittees

39. Committee Chairs The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles is scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house. Seniority system A simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970s. The member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled the chamber became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence. 11.3 Committees and Subcommittees

40. Caucuses: Informal Organization of Congress As important as formal structure Caucus (congressional) A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Many are composed of members form both parties and from both houses. Dominant today 500 caucuses today Goal is to promote their interests Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus 11.3

41. 11.3 Congressional Hispanic Caucus

42. Congressional Staff Personal staff Casework Legislative functions Committee staff 2,000 staff members Legislative oversight 11.3

43. Congressional Staff Staff agencies Congressional Research Service (CRS) Provides members of Congress with nonpartisan studies to provide information to members Government Accountability Office (GAO) Oversees the activities of the Executive branch and reports back to Congress Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Analyzes the president’s budget 11.3

44. Congressional Process and Decision Making 11.4

45. Bills Bill A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of Congress can formally submit a bill for consideration Most are killed off early in the process 11.4

46. 11.4 How a bill becomes a law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otbml6WIQPo

47. 11.4 FIGURE 11.2: How a bill really becomes a law

48. Presidents and Congress: Partners and Protagonists President’s legislative agenda Persuade Congress Work at the margins but usually win Yet Congress is quite independent 11.4

49. Party, Constituency, and Ideology Party influence Economic and social welfare policies Polarized politics Parties more internally homogeneous Less likelihood of compromise 11.4

50. 11.4 FIGURE 11.3: Increasing polarization in Congress