House of Representatives
based on population of states
435 members
each serve 2 year terms
more formal and stricter compared to Senate
Power of House of Represenatives
power to impeach (accuse)
all tax and revenue bills come here
has rules committee to set up rules for debate on bills
Senate
100 members
serve 6 year terms
represent states
less formal, fewer rules compared to House of Rep
Powers of Senate
Confirmation or ratification powers
impeachment trials held here, not in house of rep
Enumerated Powers of Congress
make federal budget
taxation
borrow and coin money
declare war
provide funds to maintain armed forces
Filibusters
long speeches to prevent a bill from coming to a vote
Cloture
3/5 vote in the House of Representatives to end Filibuster in order to vote on bill
Hold
Prevents the bill to be passed
Standing Committee
permanent
bills first go here
they will edit, and revise bills
most bills don’t come past this point
Congressional Oversight; when Congress watches over executive branch to make sure the bill is being enforced correctly
Committee Chairs
Leaders of Committees
always from majority party
holds power over legislation in committee
Speaker of House
most powerful person in House of Rep
schedules bills for debates and votes
always from majority party
President of Senate
Vice President of U.S.
casts tie breaking votes
Senate Majority Leader
Most powerful person in Senate
from majority party
Power of the Purse
Congress has power to create federal budget, and can use that money
Discretionary Spending
Must be approved annually as part of budget bill
Congress and President can increase and decrease money in budget, annually
Mandatory Spending
required by law, occurs automatically with no action by Congress
can be changed by legislation
Entitlement Spending
Spending on programs people are entitled to BY LAW
social security
medicare
medicaid
Pork Barrel Legislation
laws that are provide benefit such as jobs, money to a district
Logrolling
“You vote for me, I vote for you”
Trustee
they vote based on what they believe; unbiased opinion
Delegate
votes based how others want, own opinion does not matter
Politico
can change between Trustee and Delegates
Reapportionment
changing number of seats in House of Rep. to be proportional to each state; occurs after census
Redistricting
Redrawing congressional districts; done by state legislatures
Gerrymandering
drawing the districts in strange shapes to benefit a party (legally allowed)
Baker vs. Carr (1962)
the U.S. Supreme Court case that held that federal courts could hear cases alleging that a state's drawing of electoral boundaries, i.e. redistricting, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
Established the principle of "one person, one vote" and made such patterns of representation illegal. The Court asserted that the federal courts had the right to tell states to reapportion their districts for more equal representation.
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
NO racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority-minority districts.
the court ruled in a 5–4 majority that redistricting based on race must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause and on the basis that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment because it was drawn solely based on race.
Divided Government
comparing the House, Senate, and White House, at least one is bound to be led by a different party
Policy Gridlock
slow, hard to get things done
Veto
message to congress rejecting a bill
Pocket Veto
president doesn’t do anything with bill, and congress ends session within 10 days of receiving bill
Commander in Chief
head of armed forces; tremendous power in foreign policy
President has this role
executive agreements
like a treaty, but doesn’t need senate ratification; agreement with foreign heads of state
INFORMAL POWER OF PRESIDENT
Executive orders
don’t require congressional approval; have the power of law, used to direct the bureaucracy and foreign policy
INFORMAL POWER OF PRESIDENT
Signing Statements
when president signs bill, these are notes of what the president agrees and doesn’t agree with on a bill
INFORMAL POWER OF PRESIDENT
Bargaining and Persuasion
President bargaining with Congress on appointments, budgets, and goals; relies on persuasion to gains support from public and congress
INFORMAL POWER OF PRESIDENT
Tension and Confrontation with Senate
president nominates people for roles, but senate needs to confirm
Judicial Appointments
president nominates, Congress decides on confirmation or declining. Whatever role is potentially given would be given for LIFE
NO Senate Confirmation Needed for these roles:
White House Staff
Chief of Staff
Press Secretary
Policy Advisor
Bully Pulpit
the president reaches out to the public in a way where it leads to Congress being pressured into doing something
State of Union Address
the nationally televised speech by Congress saying what is and will happen, trying to gain support
Article III
Judicial Branch
Marbury v. Madison
establishes judicial review
With his decision in Marbury v. Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall established the principle of judicial review, an important addition to the system of “checks and balances” created to prevent any one branch of the Federal Government from becoming too powerful.
Federalist 78
Hamilton is saying how the judicial branch should be kept separate from the other branches because the judicial branch should be checking them; leading to them not getting fired or cut based on decisions made
must have power of judicial review
Precedent
a past decision influences future decisions
Stare Decisis
means to follow precedent; doesn’t mean that court has to follow precedent
Judicial Restraint
the idea that the court shouldn’t be very powerful
Judicial activism
opposite of Judicial Restraint; means that the Judicial Branch should freely use their power to advance societal goals
Bureaucracy
helps president in enforcing and implementing federal laws that Congress passes
Breaucrats
just non-political career government employees
low level
Bureaucratic Leadership
politically appointed official
Merit System
Bureaucrats earn jobs based on merit and/or civil service exam; promotes neutrality
Cabinet Department
major areas of responsibility; Department of Homeland Security, Transportation, Veterans affairs, and Education
Executive Agencies
provide public service ex. EPA
Independent Regulatory Commissions
make rules concerning specific industries to protect public
Government Cooporations
provides service that could be done by private company, but are not profitable ex. Amtrak