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2: Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress

The House of Representatives

  • Purpose: Represents the population's changing needs and opinions with a larger membership based on population.
  • Elections: Members face re-election every two years, encouraging responsiveness to public priorities.
  • Powers: Initiates tax laws and spending bills, overseeing taxing and spending legislation.

The Senate

  • Representation: Represents states equally, acting as a check on the House's more populist tendencies.
  • Powers: Confirms presidential appointments, ratifies treaties, tries impeachment cases, and amends revenue bills.

Shared Powers of Congress

Congress holds powers essential for governance, including:

  • Enforcing taxes and borrowing money.
  • Regulating commerce and raising an army.
  • Establishing naturalization laws, post offices, and federal courts.
  • Providing for a militia and making laws deemed necessary and proper.

Additionally, Congress can influence executive actions through the power of the purse, promoting specific programs or limiting agency power.

Committees and Their Roles

Committees in both chambers play a critical role in refining legislation, conducting hearings, and facilitating debate. Their functions reflect the distinct constitutional responsibilities of each chamber:

  • House Committees: Focus on reviewing legislation and setting chamber priorities.
  • Senate Committees: Take a longer-term policy view and focus on consensus-building due to the chamber's unique roles in appointments, treaties, and impeachment trials.

Oversight and Transparency

Congressional oversight, conducted through committees, checks the executive branch, investigating corruption and inefficiencies. Public hearings and debates increase government transparency and inform society about pressing issues.

Legislative Process

The legislative process is deliberately slow, encouraging compromise and thorough consideration of bills. This process involves:

  • Bill introduction by Congress members.
  • Committee review and refinement.
  • Debate and voting, differing between the House and Senate due to their sizes.

Rules and Structure

  • House Rules: Governed by the Rules Committee, which decides on debate lengths and amendment rules.
  • Senate Rules: Fewer due to its smaller size, allowing extended debates and practices like filibustering.

Important Roles

  • House: The Speaker plays a key role in legislative proceedings, along with party leaders and whips.
  • Senate: The Vice President, as President of the Senate, and the Majority Leader, guide the chamber's proceedings.

The President's Desk

Upon receiving a bill, the President can sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses.