Presentation by Eric Miller, Blinn College, Bryan, Texas.

CHAPTER 11Congress: Balancing National Goals and Local Interests

Roger Davidson and Walter Oleszek

There are two Congresses….The tight-knit

complex world of Capitol Hill is a long way from [the member’s

district], in perspective and outlook as well as in miles.

The House of Representatives• 435 Members• Representation is based on population- Census every

ten years• California has the most members; 53

• 2 Year term• Requirements-

• 25 years of age• U.S. citizen for at least 7 years• Resident of the state he/she represents

• Unique Powers• Initiate revenue bills• Impeach federal officials• Choose the president if no candidate receives a majority of the

electoral college

The Senate

• 100 members- 2 from each state• 6 year term• Qualifications

• 30 years of age• U.S. citizen for at least 9 years• Resident of the state he/she represents

• Unique Powers• Approve presidential appointments• Approve treaties with a 2/3 majority• Hold an impeachment trial

Congress as a Career: Election to Congress

• Using Incumbency to Stay in Congress• Constituency

• the people an elected official represents

• Pork Barrel Projects• tangible benefits targeted solely at a particular legislature’s constituency

• Service Strategy• responding to constituents’ individual needs

• Open-Seat Election• less predicable• more evenly matched opponents• more evenly distributed PAC money• higher overall level of campaign spending

Congress as a Career: Election to Congress

• The highest priority for most members of Congress:• getting reelected• Members run two campaigns-

• In Washington raising $$$• At home appealing for votes

• Today’s Congress compared to the 19th century• Members aspire to have a lengthy career• The total size of staff has increased• More incumbents successfully run for reelection • Attention members give to serving constituents'’ individual needs

(service strategy)

Congress as a Career: Election to Congress

• The Pitfalls of Incumbency• Troublesome Issues

• public discontent

• Personal Misconduct• Turnout Variation: The Midterm Election Problem

• if the incumbent is the same party as the president

• Strong Challengers: A Problem for Senators

Congress as a Career: Election to Congress

• The Pitfalls of Incumbency (continued)• Redistricting: A Problem for House Members

• Reapportionment• Gerrymandering

• Safe Incumbency and Representation• Who Are the Winners in Congressional Elections?

Allocation of PAC

contributions between

Incumbents and

Challengers in

Congressional races that included an incumbent

Congressional LeadershipParty Leadership in Congress

The House Leadership

• The Speaker of the House• Majority/Minority Leaders• Whips- keep party

members in line

The Senate Leadership

• President of the Senate- Vice President of the U.S.

• President Pro Tempore• Majority/Minority Leaders

Congressional Leadership• The Power of the Party Leaders

• Speaker of the House has more power than the Senate majority leader• limited debate in the House• the House has more members• the House has less of a tradition as a chamber of equals• the House has a more restrictive set of rules• the Senate majority leader is not the presiding officer of his/her

chamber• Senators are less likely to follow their leaders due to the fact

that they see themselves as equals

Congressional Leadership• Committee Chairs: The Seniority Principle• Oligarchy or Democracy: Which Principle Should Govern?

The Committee System• Committee Types:

• Standing Committees• permanent• has jurisdiction over certain policy

areas• major source of its power

• can draft, amend, and recommend legislation

• usually organized according to the seniority principle

• most of the work in Congress is done in the standing committees and the subcommittees

The Committee System (cont.)• Select Committees

• temporary

• Joint Committees• members from both houses

• Conference Committees• to reach a compromise on a bill when the Senate & House have

different versions

• Committee Membership• Committee Jurisdiction

How a Bill Becomes Law

• Introduction by a member of Congress

• Committee Hearings and Decisions

• From Committee to the Floor• House Rules Committee• Cloture/Filibuster• Rider

• Leadership and Floor Action• Simple majority to pass

• Conference Committee and the President• Law• Veto

Congress’s Policymaking Role• The Lawmaking Function of Congress

• The major function of Congress- enacting legislation• Broad Issues: The Limits of Fragmentation on Congress’s Role

• Congress has an inability to consistently provide leadership on issues of broad national significance• Many members with many constituencies• Authority is divided• More likely to exert leadership in policies affecting special interests

• The President is more responsive to these issues• More likely to take a national perspective• More media attention• More available policy experts• More authority to make decisions within the exec. branch while congressional

leaders cannot impose their will on other members who disagree

Congress’s Policymaking Role• Congress has the aid of three congressional agencies

• CBO- Congressional Budget Office- provides economic projections, etc.• GAO- General Accounting Office- oversight of exec. agencies spending• CRS- Congressional Research Service- nonpartisan reference agency

• The Lawmaking Function of Congress• Congress in the Lead: Fragmentation as a Policymaking Strength

Congress’s Policymaking Role• The Representation Function of Congress

• Representation of States and Districts• Members of Congress are concerned with national issues but are more

concerned with local ones• Committee System• Logrolling

• trading one’s vote with another member so that each gets what he/she wants

Congress’s Policymaking Role• The Representation Function of Congress (continued)

• Representation of the Nation Through Parties• Members of Congress can be expected to respond when a clear-cut

national interest is at stake• These debates usually play out along party lines• Party-line voting has increased in recent decades• Partisanship is the main source of cohesion and division within Congress

Percentage of roll-call votes in House

and Senate in which a majority of Democrats voted against a majority

of Republicans

Congress’s Policymaking Role• The Representation Function of Congress (continued)

• Representation of the Nation Through Parties• Partisanship has a major influence on roll-call votes…

• On presidential initiatives, POTUS becomes a party leader• If a member’s constituency is evenly divided• On economic & social welfare issues

• The Oversight Function of Congress• Committee System (Hearings)• Executive Privilege• Sunset Laws• Oversight issues

• Becoming more important to the nation• Difficult to carry out• Legislators are more interested in policy making• Not a priority for most members of Congress unless:

• Members of Congress are annoyed with an agency• Discovery of abuse• Reviewing a program prior to a possible major change

Congress: Too Much Pluralism?• Diversity of interests are represented.• Congress cannot be highly responsive to diverse local

interests and national interests.• It is responsive through elections to local interests, which

makes it hard to respond to national interests.

States in the Nation