So where do we start?
• Majority Party – Political party that holds the most seats in
each house. • As of 2010, this is the Republicans.
• Minority Party – Political party that holds fewer seats in each
house. • As of 2010, this is the Democrats
Why is it important to be in the majority?
• Presiding officers and committee chairs always come from the majority party!
• It makes it easier to pass laws!
House of Representative Leadership
• The House operates under stronger leadership than the Senate– Why?
• It has 4 times as many members!
– Must be strict to keep them in line!
– Who is the most powerful? • Speaker of the House
Who and what is the Speaker of the House?
• Who? – John Boehner
• Republican
• Congressman from Ohio’s 8th district
• What does he do? – Governs the debate in the
House of Reps.
– Is the public face of the House of Reps.
– Is 3rd in line if POTUS dies!
Who is below the Speaker of the House?
• Each political party has their own floor leader
– Majority party floor leader • aka “Majority Leader”
– Serves as an assistant to the Speaker of the House.
– Minority Party floor leader • aka “Minority Leader”
– Serves as chief voice of minority party
Who is the Majority Leader today?
• Eric Cantor– Republican from 7th
district in Virginia
– Been in Congress since 2001.
Who is the minority leader?
• Nancy Pelosi– Democrat
– California’s 8th Congressional District
– Been in Congress since 1989
Who works for the majority and minority leaders?
• The Whips!!– Work feverishly to keep their political parties in line!
• They demand their members to vote according to the political parties beliefs!
• Majority whip– Works for the majority party
• Minority whip– Works for the minority party
Who are the Whips?
• Majority Whip– Kevin McCarthy
• Republican from California
• Minority Whip– Steny Hoyer
• Democrat from Maryland
Senate Leadership
• The Presiding Officer of the United States Senate– Vice President of the
United States• Used as deciding vote in
all ties!
• Joe Biden – Democrat from
Delaware
Who is next most powerful person in Senate?
• President pro tempore– Person who is head of Senate when VP is
busy doing VP stuff….
– 4th in line if POTUS dies!
– Who gets to be President pro tempore? • The longest serving member of the Majority Party.
Who is President pro tempore?
• Daniel Inouye– Democrat from Hawaii
– Been in Congress since 1963!
• FYI:– That’s when JFK was
POTUS!!
So who is below the President pro tempore?
• Same as House of Representatives
– Majority and Minority Floor Leaders
– Majority and Minority Whips