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How does party control of the House and Senate affect the
functions of Congress?
Enquiry Question: How do the party and committee systems work within Congress?
Learning Outcomes
• To explain the committee structure
• To explain the roles and powers of party leadership
• To analyse the extent to which committee chairmen and party leadership are competing sources of leadership
• To evaluate the extent to which party leaders have become dominant over the past 30 years
Watch the video: Crash Course – Congressional Committees
Congressional Committee Snapshot
Standing Committees
Select Committees
ConferenceCommittees
House Rules Committee
Committee Chairs
Roles Powers Roles Powers Roles Powers Roles Powers Roles Powers
YOUR TASK:• Create a table of all the different types of committees –
make sure to leave columns for roles and powers of each.• Using the textbook, identify the role and powers of each
type of committee and the people who chair the committees.
Standing Committees
Roles
• Permanent policy-specialist committees
• Membership proportionate to majority/minority parties
• Conduct committee stage of legislation
• Investigations into policy area
• Confirmation of presidential appointments (Senate)
Powers
• Hold ‘hearings’ and call ‘witnesses’
• Question witnesses
• Power to help chambers manage their workload
• Can not legislate
• Can not require executive to comply
• Can not implement policies
Congressional Committees
House Rules Committee
Roles
• A standing committee
• Responsible for prioritising bills coming from the committee stage on to the House floor for 2nd readings
Powers
• ‘vital legislative role’
• Sets out rules for debate
• Membership smaller and more skewed to majority party
• Chair is considered one of the most influential posts in Congress
Why is the House Rules Committee so
important?
Congressional Committees
Conference Committees
Roles
• Reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill
• Set up to consider one particular bill (ad hoc)
• May be reconvened if version not agreed by a vote
• Used less frequently –leadership usually resolve differences
Powers
• Version must be agreed by vote on floor of each house
• Usually draw up the final version of a bill
• Power checked – House or Senate can refuse to sign up to compromise version
Congressional Committees
Select Committees
Roles
• Known as special or investigative committees
• Set up to investigate a particular issue (ad hoc)
• Standing committees have an investigative function –not within policy area or time consuming
Powers
• Hold ‘hearings’ and call ‘witnesses’
• Question witnesses
Congressional Committees
Committee Chairs
Background
• Drawn from majority party
• Seniority rule
• Ranking minority members
• Term limits
Powers• Control committee’s agenda• Decide when committee will meet• Control the committee’s budget• Influence the membership,
meetings and hearings of sub-committees
• Supervise a sizeable committee staff
• Serve as spokesperson on the committee’s policy area within Congress, to the White House and in the media
• Make scheduling requests• Report legislation to the floor
Congressional Committees
Congressional Committee Snapshot
Standing Committees
Select Committees
ConferenceCommittees
House Rules Committee
Committee Chairs
Roles Powers Roles Powers Roles Powers Roles Powers Roles Powers
YOUR TASK:• Look back at your completed table.• Which committee is the most powerful?• How powerful are the committee chairmen?
‘The house sits, not for serious discussion, but to sanction the conclusions of its committees as rapidly as possible.
It legislates in its committee rooms, not by the determination of majorities, but by the specially
commissioned minorities (the committees), so that it is not far from the truth to say that congress in session is
congress on public exhibition, whilst congress in its committee rooms is congress at work’.
Woodrow Wilson 1885 future president WWI.
What does this suggest about the significance
of Committees?
Quote of the Day
How significant are committees?
• Life or death over legislation; can kill legislation by not discussing it and not marking it up for debate
• Chairs very powerful-can kill bill by refusing to schedule them for debate, push through favourite bill.
• Log rolling; bargaining over votes, e.g. Republican offer to support a traditionally Democrat bill in return for Democrat supporting a traditionally Republican issue. Often takes place between committees.
Why have committees been criticised?
1. DecentralisedEver smaller groups dictate what legislation gets passed. Role of congress as a whole is very limited as decision of committees are usually adhered to. Worsened in the 1970’s with the growth of sub-committees.
2. InefficiencyMultiple points of veto therefore slow and clumsy. Major legislation may cross the range of many committees- many points for a veto.
3. Over-AmendingAmendments made due to log rolling – so many amendments final bill may not resemble original bill
4. SpeedSlow-hearings are a major cause of delays
5. Iron TrianglesCongressional committeeHealth Committee
Department of HealthFederal Agency
Pharmaceutical companiesInterest groups
Low regulation/special favours
Why have committees been criticised?
6. CorruptionCan lead to corruption-campaign contributions in exchange for benefits of interest groups.Protects elected officials from accountability-interest groups ensure re-election.Congressmen protect interest groups over policy needs.E.g. power of drug companies-contribute hugely to political campaigns. Therefore sabotage efforts to reduce cost of prescription drugs.
Why have committees been criticised?
Congressional Leadership
YOUR TASK:Read the article “Committees”Create a ‘Draw My Life’ style summary page.Ensure that your summary answers the following questions:• What criteria do members use when seeking congressional
committee assignments?• What are the prestige committees in the House and Senate?• What is the function of investigative committees?• What is the role of congressional committees? What
determines which committees members of Congress seek to be on?
• What are generally considered to be the most powerful and prestigious committees in Congress? What do you think makes those committees so influential?
Learning Outcomes
• To explain the committee structure
• To explain the roles and powers of party leadership
• To analyse the extent to which committee chairmen and party leadership are competing sources of leadership
• To evaluate the extent to which party leaders have become dominant over the past 30 years
Watch the video: Crash Course – Congressional Leadership
Political Parties in Congress
The Importance of Political Parties
• Political parties have always played an important role in Congress, but this role has increased in significance in the past decade.
• Party ideology influences the relationships between members of Congress, relationships with their constituents, legislation, and characterises the relationship between Congress and the executive.
Political Parties in CongressParty Discipline
• A weak party discipline is generally found in Congressional systems such as the United States Congress.
• It is routine for members to cross party lines on a given vote, typically following the interests of their region or following other members of a borderline group within their party (for instance, the conservative Blue Dog Democrats and centrist and socially liberal Main Street Republicans).
Political Parties in Congress
Influence of the Party Leadership
Agenda Control• This can be getting favourable agenda passed, but it can also mean keeping bills
off the agenda which they may not like, this is called "gatekeeping." Pressure• Falling in line with the leadership of your party could be beneficial in the form of
incentives; committee selection, pork, log-rolling, etc. Lobbyists tend to target the leaders and not minor members of congress because minor members will usually vote along party lines which is determined by the leadership.
Discipline• When you choose to ignore the party leadership it may cost you. If you choose
to ignore the leadership on a pivotal vote, well, that may come into account when the next congress' committees are being drawn up. You could really want that last spot on the appropriations committee, sometimes going against the leadership means you just missed the last spot and wind up on the post office committee.
Congressional Leadership
Who do we need to learn about?
Paul Ryan (Speaker of the House)• US Rep Wisconsin 1st district• Elected by H of R• 2nd in line of succession• Office mandated in Article 1 Section 2• Equivalent to the President Pro-Tempore but more powers• House’s presiding officer – the Speaker is a leadership
position in the majority party and actively works to set that party's legislative agenda, therefore endowing the office with considerable power
Additional duties;• Does not usually personally preside over debates, instead
delegating the duty to other members of Congress of the same political party.
• Some administrative and procedural functions, and represents his or her congressional district.
Congressional Leadership
Who do we need to learn about?
Orrin Hatch (President Pro-Tempore)• US Senator for Utah• Elected by Senate• 3rd in line of succession• Office mandated in Article 1 Section 3• Equivalent to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, but powers are more limited• Senate’s presiding officer – authorised to perform
certain duties in the absence of the VP e.g. ruling on points of order
Additional duties;Appointment of various congressional officers, certain commissions, advisory boards, and committees and joint supervision of the congressional page school.
Congressional Leadership
Who do we need to learn about?
Mitch McConnell (Majority Leader - Senate)
• US Senator for Kentucky• Elected by Republican party• Chief Senate spokesperson for party• Head of Minority (Republican) Party in the
SenateAdditional duties;• Manage and schedule the legislative and
executive business of the Senate.• By rule, the Presiding Officer gives the Majority
Leader priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate.
Congressional Leadership
Who do we need to learn about?
Chuck Schumer (Minority Leader - Senate)
• US Senator for New York• Elected by Democratic party• Chief Senate spokesperson for party• Head of Majority (Democratic) Party in the SenateAdditional duties;• Manage and schedule the legislative and executive
business of the Senate.• Minority party lawmakers are certain to be heard, but
whether they will be heeded is sometimes another matter. Thus, the utmost goal of any minority leader is to recapture majority control of the Senate.
Congressional Leadership
Who do we need to learn about?
Kevin McCarthy (Majority Leader - House)
• US Representative California 22nd District• Elected by Republican party• Floor leader of the majority party• NOT Head of Majority (Republican) Party in the House – that
is the SpeakerAdditional duties;• The Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader are
considered the respective "faces" and leaders of their caucuses in the House, while the Majority Leader's duties and prominence varies depending upon the style of the Speaker.
• May preside over debates.• Some administrative and procedural functions, and
represents his or her congressional district.
Congressional Leadership
Who do we need to learn about?
Nancy Pelosi (Minority Leader - House)
• US Rep California 8th
• Elected by Democratic party• Floor leader of the opposition party• Head of Minority (Democratic) Party in the House• Minority Party’s nominee for SpeakerAdditional duties;• Minority party lawmakers are certain to be heard, but
whether they will be heeded is sometimes another matter. Thus, the utmost goal of any minority leader is to recapture majority control of the House.
• The U.S. House of Representatives does not officially use the term "Minority Leader", although the media frequently does. The House instead uses the terms "Republican Leader" or "Democratic Leader" depending on which party holds a minority of seats.
• Served as a member of the House of Representatives since 1987
• Mother of 5, grandmother of 7• First female Speaker of the House• Highest ever ranking female politician in the
US (3rd in line to presidency)• First woman, the first Californian and first
Italian-American to lead a major party in Congress.
“I would never think of crying about any loss of an office, because that's always a possibility, and if you're professional, then you deal with it professionally...If I were to cry for anything, I would cry for the American people and the policies that they're about to face. “
Spotlight: Nancy Pelosi
No Stranger to Controversy
• “Ultra-liberal”
• Against Partial Birth Abortion Ban
• Against criminalisation of abortion for minors
• Oppose Iraq War
• Supporter of LGBTQ+ rights including marriage
• Supports use of medicinal marijuana
• Scolded visiting Columbian President on allegations of corruption
• For background checks for gun owners, against assault based weapons
• Extensive free speech advocate, against a ban on flag burning
• Against displaying the Ten Commandments in court rooms
• Helped pass Obamacare *delivered 219 votes in the House
Spotlight: Nancy Pelosi
Congressional Leadership
YOUR TASK:Read the article “House Leadership”Create a ‘Draw My Life’ style summary page.Ensure that your summary answers the following questions:• What criteria do House members use when selecting their
leadership?• What roles do the Speaker, floor leaders, and whips play in
the House?• What is the House Rules Committee? What makes it
important to controlling what legislation gets through the House?
• How do the roles of Speaker of the House and majority leader differ? What do party whips do?
Congressional Leadership
YOUR TASK:Read the article “Senate Leadership”Create a ‘Draw My Life’ style summary page.Ensure that your summary answers the following questions:• Who makes up the Senate leadership?• What roles do the presiding officer, floor leaders, and
whips play in the Senate?• What formal power does the vice president wield in the
Senate? Who presides over the Senate when the vice president is absent?
• What is the right of first recognition? How does it give the Senate majority leader an advantage in legislative battles?
Learning Outcomes
• To explain the committee structure
• To explain the roles and powers of party leadership
• To analyse the extent to which committee chairmen and party leadership are competing sources of leadership
• To evaluate the extent to which party leaders have become dominant over the past 30 years
How powerful are committee chairmen?• Committee Chairs are crucial in deciding the direction a
committee will take and generally which bills will get heard.
• They always come from the Majority party in that house, therefore if the Republicans control the Senate then all Senate Committee Chairs will be Republicans.
• They are elected via secret ballots and are limited to a 6 year term, which was imposed by the Republicans in the 1990s.
• Prior to this committee chairs would have been chosen using the Seniority Rule. This meant that chairs would have from the majority party and be the longest continuous service on that committee. They could previously also stay chair of the committee for as long as they wished.
How powerful are committee chairmen?• Committee chairmen in the House of Representatives have
traditionally been extremely powerful.
• They are able to: pigeonhole bills, blocking their further progress, substantially rewrite bills, and actively work with other members of the committee to promote a bill.
• They have been criticised because, in the past, their appointment through seniority meant they have been able to run their committees as independent fiefdoms, for the benefit of themselves, their constituents and groups supporting them, and to disregard party and national interests.
• They may become one corner of an iron triangle.
How powerful are committee chairmen?• However, since 1994, successive Speakers have moved to
restrict the power of committee chairmen by: imposing term limits, disregarding seniority in appointment and rewarding party loyalty, in addition to intervening directly in the committees’ proceedings to secure the outcome they want.
• In the Senate, the tradition of unrestricted debate, the ability of a minority to block the passage of legislation and a more collegial atmosphere mean that chairmen have traditionally been less dominant than their House counterparts.
• Nevertheless, committee chairmen are still able to exercise significant influence, as was seen in the role of chairmen such as Max Baucus during the passage of the health care legislation in 2009-10.
How could committee chairmen compete with the party leadership for influence?
Congressional Leaders vsCommittee Chairs
Powers of congressional
leaders
• Personal qualities
• Prestige of the office
• *Ability to pass legislation
• *Fundraising
• Committee assignment
• *Earmarks & patronage
• *Foreign travel
• *Favorable press
• Appointment power to various boards and commissions
• Party leaders determine which members serve on each committee.
• The majority party always has a majority of members on each committee.
• The majority party names the chair of each committee based on seniority, power, loyalty, and other criteria.
• Committee chairs have substantial power: They schedule hearings and votes and can easily kill a bill if they choose.
• The senior committee member from the minority party is called the ranking member.
Learning Outcomes
• To explain the committee structure
• To explain the roles and powers of party leadership
• To analyse the extent to which committee chairmen and party leadership are competing sources of leadership
• To evaluate the extent to which party leaders have become dominant over the past 30 years
How has power changed in Congress?Listen to the podcast: Power in Congress
Learning Outcomes
• To explain the committee structure
• To explain the roles and powers of party leadership
• To analyse the extent to which committee chairmen and party leadership are competing sources of leadership
• To evaluate the extent to which party leaders have become dominant over the past 30 years
How much power do the party leaders exert in Congress? (15)
What is the role of Committee Chairmen in Congress, and why have they been the subject of
criticism? (15)
To what extent does the Speaker of the House of Representatives
remain a powerful political figure? (15)
Plenary: Balloon Debate
You are in a hot air balloon which is losing height rapidly and will soon crash because it is overweight, therefore you
have to get rid of some of the passengers!
In order to decide who to get rid of the passengers will
argue for your vote.
Plenary: Balloon Debate
• Passenger A: Speaker of the House• Passenger B: Committee Chairman• Passenger C: Ranking Member• Passenger D: President Pro-Tempore• Passenger E: Committee Member• Passenger F: Senate Majority Leader
Homework
Application Task:A choice of: How much power do the party leaders exert in Congress? (15)What is the role of Committee Chairmen in Congress, and why have they been the subject of criticism? (15)To what extent does the Speaker of the House of Representatives remain a powerful political figure? (15)Flipped Learning Preparation Task:Functions of Congress: Legislation (Pearson p348-352)Stretch & Challenge TaskExtract: Congress in the Information Age