AP Gov Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

bicameral

two house legislature (compromise between large and small population states)

term length in the senate

6 years

term length in the house

2 years

how do the different term lengths of the two houses of the senate affect how those representative act?

house members are most likely to do constituent service and focus on immediate issues, while senators can take a longer-term view and engage in broader policy discussions

qualifications to run for house of representatives

• at least 25 years old

• citizen for the past 7 years

• resident of the state they represent when elected

qualifications to run for senate

• at least 30 years old

• citizen for the past 9 years

• resident of the state they represent when elected

unique powers of the house

• originate revenue bills

• initiate impeachment

• breaks tie for president in electoral college

unique powers of the senate

• provides “advice and consent” on treaties and presidential appointments

• holds impeachment trial

• breaks tie for vp in electoral college

members, terms, and constituencies of the house

• 435 members

• 2 year terms

• unlimited terms

members, terms, and constituencies of the senate

• 100 members

• 6 year terms

• unlimited terms

structures and processes of the house

• centralized and hierarchical

• rules committee (majority party and speaker controls the agenda)

• strict debate

• speaker of the house has lots of power

• focuses on revenue and spending

structures and processes of the senate

• less centralized

• committees have less authority

• looser debate (filibuster and cloture)

• leaders less powerful

• focuses on foreign policy

bill can originate in ________ chamber

either

if a bill passes both houses with a __________________ it can be signed into law by the president

simple majority 50%

caucuses in congress

very informal committees that meet together to discuss legislation and opinions - groups of like-minded people - clubs for members of congress

senators build longer lasting __________

coalitions that can support diverse legislation over time

enumerated powers

a limited number of powers given expressly to congress in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution

power of the purse

power to coin money and levy taxes

congress foreign and military affairs

• declares war

• funds military, foreign endeavors, and aid

• oversees state and defense departments and relevant agencies

• can institute a mandatory military draft

• senate confirms presidential nominations and ratifies treaties (related to foreign affairs)

war powers act (1973)

requires the US president to inform Congress within 48 of committing US forces to combat and limits the duration of military engagement without Congressional approval (60 days to withdraw troops when not in war)

leader of the house of representatives

speaker of the house

role of the speaker of the house

• calls bills

• recognizes members for their turn to speak

• organizes members for conference committees

majority/minority leader of the house

• the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives, responsible for coordinating party strategy and guiding legislation,

• leads the minority party and represents their interests

roles of the majority/minority leader of the house

• direct debate / guide discussion

• first to speak each day

• majority leader helps speaker, minority doesn’t do much

• minority leader is ready to become majority leader if the party in power switches in the next congress

whips

assist majority and minority leaders, ensuring party discipline and gathering votes

role of the whips (both house and senate)

• keep a tally of votes

• make members vote in line with the party

• enforce party with political favors/threats

Leadership chain in the house

• 1) speaker of the house

• 2) majority/minority leaders

• 3) majority/minority whips

Leadership chain in the senate

• 1) vice president of the US

• 2) president pro tempore

• 3) majority/minority leaders

• 4) majority/minority whips

vice president (in senate)

nonvoting president of the senate - rarely in the senate so a temporary president is also chosen

roles of the vice president in the senate

• tie-breaking vote in the senate if 50-50

president pro tempore

temporary president/stand in from the majority party in the senate who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President and is elected by the Senate

roles of the president pro temp

• most senior member of majority party

• signs legislation and issues oaths

• no real power - more ceremonial

senate majority leader

the head of the majority party in the Senate, responsible for scheduling legislation and leading party strategy - most powerful senate member and chief legislator

roles of the senate majority leader

• sets calendar and chooses bills

• guides party caucus on issues and strategy

• negotiates with minority party and manages debate on the floor

standing committees

permanent committees focused on a particular policy area

committee chairperson

senior members in the majority party who lead standing committees, responsible for scheduling hearings, managing committee activities, and guiding legislation through the committee process - majority party has majority of seats in each committee

powerful house committee members want to serve on

house ways and means committee - determines tax policy

appropriations committee

found in both the house and senate and controls the purse strings for federal government spending and budgeting

joint committee

members of both house form a committee to address a long term issue/program

select/special committee

temporary committees that handle a particular issue/investigation

conference committee

a committee formed with both house and senate members when similar bills are passed separately in both houses and they work together to create a cohesive bill they both will pass

congress has a few permanent ______________ committees that unite house and senate members

joint

unique house rules

• members may not speak for longer than 1 hour

• legislators can only add germane amendments to bills

• speaker chooses who speaks in debates

germane

relevant or closely related to the legislation under consideration

The house rules committee

It acts as a traffic cop to the house floor. It assigns bills to committees, schedules bills, and decides when votes take place.

Who is the chairperson of the house rules committee

the speaker of the house

Committee on the Whole

• includes house, senate, and delegates from the US territories

• allows for longer debate among fewer people and only 100 members must be present

• when finished, it “rises and reports” a bill being worked on up to the full house for consideration

discharge petition

brings a bill out of a reluctant committee by bring the bill straight to the floor of a simple majority of house members (or 30 senate members) sign it

armed services committee of the house

oversees the military

judiciary committee of the house

works on crime bills and impeachments

energy and commerce committee of the house

legislation focused on energy and business

finance committee of the senate

works on legislation for spending and budgeting

armed services committee of the senate

oversees the military (s)

foreign relations committee of the senate

guides the foreign policy

judiciary committee of the senate

confirms judges and oversees courts

agriculture, nutrition, and forestry committee of the senate

works on legislation related to farming, food, and nature

filibuster

a tactic used in the Senate to stall or kill a bill by extending debate for an extremely long time until the session ends, often requiring a super-majority to overcome

unanimous consent

approval of all 100 senators

hold

a measure to stall a bill by a senator who expresses intent to object, delaying the legislative process

cloture rule

senate - requires a 3/5 vote to stop debate on a bill before voting, stops filibusters

how a bill becomes a law (house)

• drafted & introduced to house - sent to committee

• committee action/inaction hearing and markups

• vote to report bill and writing report

• floor activity, refer to rules committee, debate, vote

• introduced to senate and sent to committee

• committee action/inaction hearing and markups

• vote to report bill and writing report

• floor activity, debate, vote

• conference committee - resolve differences if necessary - vote

• president signs or vetos - bill becomes a law!

• after - regulatory activity

how bill becomes a law (senate)

• drafted & introduced to senate - sent to committee

• committee action/inaction hearing and markups

• vote to report bill and writing report

• floor activity, debate, vote

• introduced to house and sent to committee

• committee action/inaction hearing and markups

• vote to report bill and writing report

• floor activity, refer to rules committee, debate, vote

• conference committee - resolve differences if necessary - vote

• president signs or vetos - bill becomes a law!

• after - regulatory activity

bills sponsor

member who introduces the bill and typically assumes authorship

riders

nongermane amendments to bill the senate can add

omnibus bill

a bill that includes multiple areas of law or addresses multiple programs

pork barrel spending

funds earmarked for specific purposes in a legislator’s district (typically for constituent service and reelection purposes)

logrolling

trading votes to gain support for a bill (securing a vote for your bill by supporting someone else’s)

individual income taxes

taxes paid by people in the workforce on the income they make in the calendar year

corporate tax

taxes paid by businesses on their profit

social insurance taxes (payroll taxes)

employees/employers pay to fund programs like Social Security and Medicare

some sources of revenue for the federal government (congress)

• individual income taxes

• corporate taxes

• social insurance taxes (payroll tax)

• tariffs and excise taxes

• other sources

tariffs and excise taxes

tax paid on certain imports/products - tariffs on imports have higher costs to promote US goods - excise taxes are on goods that are luxury items or health risks

other sources of revenue for the federal government

taxes like interest on government holdings/investments and estate taxes for people inheriting large sums of money

deficit

the difference between spending and revenue (1 year)

gridlock!!!!!!!!!!!!

the congestion of opposing forces (party polarization) that prevents ideas from moving within each house and between congress and the president - can’t pass policy and is very slow

delegate model

members try to reflect the will of their constituency by voting the way they would vote (especially in the house)

trustee model

members use their best judgement to vote despite the view of their constituency (sometimes go against them)

politico model

a member acts as a blend of the delegate and trustee models

why are house members more likely to act like delegates as opposed to senate members?

house members have shorter terms than senate members so they vote with their constituency to have a better chance to be reelected, senators have longer terms and are more likely to act independently of their constituency in order to focus on broader issues and longer-term goals

gerrymandering

it is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another, impacting election outcomes

swing districts

electoral districts with no clear majority, where either major party has a chance of winning

policy agenda

set of issues that are significant to the people involved in policy-making

formal powers

presidential powers defined in Article II of the Constitution

informal powers

political powers of the president interpreted to be inherent in the office to achieve policy goals

chief legislator

the role of the president in influencing and shaping legislation and public policy (recommend new laws in public to push Congress)

power of persuasion (same as bully pulpit)

the president's ability to influence public opinion and motivate legislators to support their agenda (uses platform to spread their message and gather wide support)

veto

the president rejecting a bill passed in both houses

pocket veto

choosing not to sign a bill in the last 10 days of a congressional session so it cannot pass and become law

line item veto

president vetoing specific parts of a bill but not the entire bioll

what kind of vetoes are unconstitutional

legislative and line item

the president has what role in the military?

commander in chief

who declares war

congress

executive agreement

a simple agreement between two heads of state - similar to a treaty but doesn’t require senate approval

downfall of executive agreements

cannot use appropriations from congress to fund aspects of the agreement and may lack long-term stability or support

executive order

a directive issued by the President to manage the operations of the federal government, often used to enforce existing laws or direct government policy - requires no congressional action

signing statements

a president’s explanation that accompanies a signing of a bill into law that explains their understanding of the law and plan on how they want to carry it out - like a line item veto but constitutional

executive privilege

the right to withhold information of the executive decision making process (private conversations between officials and advisors) from the other branches and the public (especially congress) - protects confidentiality - info is protected by separation of powers

why would the executive want to withhold information from congress?

To maintain confidentiality in decision-making and protect sensitive national security or diplomatic matters - allowing for open and frank communication without fear of public scrutiny or embarrassment - this is seen as crucial for effective policymaking, as it enables officials to explore different options and express opinions freely

president’s cabinet

principle officers of each executive department that advise the president and run large governmental departments

how many secretaries are there

15