State Institutions: Congress and the Presidency - Study Notes

UNIT THREE: State Institutions: Congress and the Presidency Study Notes

The American State: Three Branches

• The American state system is structured around three distinct branches:

  • The President/Executive Branch

  • The Supreme Court/Federal Courts (Judicial Branch)

  • Congress (Legislative Branch)

Congress (Article I)

Structure of Congress: A Comparison of the House and Senate

• House of Representatives:

  • Membership: $435$ members, apportioned among states based on population.

  • Term of Office: $2$ years; the entire House is elected every $2$ years.

  • Qualifications:

    • At least $25$ years of age.

    • Citizen for at least $7$ years.

    • Must live in the state where the district is located.

  • Constituencies: Smaller, representing specific districts within a state.

  • Prestige: Generally considered to have less prestige compared to the Senate.

• Senate:

  • Membership: $100$ members, with two from each state, regardless of population.

  • Term of Office: $6$ years; terms are staggered, with one-third of the Senate elected every $2$ years.

  • Qualifications:

    • At least $30$ years of age.

    • Citizen for at least $9$ years.

    • Must live in the state they represent.

  • Constituencies: Larger, representing the entire state.

  • Prestige: Generally considered to have more prestige.

Congressional Committees

• Congress utilizes various committees to manage its legislative workload. These committees specialize in different policy areas.

  • House Committees (Examples):

    • Agriculture

    • Appropriations

    • Armed Services

    • Benghazi (Select)

    • Budget

    • Education and the Workforce

    • Energy and Commerce

    • Ethics

    • Financial Services

    • Foreign Affairs

    • Homeland Security

    • Judiciary

    • Rules

    • Ways and Means

  • Senate Committees (Examples):

    • Aging (Special)

    • Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

    • Appropriations

    • Armed Services

    • Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

    • Budget

    • Commerce, Science and Transportation

    • Energy and Natural Resources

    • Ethics (Select)

    • Finance

    • Foreign Relations

    • Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

    • Judiciary

    • Rules and Administration

  • Joint Committees (Examples):

    • Economic

    • Library

    • Printing

    • Taxation

Leadership Structure

• House of Representatives:

  • Speaker of the House: The presiding officer, typically from the majority party.

  • Majority Leader: Leads the majority party's legislative efforts.

  • Majority Whips: Assist the majority leadership in gathering votes and maintaining party discipline.

  • Majority Party Rank-and-File Members: Regular members of the majority party.

  • Minority Leader: Leads the minority party's legislative efforts.

  • Minority Whips: Assist the minority leadership in gathering votes and maintaining party discipline.

  • Minority Party Rank-and-File Members: Regular members of the minority party.

• Senate:

  • Vice President: Serves as the President of the Senate and votes in case of a tie.

  • Majority Leader: Most powerful figure in the Senate, leads the majority party's legislative agenda.

  • Majority Whips: Assist the majority leadership.

  • Majority Party Rank-and-File Members: Regular members of the majority party.

  • Minority Leader: Leads the minority party's efforts.

  • Minority Whips: Assist the minority leadership.

  • Minority Party Rank-and-File Members: Regular members of the minority party.

Powers of Congress

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