Organization of the U.S. Congress

Organization of Congress Party Organization of the Senate

President of the Senate VP of the United States

President Pro Tempore Has most seniority in majority party Serves as presiding officer when VP not there

Majority Leader and Minority Leader Elected by respective party members Majority Leader schedules Senate business (usually in

consultation with Minority leader) Party Whips

Keep leaders informed Round up votes, make sure party members are voting

“correctly” Counts noses (see how many votes there are)

Organization of Congress Party Organization of the Senate (cont.)

Committees Each party has a policy committee to schedule

Senate business and prioritize bills Committee assignments handled by a group of

Senators, each for their own party Democratic Steering Committee Republican Committee on Committees

Assignments are especially important for freshmen Assignments emphasize ideological and regional

balance Other factors: popularity, effectiveness on TV,

favors owed

Senate Leadership

Minority LeaderMitch

McConnell (R-Kentucky) Minority Whip

Jon Kyl(R-Arizona)

Majority WhipRichard

Durbin(D-Illinois)

Majority LeaderHarry Reid (D-Nevada)

President of the Senate

Joseph Biden

President Pro Tempore

Daniel Inouye(D- Hawaii)

Organization of Congress Party Structure in the House

Speaker of the House: leader of majority party, presides over House Recognizes people to speak on the floor Rules on relevance of motions Assigns bills to committees (subject to some rules) Influences which bills are brought to a vote Appoints members to special and select committees Has some informal powers

Majority Leader and Minority Leader Leaders on the Floor

Party Whips

Organization of Congress Committees

Assignments and legislative schedule set by each party

Democrats have the Steering and Policy Committee,

Republicans divide the task: the Committee on Committees (assignments) and the Policy Committee (schedule legislation)

Democratic and Republican congressional campaign committees

House Leadership

Speaker of the House

John Boehner(R-Nevada)

Minority WhipSteny Hoyer

(D- Maryland)

Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi

(D- California)

Majority WhipKevin McCarthy(R- California)

Majority LeaderEric Cantor(R-Virginia)

Strength of Party Structures Loose measure is the ability of leaders to

get members to vote together to determine party rules and organization

Tested in 104th Congress- Gingrich with party support for reforms and controversial committee assignments

Senate contrasts the House Senate has changed norms rather than rules Senate now less party-oriented; more hospitable

to freshmen, more heavily staffed, more subcommittee oriented

Party Unity Measure party polarization in voting by

votes in which a majority of Dems and Republicans oppose one another

Party voting and cohesion more evident in 1990’s than in 1960’s-80’s

Today splits often reflect deep ideological difference between parties or party leaders In the past, splits were result of party discipline Focus was on winning elections, dispensing

patronage, keeping power

Party Unity Why is there party voting given party

has little electoral influence? Ideological orientation is important to

members (increasingly so to voters as well)

Cues given by and taken from fellow party members

Rewards from party leaders go to those who follow the party line

Organization of Congress Caucuses

Association of members created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest

Republicans passed legislation making caucus operations more difficult in 1995

Types of Caucuses Intra-party caucus- members share similar

ideology Personal interest caucus- members share an

interest in an issue Constituency caucus – established to represent

groups, regions, or both

Organization of Congress Committees:

Legislative committees the most important organizational feature of Congress, and where all of the real work is done Consider bills and legislative proposals Maintain oversight of executive agenda Conduct investigations

Types of Committees Standing committees- permanent, with specific legislative

responsibilities Select committees- appointed for limited purpose and

duration Joint committees- both reps and senators serve on

committee Conference committees – joint committee appointed to

resolve differences in Senate and House versions of the same legislation before final passage

Organization of Congress: Committees Committee Practices: number of committees has varied

Cuts in 1995 Majority party has majority of seats on committees

and names chair Assignments

House members usually serve on two standing committees or one exclusive committee

Senators usually serve on two “major” committees and one “minor” committee

Chairs are elected Usually the most senior member of the committee Seniority has been under attack by both parties in

recent decades

Organization of Congress Subcommittee Bill of Rights of 1970’s

changed several traditions House committee chairs are elected by secret

ballot in party caucuses No one may chair more than one committee All House committees with more than 20

members are to have at least 4 subcommittees House and Senate committees gained larger

staffs All meetings open to the public unless

members voted to close them

Organization of Congress: Subcommittees

Decentralized reforms made House more inefficient and chairs utilized controversial practices to gain control

House Republican rule changes of 1995 therefore modified Subcommittee Bill of Rights (similar changes made in Senate)

Certain committees tend to attract particular types of legislators Policy-oriented = finance or foreign policy Constituency-oriented = small business or

veterans’ affairs

Organization of Congress: Staffs Tasks of staff members

Constituency service- 1/3 of staff works in the district Legislative functions- devising proposals, negotiating

agreements, organizing hearings, meeting with lobbyists and administrators

Advocates for employers- entrepreneurial function

Members of Congress can no longer keep up with increased legislative work and must rely on staff

Larger staff means: More legislative work done in the chamber More individualistic Congress – less collegial, less

deliberative b/c members interact through staff who become their negotiators

Organization of Congress Staff Agencies

Work for Congress as a whole; provide specialized knowledge (equivalent to what Pres has)

Major agenciesCongressional Research Service (CRS)General Accounting Office (GAO)Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)

abolished in 1995Congressional Budget Office (CBO)