us government congress lesson: 6. committees and leadership

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evLR90Dx79M

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


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?


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


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


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 Committee Snapshot

Standing Committees

Select Committees

ConferenceCommittees


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


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.


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





Watch the video: Crash Course – Congressional Leadership

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8urcMLGFyU

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.


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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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


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?


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





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





How has power changed in Congress?Listen to the podcast: Power in Congress

http://corg.indiana.edu/sites/default/files/power_in_congress.mp3

Learning Outcomes





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

https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_american-government-and-politics-in-the-information-age/s16-09-congress-in-the-information-ag.html

us government congress lesson: 6. committees and leadership

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