AP US GOVERNMENT
& POLITICS
UNIT 4 CONGRESS
POWERPOINT #8:
The Structure of Congress
CONGRESS
Congress is bicameral (2 houses)
• Similar to other political offices, Congressional
incumbents tend to get elected (or reelected).
• The electoral advantages of incumbency:
– Name recognition / they are already well known
• “Franking” privilege allows them to send mails newsletters for free to
their constituents
• They know their constituents, often Congressmen travel back home and
meet with people from their district
• Ties have been established to a political party and various interest
groups which can provide campaign financial support
– Credit claiming
• They have a legislative record / list of achievements they can present to
voters
• Case work: when Congressmen help constituents as individuals, perhaps
cutting through government “red tape” or bureaucratic paperwork to
deliver them a personal favor.
• Pork barrel: Congressmen “bring home the bacon” to their districts or
states by getting government projects & contracts awarded in their area.
With the power of incumbency, how can a
non‐incumbent ever expect to win?
• Winning a Congressional seat
as a non‐incumbent:
– Open seats (the incumbent chooses
not to seek reelection)
– New district boundary lines
due to reapportionment may
make a “safe seat” more
competitive
– A scandal for the incumbent
– A critical election or landslide
election for the party in
opposition
Gerrymandering and Malapportionment
Gerrymandering: The practice of redrawing the boundaries of congressional districts so that the controlling party
benefits
Malapportionment: A problem that often results from excessive gerrymandering wherein districts have extremely
varied populations
When?
Gerrymandering most often takes place after the census. The census occurs at the beginning of every decade. State
legislatures redraw congressional districts to benefit the controlling party.
Two Methods:
Packing:
The practice of packing many like minded
subgroups into one district. For example:
Drawing one district that encompasses all
liberal urban voters to minimize their impact.
Cracking:
The practice of cracking a voting bloc over
several districts to minimize impact. For
example: Drawing a line through a minority
neighborhood.
Gerrymandering is prevalent at the national and state levels. BOTH PARTIES GERRYMANDER.
Anti-gerrymandering legislation is unlikely to pass because both parties benefit from it.
Gerrymandering is not a factor in presidential or senatorial elections because both use unchangeable state boundaries as
districts.
Congressional Leadership
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
• Speaker of the House: Leader of the House,
second in line for the presidency. The Speaker is
chosen voted on by House members (the majority
party votes on who they want!)
– Presides over the House when it is in session
– Exercises control over which bills get assigned to
which committees
– Plays a major role in making committee assignments
– Plays a major in selecting party leadership in the
House
• After the Speaker is selected House members
“conference” with members of their political party to
pick their own leaders.
• Floor Leaders: (beside the Speaker for the majority party)
the floor leader is in charge of leading and
crafting their party’s agenda in the House.
• Party Whips: Whips assist
floor leaders by “whipping
into shape” junior House
members of their party to
vote a certain way on
proposals.
SENATE
• Leadership in the Senate is somewhat more
predetermined.
• President of the Senate: The Constitution
automatically assigns the Vice President to this role.
– The VP / Pres. of the Senate only gets to vote in the Senate
if there is a tie.
– VPs often help push the president’s agenda to senators,
however
• Senate pro tempore: Presides over the Senate when the VP is
not there, by tradition it is the senator from the majority party
with the most seniority; 3rd in line for the presidency.
• However, floor leaders and party whips are
voted on in both the majority and minority
party conferences. These Senate leaders serve
the same purpose as their counterparts in the
House.
• Congressional leaders for both parties (majority &
the minority) often have difficult persuading their
members to do what they want.
WHY?
– They represent different districts and states, thus
different interests.
– Each lawmaker wants to get reelected, and what’s
best for them may not be best for the leadership.
– Sometimes junior lawmakers use their “vote” as
bargaining power for “pork.”
Congressional Organization
• Although both houses are designed “to make
laws” there are some organizational differences:
Differences:
• House Rules Committee: where members (usually
appointed by the Speaker) decide when to schedule
debates and votes on bills, the “traffic cop” of the
House.
• The Filibuster: unlike the House, Senators may
debate as long as they like on a proposed bill.
This is a tactic used by the minority party to
prevent the majority from getting things done.
Similarities:
• Caucuses
– A group of lawmakers from both the House and
Senate who share a common interest (i.e. Congressional
Black Caucus, Tea Party Caucus).
• The use of committees
– They are policy specific groupings of lawmakers (i.e.
Foreign Affairs, Energy & Commerce)
– They serve as “gatekeepers” for passing legislation
onto the rest of the House or Senate
– They can provide legal oversight after legislation has
been passed
Support Staff Agencies
• To help Congress carryout its work are support
staff agencies comprised of hundreds of
unelected and nonpartisan (or bipartisan) officials.
– Congressional Research Service
– Government Accountability Office (GAO): it audits
and evaluates government activities / spending.
– Congressional Budget Office (CBO): provides
economic data to Congress, especially predicted
outcomes of budget scenarios.