U3 P4 Flashcards
Constituents
“the folks back home,” whose interests are often narrow & local. “Delegates” obey constituents, while “trustees” rely on their own judgment.
Colleagues
Members of Congress lobby each other, and frequently engage in reciprocity or “logrolling” (vote-trading).
Political Party
most members of Congress feel loyal to their parties, and are subject to pressure from the whips and other party leaders.
Caucuses
special-interest groups within Congress, like Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Interest Groups & Lobbyists
narrow-focus groups outside Congress and their paid representatives who aim to persuade members on how to vote.
Political Action Committees (PACs):
interest groups formed to give the maximum contributions allowed by law to Congressional re-election campaigns, supporting candidates that share their views.
Staff and Support Agencies:
members rely on research done by their staff and non-partisan agencies like the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Congressional Oversight
A) (Sub)committees conduct hearings to monitor the federal bureaucracy in the Executive Branch agencies for mismanagement, corruption, and illegalities.
B) Congress lost the power to impose any legislative veto, where they could disallow executive acts with a majority vote, in the landmark Supreme Court case Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha (1983).
C) Congress is now exercising the power of congressional review, whereby it can disapprove new executive-agency regulations within 60 days.
Foreign Affairs Oversight
A) Congress’ role in foreign policy is limited to declaring war, appropriating $ (defense, foreign aid), ratifying treaties, & confirming diplomatic appointments.
B) Congress passed the War Powers Act (1973) to limit the President’s ability to commit military forces, but it’s almost certainly unconstitutional after Chadha.
Presidential Appointments
Top exec. officers & Fed. judges don’t take office until the Senate confirms.
Senatorial courtesy
President usually defers to Senators of his party when appointing Federal district court judges in their states.
