2.1 The structure of Congress.

Question 1

What does a gallop poll show how many Americans approve of the job Congress is doing?

Answer 1

13% - done in 2016

Question 2

What is having two chambers of government called?

Answer 2

bi cameral

Question 3

How many members in the HoR and Senate

Answer 3

435, 100

Question 4

What do congressmen/women represent in both chambers

Answer 4

HoR: representing congressional district
Senate: represent entire state

Question 5

Whats the age requirement on congress

Answer 5

HoR: at least 25
Senate: at least 30

Question 6

How are the number of HoR proportional

Answer 6

reapprotioned after a 10 year census,

Question 7

What is a congressional district

Answer 7

A geographic subdivision of a state
represented by a member of the House of Representatives. The
American equivalent of a constituency in the UK.

Question 8

How many women are there in the Senate?

Answer 8

24 - record number highest number

Question 9

How many women in HoR

Answer 9

27% - record high

Question 10

Wht is representation by race better in the HoR than in the Senate

Answer 10

the federal courts have
allowed states to draw congressional district boundaries to create
districts that are likely to return a Representative from an ethnic
minority group. These so-called ‘majority-minority districts’ are often
geographically distorted as they attempt to group together sometimes
scattered pockets of minority voters.

Question 11

Who was the only black senator between 2005 and 2008?

Answer 11

Barack Obama of Illinois

Question 12

How many African Americans are there in the senate?

Answer 12

3

Question 13

How many of Congress members were in buiseness or banking?

Answer 13

53% of House members and 42% of senators

Question 14

What are the powers of Congress?

Answer 14

• Law Making
• Overseeing the executive branch
• Overriding the president’s veto
• Confirming appointments
• Ratifying treaties
• Initiating constitutional amendments
• Impeaching and removing public officials
• Confirming an appointed vice president
• Declaring war
• Electing the president and vice president if the electoral college is deadlock

Question 15

What special law making power does the HoR have?

Answer 15

the consideration of money bills

Question 16

Where is the power of oversight (investigation) seen in the constitution

Answer 16

No explicit statement - implied by powers granted in Article I section 8 - states legislative body may investigate any subject within the scope of its legislative powers

Congress establishes votes on budges on all exec departments implies congressional oversight

Question 17

How many times has congress overrode Obamas vetos

Answer 17

once - Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act that would have
allowed families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks to sue
the government of Saudi Arabia for 9/11

Question 18

How many times has Trump vetoed legislation

Answer 18

10 times

Question 19

When did Trumps veto get overidden

Answer 19

The US Congress has overturned President Donald Trump’s veto of a defence spending bill, the first time this has happened in his presidency.

Question 20

What is a senatorial courtesy

Answer 20

An informal agreement allows a
president to confer with any senator of their own party from a particular state before they make a nomination to fill a vacancy for a federal office affecting that state. This is important when it comes to
appointments that the president makes to the federal trial courts

Question 21

How many votes did Amy Comey barret get?

Answer 21

Senate voted 52–48 in favor of confirming Amy Coney Barrett

Question 22

What appointments do the Senate confirm?

Answer 22

• Appointments to federal judicary and all of the executive branch

Question 23

What was the last treaty ratified by the senate?

Answer 23

United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement - 2020 - free trade agreement
89-10

Question 24

How much did the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement pass in the senate

Answer 24

89-10 senate

Question 25

How much votes is needed to ratify treaties?

Answer 25

2/3 majority - means that the president needs to keep the Senate fully informed throughout treaty negotiations, to avoid concluding treaties that the Senate is unlikely to ratify.

Question 26

How does Congress impeach public officals

Answer 26

Article II section 4

Question 27

When did congress impeach judge?

Answer 27

Thomas Porteous in 2010 on | charges that included corruption and perjury

Question 28

What was the most bi-partisan impeachment

Answer 28

Trumps second impeachment - 10 Republicans broke the line and voted to impeach

Question 29

Who has 'the sole power to try all impeachments'

Answer 29

the Senate

Question 30

How does impeachment work bro

Answer 30

HoR - simple majority | If they are found guilty by a two-thirds majority in senate, the person is immediately removed from office

Question 31

Why can't congress members been impeached

Answer 31

seen as representatives of the people, whilst members of congress are not considered 'officers of US' - would be expelled for disordetly behavior with 2/3 majority

Question 32

What did the 25th Amendment do?

Answer 32

(1967) gave to both houses the power to confirm a newly appointed vice president. But note carefully that this power relates only to a vice president who is appointed, not to those who are elected.

Question 33

When did congress appoint vice pres

Answer 33

1974 - Nixon resigned and Ford became president - Nelson Rockerfeller was appointed by ford, and HoR and Senate voted him in

Question 34

When was the last time the US declared war

Answer 34

1941 - declaring war on Japan in WW2

Question 35

How has congress been sidelined with war?

Answer 35

in Korea or Vietnam, for example — or merely being asked to sanction military action that the president has already decided to take, for example in Iraq

Question 36

What happens if the electoral college is deadlocked (no candidates win an absolute majority)

Answer 36

HoR elects president Senate elects VP Happened in 1800 and 1824

Question 37

What are the sole powers of the senate?

Answer 37

confirming appointments | Ratifying rtreaties

Question 38

Sole powers of HoR

Answer 38

beginning consideration of money bills

Question 39

Stat on prestige of senate over HoR

Answer 39

In 2017 there were 50 former House members in the Senate but no exsenators in the House of Representatives.

Question 40

What prestige do senators have over HoR ppl

Answer 40

Senators are more likely to chair a committee or sub-committee or hold some other leadership position.• The Senate is seen as a recruiting pool for presidential and vice presidential candidates. • Senators possess significant exclusive powers. • House members frequently seek election to the Senate, but not the other way around.