Congress Cards

Question 1

incumbent

Answer 1

• individuals who already hold office
• usually win.

Question 2

casework

Answer 2

• responses and services Congress offers to constituents
• often used to cross red tape, get away with something, etc.
• Congress has to do it so it often clogs up activity

Question 3

pork barrel

Answer 3

Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to State and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district.

Question 4

bicameral legislature

Answer 4

A legislature divided into two houses. the US Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska’s are bicameral.

Question 5

Speaker of the House

Answer 5

• congressional position
• mandated by the constitution
• chosen in practice by the majority party
• has both formal and informal powers
• second in line (after the Vice President) to succeed to the presidency

Question 6

majority leader

Answer 6

• ally of the Speaker of the House or the majority party’s manager in the senate
  -activities include scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes on behalf of the party’s legislative positions

Question 7

whips

Answer 7

Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waivers whose votes are crucial to the passage of a bill favored by the party.

Question 8

minority leader

Answer 8

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Question 9

standing committee

Answer 9

• most important
• permanent
• deal with policy issues

Question 10

conference committees

Answer 10

• formed when two different versions of the bill are passed in House and Senate
• fix the two versions to be the same
• not permanent

Question 11

committee chairs

Answer 11

• most important influencers of their committee’s agenda
• activities include scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house

Question 12

seniority system

Answer 12

• simple rule for picking committee chairs
• in legal effect until the 1970s

Question 13

caucus

Answer 13

A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.

Question 14

bill

Answer 14

A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration.

Question 15

legislative oversight

Answer 15

Congress’s monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through committee hearings.

Question 16

filibuster

Answer 16

unlimited debate in senate

Question 17

current majority leader

Answer 17

Steve Scalise

Question 18

current whips in house and senate

Answer 18

Congress: Tom Emmer (majority) and Katherine Clark (minority)
Senate: Dick Durbin (majority) and John Thune (minority)

Question 19

current Minority Leader (House and Senate)

Answer 19

Hakeem Jefferies

Question 20

Why do Congress members seek out spots on specific committees?

Answer 20

If they feel more passionate about certain topics they may seek to be on specific committees, but they may also join certain committees to appeal to their voters to ensure they win re-election.

Question 21

Judiciary Committee in House

Answer 21

• rarely used
• jurisdiction over matters relating to the administration of justice in federal courts, administrative bodies, law enforcement agencies, and impeachments

Overall, it considers legislation relating to judicial proceedings.

Question 22

Judiciary Committee in Senate

Answer 22

• influential
• oversight of key activities of the executive branch (mostly oversees the Department of Justice)
• judicial nominations for the federal judiciary, including Supreme Court nominations, appellate court nominations, and district court nominations.

Question 23

Rules Committee: House

Answer 23

• mechanism that the Speaker uses to maintain control of the House Floor
• two broad categories of jurisdiction: special orders for the consideration of legislation and original jurisdiction matters
• has a lot of power because they can essentially do anything they want as long as the majority of the House votes for the special rule that allows them to do so

Question 24

Rules Committee: Senate

Answer 24

• responsible for the rules of the Senate, administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate
• less power than the House’s Rules Committee because of the Senate’s tradition for unlimited debate

Question 25

Foreign Relations Committee: House

Answer 25

• jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs of the United States
• oversees the U.S. Department of State, American embassies and diplomats, and the U.S. Agency for International Development
• the House does focus more on bills while the Senate looks at things submitted by the executive office

Question 26

Foreign Relations Committee: Senate

Answer 26

• only committee in the Senate with jurisdiction to deliberate and report treaties that have been submitted by the President for the Senate to consider
• conducts public hearings on each treaty
• the Senate looks at things submitted by the executive office.

Question 27

Debate in House versus Senate

Answer 27

Senate: unlimited debate (filibuster)

House: limited debate set by House Rules Committee

Question 28

Amendments House versus Senate

Answer 28

House:
- offer amendment after bill has been read
- debate for 5 minutes (5 mins in pro and con)

Senate:
- same as House but unlimited debate

Question 29

Committee Assignments House versus Senate

Answer 29

House:
- each party has a party caucus to decide who is assigned to which committee
- each party has different ways of assigning

Senate:
- representatives for committees elected by entire Senate
- party conferences often make a “committee on committees” to help with the decision

Question 30

Selection of Committee Chairs House versus Senate

Answer 30

House: two steps
- each respective party recommends members to serve on committees, the majority party recommends a Chairman, and the minority party recommends a Ranking Member
- House approves the recommendations

Senate:
- choose chairs based on whichever party member has seniority

Question 31

House traits:

Answer 31

• institutionalized
• more hierarchy and rules
• more party loyalty
• initiate all bills and start impeachment process

Question 32

Senate traits:

Answer 32

• ratify treaties
• confirm presidential nominations
• hold impeachment trials
• less disciplined and less centralized
• filibuster

Question 33

purpose of committees:

Answer 33

control agenda and guide legislation

Question 34

joint committee:

Answer 34

• representatives from both the House and Senate
• deal with issues within Congress itself

Question 35

select committees

Answer 35

• formed to serve a special function
• usually not permanent

Question 36

how does a bill go through the committees?

Answer 36

first goes through standing committee, then goes to subcommittee to make the “marked up bill” to add in changes

Question 37

legislative oversight

Answer 37

• review of activities of Congress and how the bureaucracy is implementing laws
• all they can do is pressure agencies, no punishment, budget-cutting, firing, etc.
• mainly done through hearings