Institutions of American Government

Institutions of American Government Module 4.1: Congress Section 5: Congressional Leadership

Lesson Objectives • Identify the two organizing principles in legislative bodies • Define the following: • Majority • Minority • Congressional Caucus • Whip • Describe the leadership structure in the US Congress • Explain the functions of floor leaders in both the US House and the US Senate • Compare and Contrast the roles of the Speaker of the US House and the President of the US Senate

The Tension Two Organizing Principles of Legislative Bodies • Centralization • Concentration of power into a few hands • Sometimes called the ‘oligarchic’ tendency • Focus on principal officers and leadership • Decentralization • Diffusion of power across the entire body • Sometimes called the ‘democratic’ tendency • Focus on committees and subcommittees

Question #1 • Centralization in legislative bodies is sometimes called • The democratic impulse • The republican principle • The autocratic impulse • The oligarchic impulse

Centralization in the US Congress • US House of Representatives • Principal Officers • Speaker of the House • Majority Leadership • Floor leader • Principal Whip • Deputy Whips • Minority Leadership • Floor leader • Principal Whip • Deputy Whips

Speaker of the US House • Mode of appointment • Technically chosen by an election in the House • Almost always from the Majority Party • Rare unanimity of majority • Roles & Powers • Presides over House Proceedings • Recognizes speakers on the House floor • Determines points of order • Maintains House schedule • Refers all bills to committees • Appointment power • House members to select committees • House members to joint committees • Speaks for the Congress as a whole • Liaison to the President of the United States • Only when both Speaker and President are from the same party • 2nd in line of succession to the President of the United States behind Vice President • Historical Trend of Speakers suggests a reduction in power

Question #2 • The person(s) formally responsible for scheduling floor action in the US House of Representatives is • the Speaker • the majority and minority leaders • the Calendars Committee • the Rules Committee

Question #3 • Which of the following is true of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives? • The Speaker is nearly always a member of the Majority party caucus in the House • The Speaker may only vote to break a tie in the House • The Speaker serves as liaison to the President when the Speaker is a member of the Majority party caucus • The Speaker appoints committee chairmen to their posts

The Floor • Members of the House split into Majority and Minority Congressional caucuses • Majority- Party with the most members • Minority- Party with the Second-most members • Third party and independents typically must choose one or the other to secure committee appointments • Roles of Majority and Minority caucuses • Choose principal officers • Speaker candidate • Floor leader • Principal whip • Establish party legislative agenda for the session • Assign members to steering committees • Committees that assign members to legislative committees • Follows a seniority system • Committee membership in proportion to representation

Question #4 • What is a Congressional caucus? • A meeting in a congressional district where party members choose delegates to attend the state and national party convention • A meeting of Congressmen who organize to appoint leaders and formulate a legislative agenda • A meeting of Congressmen from the same party to submit candidates to leadership positions in the House • A meeting of delegates who select candidates to run for leadership positions in the House

Question #5 • Where do ‘third party’ and independent Congressmen fit into the Congressional caucus structure? • They don’t; third-party and independent Congressmen have no voice whatsoever • They form a third Congressional caucus to ensure their legislative agenda is heard • They must caucus with the Minority in both the House and the Senate • They must choose to caucus either with the Majority or the Minority

Question #6 • The formal leadership organization of Congress • is voted on directly by voters in congressional districts • is political-party based • is dependent on the president • a and b

US House Floor Leaders • Principal voice of their respective parties in the House • Chief legislative strategist for their parties • Develops legislative strategy • How to accomplish legislative agenda • When and how often to submit bills • When to find support • How many speakers to find • How to block opposition agenda • When and how to oppose bills • When and how to compromise • Communicates strategy with their party through House whips • Minority Floor leader may be liaison to the President if they belong to the same party

Question #7 • How is the minority leader determined in the US House of Representatives? • The party with the fewest members chooses through a congressional party caucus • The party with the second most members chooses through a congressional party caucus • The party with the most members of an ethnic minority chooses through a congressional caucus • The floor decides through an ‘up-or-down’ vote

Whips • Encourages party unity • Communicates legislative agenda to party members • Communicates legislative strategy to party members • Manages legislative strategy • Encourages party members to • attend or not attend floor debate • speak or not speak • yield their allotted speaking time to other house members • support bills consistent with the legislative agenda • oppose bills inconsistent with the legislative agenda • Coordinates efforts by deputy whips on specific bills and resolutions

The US Senate • Two principal officers mentioned in the Constitution • President of the Senate • Vice President of the United States • Few formal roles • Casts deciding vote in case of a tie • Opens and reads electoral college ballot results • Stripped of most presidential powers in the First Congress • President pro tempore of the Senate • Member of the majority party with the longest continuous service in the Senate • Few formal roles • Formal power to refer all bills to committees • Usually defers to Senate Majority leader • Presides over the Senate in the Vice President’s absence • 3rd in line of succession to the President of the United States (behind House Speaker) • Majority and Minority floor leaders • Share most procedural powers • Actual referral to committees • Scheduling Senate action • Principal voice of their respective parties • Chief legislative strategist for their parties

Question #9 • The president pro tempore is • The vice president of the United States • The Deputy Speaker of the House • The member from the majority party with the longest continuing service in the Senate • The oldest member from the majority party in the Senate

Question #10 • The Debate Schedule on the US Senate floor is managed by • The Majority and Minority floor leaders • The President pro tempore • The Rules Committee • The Speaker

Activity Which of the following best describes you? • I stand my ground, even if my opinion is unpopular • I can get people to do what I ask • I can easily get sidetracked and take others with me • I like breaking things down into manageable chunks • I like setting down the rules and delegating responsibility

Activity Here are the Congressional roles that generally fit your answers: • Minority leader, either Chamber • Majority whip, either Chamber • Minority whip, either Chamber • Either Senate majority leader or House Rules Committee chair • Speaker of the House

Institutions of American Government