Congressional Powers

1. Congressional Powers American Government

2. Legislative Power • Pork Barrel Spending • This is the concept of passing legislation that will only benefit your constituency • Pork barrel spending is also referred to as earmarking or riders • Pork barrel spending is often referred to as wasteful spending by those who appose the process of earmarks and riders • Many times pork/earmarks/riders are added to bills because of political logrolling • Logrolling is similar to the concept of you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours

3. Power • Congressional oversight- • This is ability to require executive agencies to • submit reports on their activities • to review those agencies budgets • to direct their support agencies to monitor the executive branch. • Congressional oversight is NOT the same thing as checks and balances

4. Non-legislative powers • Electoral duties- • Congress may elect a president, but only if a candidate does not receive a majority of electoral votes. • This president would be determined by a simple majority in the House of Representatives. • They must also choose a VP if no candidate wins a majority of the electoral votes. • The vice president would be determined by a simple majority in the Senate.

5. Cont. • Impeachment- • Impeachment is to accuse, bring charges, based upon treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. • To initiate an impeachment trial it requires a majority vote in the House. • The trial is held in the Senate and requires a two-thirds for conviction. • There have been 17 impeachments and only 7 convictions

6. Checks and balances • Congress has these checks and balance powers: • Congress can make laws, create agencies and programs, and appropriate funds to carry out laws and programs. • They can also override a presidential veto with 2/3 vote (known as a legislative veto), they may remove the president through impeachment • The Senate approves treaties and presidential appointments • Sometimes the President will make what is called a recess appointment • A recess appointment is when someone takes the position of appointment and then must be approved by the end of the next Congressional session in order to keep their job

7. Casework • Casework is an important process that all representatives take part in • Casework are the activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get