The Role of Congress

922 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: President responsibilities to Congress

Congress has helped develop the Presidency as we know it today. This is because Congress argues over proposals and legislation proposed by the President. They are a major determent in whether bills turn into laws. But it’s not easy. One reason for this is because there are many powerful groups out there who argue about what should be discussed such as air pollution with the EPA or jobs. In order to run more efficiently, there are certain responsibilities that Congress has given to the President over time. But that doesn’t mean Congress is losing any power or authority. It just means that they are giving up a responsibility that they don’t need. One of these responsibilities that were given to the President is the raising and lowering of tariffs. When it came to this issue, Congress can’t act decisively on its own. So even though Congress appropriates funds, they gave the President this fiscal responsibility. Again I want to stress that they didn’t lose any authority or power because of this. All they lost was a responsibility that they no longer have to worry about as it’s the President’s responsibility now. Still, the president has no authority or power regarding this issue. However, when he was given this fiscal responsibility, Congress also gave him staff assistance in the form of the Bureau of the Budget. This department helps the President make up the budget he wants to propose. During peacetime, the President is given other authorities by Congress. One of these authorities that he/she has is that they can initiate the reorganization of the white house staff. However, they can only rid themselves of a certain amount of people. They can’t totally reorganize the staff such as getting rid of whole agencies and departments. T... ... middle of paper ... ...t from exercising authority in these cases. These inherent powers have been used both at home and overseas. The most common use of emergency powers is when a state of emergency is issued. But there have been other cases when they were needed. One of the most famous and earliest uses of emergency powers was when Abraham Lincoln used them to suspend the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War in order to unite a divided country. One thing a declaration of emergency can do is provide federal aid to an area or country in need. Examples of this include such tragic disasters as Hurricane Katrina not to mention the most recent Hurricane Irene which devastated the east coast. In conclusion, Congress has helped develop the Presidency through many means whether it was allowing the president to exercise authority during an emergency or giving the President certain powers.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Mayhew: What Motivates Members Of Congress

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    What motivates members of Congress to act the way they do? Mayhew would argue in Congress: The Electoral Connection that members of Congress are ‘’single-minded re-election seekers’’ and that re-election is their one and only goal. Whilst the assumption that all members of Congress are ‘‘single-minded re-election seekers’’ does go some distance in analysing the motives behind members of Congress, the reading fails to take into account the other key goals of members of Congress. Other goals include good policy and future career positions. It is important to remember that the achievement of both re-election and other goals are not exclusive, members of Congress often are motivated by more than one goal.

    Read More

  • Congressional Committees: The Workhorse of Legislature

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most individuals with a general background knowledge of the United States Federal Government system are aware that in order for a bill to become a law, it must first pass a majority vote in Congress. There is, however, a very important step in the legislative process that sometimes goes unnoticed. The committee system of the legislation process ensures that the appropriate attention is given to each bill introduced to Congress. Each member of both chambers are assigned to committees and subcommittees, and are expected to become subject matter experts in their respective roles as committee members.

    Read More

  • Relationship between the American People and Congress

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the past century, people continued to express an increasingly discontent view of Congress especially true when one looks back before the Clinton Impeachment debacle As the size of the nation and the number of congressman have grown, the congress has come under attack by both public influences and congressman themselves. Yet looking at one congressman's relationship with his or her constituents, it would be hard to believe that this is the branch of government that has come under suspect. In “If Ralph Nader says congress is 'The broken branch,' how come we love our congressman so much?” author Richard F. Fenno, Jr., provides insight into this view and why, through congress coming under fire, constituents still feel positively about there congressmen. Although congress is often criticized, its fine tuned functioning is essential in checking the power of congress without hindering the making of legislation.

    Read More

  • Three Theories Of Representation In Congress

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    The three theories of representation in Congress are: delegate, trustee, and politico. First is the delegate model of representation is the philosophy that legislators should represent the preferences of their constituents. Next is the trustee model of representation is the philosophy that legislator should consider the will of the people but act in ways they perceive best for the long term interest of the nation. Finally, is the politico model of representation it is a mixture of the two, it is delegate on which constituents have intense views, and trustee on issues that are important for national interests.

    Read More

  • Major Influences on Congress Members

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    Power, Money, Political Party, and Career are four principle factors that influence the way Congress votes. These factors can weigh heavy upon a congress man or woman when choosing what they believe is the right vote. Whether the vote benefits who they are voting on for or if selfish reasons are jeopardizing their vote which has been criticized by many taxing paying citizen who want the money to go into programs, services, and projects to improve the nation. Congress votes should always benefit the country as a whole, not certain people.

    Read More

  • Disagreement vs Dissent in America

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ilities of Congress is that minorities and factions exist: dissent takes place, not disagreements. Verbal brawls take place rather than actual argumentation, and that is what kills democracy. That is why things never get done.

    Read More

  • The Structure Of Congress And Affects It Has On Its Policy Making Role

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Constitution gives powers to Congress in order to execute its many responsibilities. These responsibilities are necessary and proper for carrying out its policies such as, imposing taxes and regulating interstate commerce. The constitution has 435 members in the House and 100 more in Senate. Congress faces issues with action problems and the solution to correcting these collective problems are at the expense of the incentive members. The Cabinet, President, state and federal courts, political groups, media, etc. all have input when determining a political decision in the United States. Open arrangement is an objective arranged strategy that the legislature follows in managing an issue or issue in the nation. Open approaches are focused around law; however numerous individuals other than officials set them. People, gatherings, and even government organizations that don 't follow strategies can be punished. This confounded procedure has been concluded with an anticipated arrangement of steps.

    Read More

  • The Government Does Have The Constitutional Power To Suspend The Constitution During A Time Of Crisis

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety," says Benjamin Franklin in Historical Review of 1759. Others tend to say just the opposite of what Ben Franklin quoted. With that being said, a key question comes up for discussion: Does the government have the Constitutional power to suspend the Constitution during a time of crisis? Certain documents were brought up for discussion that deal with certain articles from the Constitution and some acts/laws that the Congress passed to substantiate whether the government has certain powers. By using the U.S. Constitution, the Espionage Act, the Sedition Act, an executive order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and two federal Supreme Court cases, it will be proven that the government DOES have certain powers during a time of crisis.

    Read More

  • Presidency and Foreign Policy Making

    1680 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...alance of power between the President and the Congress has been shown to sway like a pendulum, conditional on key occurrences at the time, where as Justice Jackson argues at times the Presidency should be considered to be dominant, while at other times the Congress should be considered to be the dominant authority. In this perspective, it is essential that the Congress plays an important role in the foreign policy making process, since the most important feature of the U.S system is the division of powers.

    Read More

  • How Does Congress Have Too Much Power

    487 Words  | 1 Pages

    When the framers created our government over 200 years ago, they were very weary of history repeating itself in regards to the monarchy created by the King of Great Britain. Their concerns about having a president included someone who would gain too much power using it to overthrow the state governments, continue to run for election, or become a tool of the senate. To avoid their fears they allowed congress and the legislative branch to be the first branch of government. Today however, I think Congress has gained more power than the founders ever thought it would. I believe that the president’s perception of power has decreased over time. The powers that the president had at the beginning of our country, and th e powers they have now are very similar. The difference is Americans are more educated and involved in politics than they were before. Today the President not only has to deal with Congress to get anything done, but the people as well. If Americans are unhappy they want the president to hear them, sometimes that means by being close with their congressmen, or by protesting and rioting. Nowadays protests and riots are prodcast everywhere by the media, and if the president ignores them, everyone knows about it. Another reason the presidential office is not as powerful as it once was is that

    Read More

  • The Three Branches of Government

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States government braces its power among three powerful branches, legislative, executive and judicial. These branches interact with one another to establish authority that is strong, yet equal to have power over the country. Each branch pursues certain responsibilities and duties to operate in an efficient and effective manner in which society upholds. The executive, legislative and judicial branches all interact amid each other to validate accuracy of the nation’s most powerful law of the land, the Constitution. It is important to know how these branches interact with each other to learn how a bill becomes a law. Reflecting on how the three branches promote a balance of power that is constructive to include the agendas and electoral roles that also plays a vast part in the government’s operation.

    Read More

  • How A Bill Becomes A Law

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    In our countries government, Congress plays a major role in decision making. They’re primary role is to pass laws. These laws start off as bills. Bills can only be introduced by members of Congress. Although these bills only come from Congressman, there are many people who influence these bills. Such as the president, regular citizens, offices in the executive branch, and many others. The bills right off the bat do not have a very good chance of passage. Only one out of every ten bills even gets any attention at all. This is because they must go through many tests and hearings before they even have a chance of landing on the president’s desk. These steps in a bill becoming a law are very important, and make sure that all bills passed into law are the best of the best.

    Read More

  • Congress: The Five Steps In The Legislative Process

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are thousands of bills that the Congress has to consider throughout the year. There are never a lot of bills that actual get to the President’s desk for the final approval because the bills go through so many committees before they ever can reach the President. There is a long process of the Legislative Process. First, the bill has to be introduced. Not just anyone can introduce a bill for consideration; only a member of Congress, House, or Senate can suggest a bill. Whoever introduces that bill becomes the bills “sponsor”, and the others who support or want the bill are known as “cosponsors”. After the bill has been introduced, it is assigned a number and then printed in the Congressional Record. The second step in the Legislative Process is that

    Read More

  • Understanding the Legislative Branch in US Government

    653 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the United States government we have 3 branches. One of the branches that without it we can’t make any laws. This branch is called the legislative branch. In this branch its job is to make laws. In this branch which is set up into two houses the House of Representatives, and the Senate. In this bicameral branch each house has different roles and is set up differently. The reason for this was because when the constitution was being ratified, the smaller states fear that the larger states would have more power than them. Later on the states came to a compromise that in the lower house would be on population (for the larger states), while in the upper house that all states will equal

    Read More

  • Essay On The Power Of Congress

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    The congress controls resolutions and policy statements, legislative restrictions/funding denials, informal advice, and congressional oversight. (Grimmett) The powers of the president simply include; responses to foreign events, independent action, proposals for legislation, negotiation of international agreements,

    Read More

More about The Role of Congress

Open Document