POLS 3410 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: United States House Committee On Rules, Cloture, Sole Power
17 May 2018
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03/19/2018 Lecture 12: Congress (post-midterm 2)
Introducing the Two Chamobers of Congress
• Congress is bicameral – comprising two houses
o The house of representatives – the larger chamber with members divided among the
states
o The senate – smaller chamber with two members from each state
▪ Possess great autonomy compared to house members
▪ Legislative hold – an informal way for a senator to prevent a bill or other
measure from reaching the senate floor (can halt proceedings for weeks or
more)
▪ Fillbuster – rule unique to the U.S. senate that allows any senator to hold the
floor indefinitely, therefore delaying a vote on a bill they object
• Cloture – ends fillbuster only when 60 senators vote to stop debate
The Unique Roles of the Houses
• The house of representatives
o All budget measures must originate in the House
o The House holds the poer to ipeah puli offiials iludig the presidet for high
ries ad isdeeaors
• The senate
o After the House impeaches (or indicts) an official, the senate holds a trial and decided
whether to remove them
o Though the president negotiates treaties with other countries, the senate must approve
them by 2/3 majority
o The senate also has sole power to review presidential appointments – the constitution
alls it adie ad oset
Congressional Representation
• The rise of congressional caucuses – groups of House or senate members who convene regularly
to discuss common interests and may share political outlook, race, gender, or geography
• Trustees and delegates
o The trustee view – do the right thing – representatives owe us their best judgment
o The delegate view – do what the people want – a legislator should take voting
instructions directly from their constituents
Getting to Congress and Staying There
• The permanent campaign
o Members pend as much time on the campaign trial as they do on the committee
meetings or on the floor
o Reapportionment – the reorganization of the boundaries of House districts, a process
that follows the results of each U.S. consensus, district lines are redrawn to ensure
rough equality in the number of constituents represented by each House member
Congress at Work
• Former senate leader divided colleagues into:
o Whales – who could influence landmark legislation
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