What impression do these quotes give you about Congress? Quote of the Day “Reader, suppose you were an idiot; and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.” – Mark Twain “It is widely believed in Washington that it would take Congress thirty days to make instant coffee.” – David Brinkley What impression do these quotes give you about Congress?

Enquiry Question: How effective has the 115th Congress been?

Learning Outcomes To evaluate the efficacy of the 115th Congress in relation to its roles of: Representation Legislation Oversight of the executive branch

YOUR TASK: Read the extract “Reviewing Congress” by Robert Singh.

Pork Barrel Politics The term pork barrel politics usually refers to spending that is intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for their political support, either in the form of campaign contributions or votes.

Pork Barrel Politics For some Pork Barrelling is perhaps the most disgusting term in US Politics, nevertheless it is defined as the allocation of federal spending for projects specifically designed to bring money or benefit to an elected representative’s constituents. Typically ‘pork’ will be public works projects such as airports, bridges or roads or agricultural subsidies. No matter what the actual project ends up being, if the project involves federal spending and an economic gain that is relatively limited it is generally pork. The Citizens Against Government Waste organisation published a criteria that will determine whether or not spending by the federal government is classed a pork. Appropriation is requested by one chamber of Congress Not specifically authorized Not competitively awarded Not requested by the President Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding Not the subject of Congressional hearings Serves only a local or special interests

FIND EXAMPLES: CAGW Pig Book 2017 Pork Barrel Politics There are countless examples of pork barrelling being attached to legislation in the US. The use of pork barrel projects is popular among congressmen because it allows them to use the projects as a weapon to fight for re-election. They can attempt to use pork barrel projects as evidence of bringing home the bacon for their districts. FIND EXAMPLES: CAGW Pig Book 2017

What is meant by ‘pork-barrel politics’, and what is its significance in Congress? (15)

What is meant by ‘pork-barrel politics’, and what is its significance in Congress? (15) ‘Pork barrel politics’ is the obtaining by members of Congress of as many federal benefits as possible for their district or state, principally to aid their own re-election. It can be argued to be significant as it contributes to: the very high rate of incumbent re-election the shaping of congressional careers, as congressmen will look for assignments on committees which offer the most pork-generating opportunities sprawling and incoherent legislation the neglect of the national interest at the expense of the local growing government debt

Pause for thought: Commemorative Resolutions How often do you get a recurring sense that those of us outside the United States do not celebrate the wonders of dairy goats often enough these days? Or that we have neglected the many joys of asparagus? Or forgotten the aesthetic beauty of tap dancing?

Pause for thought: Commemorative Resolutions 25% of all public bills enacted in the 1980s Specify day/week/month in celebration of a specific activity/product/theme National Dairy Goat Awareness Week National Asparagus Month National Tap Dance Day 99th Congress (1985-6) passed 307 commemorative resolutions (46% of all bills they passed) Small wonder, perhaps that most Americans take a rather dim view of he collective behaviour of their national legislators; as Mark Twain once scathingly put it, America’s ‘only native criminal class’.

Public Confidence in American Institutions (2017)

How much confidence does the public have in American institutions? http://www.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx GALLUP POLL

How much confidence does the public have in American institutions? http://www.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx GALLUP POLL

How effective is Congress? YOUR TASK: Read the handout “How effective is Congress” This handout provides a list of arguments for and against the efficacy of Congress However, this is just an outline list; to be an expert and write a sophisticated essay you should be able to cite up to date examples to back up all of these points. Annotate the handout to give an example for each argument from either the 114th or 115th Congress.

How effective is Congress? In order to evaluate and judge the extent to which Congress is effective you need to show an understanding of the concept of ‘gridlock’ (i.e. ineffectiveness) and the factors that may lead to it, which may include: a complicated legislative process a divided government a divided Congress the use of the filibuster (Senate only) the need for super-majorities in certain instances the lack of strict party discipline, as well as partisanship a limited time-frame: only 2 years between elections an unwillingness of the president’s party to exercise proper oversight of the administration politicisation of the confirmation process – especially regarding Supreme Court nominations

How effective is Congress? YOUR TASK: Working in trios you will evaluate how effective the 115th Congress is in fulfilling its functions. How effective is the 115th Congress in fulfilling its legislative function? How effective is the 115th Congress in fulfilling its representative function? How effective is the 115th Congress in fulfilling its scrutiny and oversight function? Things to include: What means are you going to use to measure ‘effectiveness’? Clearly explain your criteria. Explain and give examples to support the argument it is effective. Explain and give examples to support the argument it is ineffective Comparison to previous Congress – has it become more or less effective?

How effective is Congress? Watch the presentations and complete the worksheet to record your notes. All of you will need to ask each trio at least one question, for example, have they used different criteria or examples to your group, why? Feedback from presentations

Learning Outcomes To evaluate the efficacy of the 115th Congress in relation to its roles of: Representation Legislation Oversight of the executive branch

Plenary; Congress Vocabulary How confident are you with the vocabulary for the Congress topic? In pairs, test each other and RAG each phrase to prioritise those you are unsure of for revision. Congress House Rules Committee House Conference Committees Senate Select Committees Congressional District Committee chairs Exclusuve powers Seniority rule Concurrent powers Filibuster House Speaker Presidential veto Minority Leader Representation Majority Leader House Committee on Armed Services President of the Senate Gridlock President pro-tem Bill Committee system Capitol Hill Standing committees

Homework Application Task: What is meant by ‘pork-barrel politics’, and what is its significance in Congress? (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: Congress Under Fire (McKay p194-209) Stretch & Challenge Task Article: Is This the Worst Congress Ever?