Political Parties in Congress GOVT 2305, Module 12

The organization of Congress is based on political parties The organization of Congress is based on political parties. We can think of the two political parties in Congress as two organized teams competing for control of government.

Party Balance House Senate Republicans: 247 Democrats: 188 Republicans: 54 Democrats: 44 Independents: 2* *Both independents vote with the Democrats to organize the chamber.

Unified and Divided Government 2009-2011 Since 2011 After the 2008 election, the Democrats enjoyed majorities in both houses of Congress and held the White House. That is called unified government. In the 2010 election, the Republicans won a majority of seats in the House. Democrats held onto the Senate and, in 2012, the White House. It was divided government. Republicans captured control of the Senate in 2014, but divided government continued.

It’s good to be in charge The majority party controls the flow of business in the chamber as a whole, especially in the House. The majority party chairs every committee and has a majority of members on every committee. The majority party has better office space and more money for staff in both chambers. The majority party, at least in the House, writes legislation.

Congressional Majority What it does Why it does it The majority tries to enact legislation that matches its policy preferences while restricting input from the minority. The majority has distinct policy preferences. It believes that the minority is more interested in scoring political points than influencing policy through compromise.

Congressional Minority What it does Why it does it The minority uses every tool at its disposal to block the initiatives of the majority. The minority has different policy preferences. It also believes that the voters will blame the majority for failing to pass legislation.

Polarization in the House These data reflect growing polarization of the electorate.

Overlap No Overlap

Party Issue Priorities Democrats Republicans Protect Medicare, Social Security, & healthcare reform Spend more on education, transportation, etc. Increase taxes on the wealthy Address climate change Reduce taxes on the wealthy Increase defense spending Cut Medicare & Social Security; repeal healthcare reform Cut spending on education, transportation, etc. Reduce environmental regulations

What You Have Learned What is the party balance in the House and Senate? What role do political parties play in the organization of Congress? What is unified government? What is divided government? Which do we have now? What advantages does the majority party have in a chamber? Are the congressional parties becoming more or less polarized? How do congressional Democrats and Republicans disagree on policy issues?