Congress has impeached and removed eight judges from the bench since 1804. Why does Congress need this impeachment power over judges?

Warm Up: Working in Committees Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, once said of Congress, “Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, while Congress in its committee rooms is Congress at work.” Briefly describe what you think Wilson meant by this quote.

This chronology shows the steps of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Why might the attempt to remove President Clinton have failed?

Committees Groups of representatives who focus on a certain area of policymaking Are found in both the House and the Senate Standing Committees permanent bodies that have expertise about certain policy areas these are the most important committees

Committees In-depth study of bills is done in the Standing Committees Most important committees House: Rules, Ways and Means, Appropriations, Armed Services, Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture committees Senate: Foreign Relations; Appropriations; Finance; Judiciary; Armed Services; and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committees

Committee Leadership Chairperson: member who heads a standing committee in a legislative body The head of each committee is almost always the longest-serving majority party member of that committee The chairman of each of these permanent committees is chosen from the majority party by the majority party caucus Each chairperson has a major say in such matters as which bills a committee will consider and in what order and at what length

This chart shows the path of the Food and Energy Security Act through the House, including the Rules Committee, in 2007. How many subcommittees studied the bill?

Chairing a committee is viewed as a powerful role and a badge of honor Chairing a committee is viewed as a powerful role and a badge of honor. What conclusions can you draw about committees' jurisdictions based on their titles?

The definition of torture has been a subject of considerable debate in recent years. Why would testifying before a Senate committee feel like a hardship?

Special Committees House Rules Committee: controls the flow of bills to the floor and sets the conditions for their consideration there Normally, a bill gets to the floor only if it has been granted a rule— been scheduled for floor consideration Joint Committee: legislative committee composed of members of both houses

This chart describes four long-standing and permanent joint committees This chart describes four long-standing and permanent joint committees. Why are some matters dealt with by joint committees?

Committees Subcommittee: division of existing committee that is formed to address specific issues Select Committee: legislative committee created for a limited time and for some specific purpose Most Congressional investigations are held in select committees Example: Benghazi Committee, Intelligence Committee

Closing Was there a need for the Benghazi Select Committee to conduct several investigations into the incidents in Benghazi, Libya in September 2012 or was there some other, non-oversight purpose for the multiple investigations? Explain. Should laws be passed that restrict the frequency of Congressional committee investigations on a single, specific incident? Explain.

Special Committees Conference Committee: temporary joint committee created to form a compromise between any differences between the two houses' versions of a bill Goal: to pass identical bills in both the House and the Senate

Examine a Committee With a partner, find the following information about a committee in either the House or Senate: Name of the Committee (this will tell you what it focuses on) Chair and vice chair/ranking member Description of what the committee does Summary of recent activity