LEADERS AND DUTIES IN CONGRESS

Speaker of the House

John Boehner (R)

Duty- Preside over the House. Appoints people to committees. Interprets and applies the rules.

Majority Leader

Eric Cantor (R)

Duty- Help plan the majority party’s agenda and push bills through the House. Floor leader of their party.

Majority Whip

Kevin McCarthy (R)

Duty- Assistant floor leader. Persuade members to vote as the party wishes.

Minority Leader

Nancy Pelosi (D)

Duty- Help plan the minority party’s agenda and push bills through the House. Floor leader of their party.

Minority Whip

Steny Hoyer (D)

Duty- Assistant minority leader. Persuade members to vote as the party wishes.

President of the Senate

Joe Biden (D)

Duty- Vote in the event of a tie.

President Pro Tempore

Patrick Leahy (D)

Duty- Preside over the Senate in the event of VP absence.

Majority Leader

Harry Reid (D)

Duty- Help plan the majority party’s agenda and push bills through the Senate. Floor leader of his party.

Majority Whip

Richard Durbin (D)

Duty- Assistant floor leader. Persuade members to vote as the party wishes.

Minority Leader

Mitch McConnell

Duty- Help plan the minority party’s agenda and push bills through the Senate. Floor leader of their party.

Minority Whip

John Cornyn (R)

Duty- Assistant minority leader. Persuade members to vote as the party wishes.

Members of Congress Can a man represent a woman? Can a white person adequately represent the views of a black person? Can a straight person represent a gay person? Can a Christian represent a Muslim?

The Representational Role of Members of Congress How should an elected official represent his/her constituents? Trustee--representatives use their own best judgment Delegate--representatives vote the way their constituents want them to Politico--representatives act as trustee or delegate depending on the issue Partisan – representatives vote with their party leadership

Organization of Congress Every two years, a new Congress is seated. The first order of business is the election of leaders and adoption of new rules. Both houses of Congress are organized on the basis of party for both leadership and committee purposes.

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS The committee chairpersons decide when their committees will meet, which bills they will consider, whether they will hold public hearings, and what witnesses to call. Seniority rule: Unwritten custom The House does allow its members to leapfrog over others with more legislative service, and it has six-year term limits. The Senate seniority system is not in the rules but is a powerful informal norm in selecting committee chairs.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES Standing Committee: continues from one Congress to the next. Joint Committee: set up to expedite business between the two houses. Conference Committee: special joint committees that resolve differences in bills passed by either house. Ad hoc, special, or select committees: temporary committees designed for a specific purpose ( ex. Investigative-Iran Contra, guns for hostages)