The U.S. Congress

The United States Congress is composed 535 elected representatives who travel to Washington D.C. to meet in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives where they make laws and address the greatest issues facing our nation.

The Framer’s Intentions The Framers, or the writers, of the United States Constitution wanted the members of the House of Representatives to be well known by the people in their congressional district and also be focused on working to meet the needs of and solve the problems faced by their districts constituents. Term Representatives were given a term of office of only two years so that the people had numerous chances to judge their performance. Congressional Districts Representatives only represent a congressional district which allows them to be focused on meeting the needs and wants of a smaller group of constituents.

The United States Senate 100 elected representatives in the United States Senate Each of the 50 states receive 2 senators Each representative is elected to serve a six year term and can be reelected as many times as they chose to run. Senators are placed into one of three classes upon being elected. One class of senators comes up for reelection every 2 years so that only about a third of the senators can be replaced in any given election.

The Framer’s Intentions The Framers, or the writers, of the United States Constitution wanted the members of the United States Senate to act as a check on democracy and add a level of stability to the federal government. Term Senators were given a term of 6 years, 2 years longer than a presidential term, in order relieve them of the constant worry of trying to get reelected. Elections Originally Senators were chosen by the state legislature, but a constitutional amendment changed this to a popular election Constituents Senators represent the entire state and not simply a small group of constituents.

Qualifications of Senators Must live in state Must be at least 30 Needs to be a citizen for at least 9 years

President of the Senate Majority Party Minority Party 51 Democratic Senators 47 Republican Senators President pro Tempore (D) President for the time 2 Independents Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Conn) Sen. Carl Levin (VT) President of the Senate Joe Biden (D) Votes in case of tie otherwise has little influence

The Speaker of the House The Speaker of the House is the most powerful leader in the House of Representatives and is almost always a highly experienced member of the majority party. The Speaker is allowed to set the agenda of the House, and can by an large decide what pieces of legislation will be debated on the House floor and how it will be debated. The Powers of Persuasion The Speaker often relies on talking to members of the House, doing favors, and getting favors in return. “The world is full of little things you can do for people.” Former Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill

241 Republican Representatives Majority Party Minority Party 241 Republican Representatives 193 Democratic Senators The members of the House “shall choose their speaker and other officers.” The entire membership of the U.S. House of Representatives must approve choice. Party Caucus Chooses Candidate

Qualifications for House Must be at least 25 Must live in District that you represent Must be a citizen for at least 7 years

Wisconsin District 3 Representative Ron Kind Mark Pocan

The Floor Leaders The most powerful members of the House of Representatives and Senate, beyond the Speaker of the House, would be the party leaders or floor leaders and the “Whips” who assist them. Mitch McConnell Senate Whip Jon Kyl Harry Reid Senate Whip Richard Durbin Eric Cantor House Whip Kevin McCarthy Nancy Pelosi House Whip Steny Hoyer Senate and House leaders speak for their parties on issues, and use their “Whips” to push bills along, and try and sway votes by gather opinions of party members and pushing members to vote a certain way.

Jobs in Congress Speaker of the House: Presiding officer of the H of R. President Pro Tempore: Presides over the Senate when VP is absent Majority Party: Party with more members Minority Party: Party with fewer members

Jobs in Congress Floor Leaders: Chief officers in each party. Responsible for guiding bills through congress. Whips: Assist floor leaders