Congressional Leadership Civics Mr. Blough

Leadership in Congress Defined by a mix of Constitutional mandate, established rules, and tradition Defined by a mix of Constitutional mandate, established rules, and tradition Largely a function of personal character Largely a function of personal character Provides structure through which parties exert influence in Congress Provides structure through which parties exert influence in Congress Demonstrates the dynamics of political partisanship in Congress Demonstrates the dynamics of political partisanship in Congress Provides checks and balances with the Executive Provides checks and balances with the Executive –Support or opposition to President’s bills –Responses to State of the Union addresses

Leadership Responsibilities Promoting legislative agenda of the party Promoting legislative agenda of the party –Monitoring and shepherding of party’s bills –Obstructing passage of opposition party’s bills Making committee assignments Making committee assignments Supporting candidates in their home districts Supporting candidates in their home districts Forging political coalitions Forging political coalitions Issuing rewards and punishments Issuing rewards and punishments

Leadership Positions Speaker of the House Speaker of the House President of the Senate President of the Senate Majority/Minority Floor Leaders Majority/Minority Floor Leaders Majority/Minority Whips Majority/Minority Whips Republican/Democratic Conference Chairs Republican/Democratic Conference Chairs Standing committee chairs and ranking members Standing committee chairs and ranking members Congressional membership organization chairs Congressional membership organization chairs

Speaker of the House Presiding officer (U.S. Const. art. 1, § 2, cl. 5) Presiding officer (U.S. Const. art. 1, § 2, cl. 5) –Elected by members of House –Each party nominates a candidate, majority wins Second in line of Presidential succession after the VP (Presidential Succession Act of 1947) Second in line of Presidential succession after the VP (Presidential Succession Act of 1947) Has a lot of power Has a lot of power –Controls the legislative calendar –Leads appointment process of committee chairs Leader and national spokesperson of the majority party Leader and national spokesperson of the majority party

House Majority Leader Second in command to Speaker Second in command to Speaker Responsible for day-to-day management of legislative affairs on the House floor Responsible for day-to-day management of legislative affairs on the House floor Since 1911, elected by members of majority party Since 1911, elected by members of majority party

House Minority Leader Official role emerged in 1899 Official role emerged in 1899 Elected by members of the minority party to serve as their spokesperson Elected by members of the minority party to serve as their spokesperson Criticizes the program of the majority party Criticizes the program of the majority party Seeks to block majority bills from passing Seeks to block majority bills from passing

President of the Senate Vice-President is the President of the Senate Vice-President is the President of the Senate Only votes in the case of a tie, has little power Only votes in the case of a tie, has little power Opens electoral ballots for Presidential elections Opens electoral ballots for Presidential elections President Pro-Tempore (“President for a time”) presides when the VP is not present President Pro-Tempore (“President for a time”) presides when the VP is not present –Elected by resolution in the Senate –Usually the majority party member with the longest record of continuous service –Third in line of Presidential succession –Term of service solidified in 1890

Senate Majority Leader Role first established in 1925 (Republicans) Role first established in 1925 (Republicans) Elected by members of the majority party Elected by members of the majority party Senior Senate official, has the right of priority recognition on the Senate floor Senior Senate official, has the right of priority recognition on the Senate floor Primary spokesperson for majority party Primary spokesperson for majority party Day-to-day manager of business on the Senate floor Day-to-day manager of business on the Senate floor Schedules the sequence and manner of debate on all legislation Schedules the sequence and manner of debate on all legislation Responsible for building and managing majority party consensus Responsible for building and managing majority party consensus

Senate Minority Leader Elected by members of the minority party Elected by members of the minority party Senior official for the minority party Senior official for the minority party Primary spokesperson for the minority Primary spokesperson for the minority Responsible for setting the legislative agenda and strategy of the minority party Responsible for setting the legislative agenda and strategy of the minority party

Majority & Minority Whips Elected by party members Elected by party members Assist the floor leaders to keep track of party members and lobby them for votes Assist the floor leaders to keep track of party members and lobby them for votes Designed to make sure people within the party are voting along party lines (“whip them into place”) Designed to make sure people within the party are voting along party lines (“whip them into place”)

Party Conference Chairs Conference is the organizational vehicle for party members and their staff Conference is the organizational vehicle for party members and their staff Also referred to as Caucus (House Democrats) Also referred to as Caucus (House Democrats) Led by chair elected by members Led by chair elected by members In some cases the majority leader also serves as the conference chair In some cases the majority leader also serves as the conference chair

Standing Committees Committees are where the bulk of legislative work is done (house and senate) Committees are where the bulk of legislative work is done (house and senate) Committees mark-up bills, hold hearings, conduct investigations, and perform oversight Committees mark-up bills, hold hearings, conduct investigations, and perform oversight Committees concentrate on areas such as: Committees concentrate on areas such as: –Budget –Military –Healthcare –Education –Etc.

Subcommittees Smaller, more specialized committees that focus on very specific issues Smaller, more specialized committees that focus on very specific issues Committee within a Committee Committee within a Committee –Education Subcommittee on elementary education –Military Subcommittee on weapons

Select Committees Temporary committees designed to address a specific issue at hand: Temporary committees designed to address a specific issue at hand: –Global Warming –Steroids in baseball

Joint Committees Committees that consist of members of both the House and the Senate Committees that consist of members of both the House and the Senate Like joint committees, conference committees are designed to have both members of the House and Senate meet together to “iron-out” any differences in a proposed bill Like joint committees, conference committees are designed to have both members of the House and Senate meet together to “iron-out” any differences in a proposed bill

Committee Assignments House & Senate rules provide that they elect the members of committees at the beginning of each Congress (post 1970) House & Senate rules provide that they elect the members of committees at the beginning of each Congress (post 1970) –Representatives of the two parties agree on committee assignments and party ratios, then submit rosters for vote Seniority is the normal basis for ranking among committee members Seniority is the normal basis for ranking among committee members –The longer a member is in the committee, the more likely to become chair or ranking minority member

Be able to explain all of the following in your notes: Majority/Minority leaders in House/Senate Majority/Minority leaders in House/Senate Party Whip Party Whip Speaker of the House Speaker of the House President pro tempore President pro tempore

Individually, identify the following: 1 Standing Committees 1 Standing Committees 2 Subcommittees 2 Subcommittees 3 Select Committees 3 Select Committees 4 Joint Committees 4 Joint Committees 5 Conference Committees 5 Conference Committees

Congressional Member Organizations Most commonly known as caucuses Most commonly known as caucuses –Also called coalitions, study groups, task forces, and working groups Special interest alliances that function as internal lobbies Special interest alliances that function as internal lobbies Represent a wide variety of political interests Represent a wide variety of political interests Emerged around 1930s, peaked in 1970s & 80s Emerged around 1930s, peaked in 1970s & 80s Registered with the Committee on House Administration Registered with the Committee on House Administration

Useful Sources Directories Directories –Almanac of American Politics –Politics in America –Congressional Staff Directory (especially for caucuses) –U.S. Congressional Directory (official) CQ publications (excellent for background) CQ publications (excellent for background) –Guide to Congress –How Congress Works –CQ Weekly Report