1. What is the difference between an authorization bill and an appropriation bill?
An authorization bill established a program and says how much can be spent on the program. An appropriations bill is a law proposed to authorize spending money.

2. What are the legislative powers of Congress?
The legislative powers of Congress are to tax and spend, to borrow to pay for government costs, to coin money and regulate its value, to regulate foreign and interstate commerce, to approve treaties, declare war, to create and maintain an army and navy, and to make rules governing land and naval forces.

3. What are the non-legislative powers of Congress?
The non-legislative powers of Congress are to count the electoral college votes for a new president, to remove a federal official from office by impeachment, to confirm presidential appointments, to ratify formal treaties with other nations, and to propose amendments to the Constitution.

4. How does Congress exercise its powers to investigate government agencies?
A standing committee or a select committee will conduct investigations and will hold hearings, where dozens of witnesses may be called to testify, often under oath.

5. What is divided government and how might it create partisan gridlock?
Divided government is when one party controls the White House and the other party controls the House and Senate. (like we have currently)

6. What factors cause conflict between Congress and the president?
Conflict between Congress and the president is dependent upon who controls the House and the Senate and the differing political timetables of the president, who at best has eight years to accomplish an agenda, and senators and representatives who may serve multiple terms.

7. What events and legislation have shifted the balance of power between Congress and the president?
The National Emergencies Act of 1976 restricted the president’s emergency powers. Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 established a permanent budget committee for each house and set up the Congressional Budget Office to provide financial expertise for Congress and it limited the president’s ability to impound funds. President Roosevelt had vast authority during the Great Depression and in 1933 Congress empowered him to close the nation’s banks; when Pearl Harbor was bombed, a national emergency was proclaimed, giving Roosevelt broader control over the economy. In 1996, Congress authorized a bill that gave the president the power to use the line- item veto. This was later declared to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.