1. Congress At Work
lol

2. What’s a Filibuster?
Extending debate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote in the Senate
Some famous examples include reciting Shakespeare, reading the phone book, and reading recipes
Today, new rules mean just 41 Senators need to say they’re going to filibuster and it will kill the bill (so talking filibusters are very rare)
Longest in U.S. history belongs to Strom Thurmond (24 hrs 18 min) against the 1957 Civil Rights Act…it passed anyway

3. I Need Cloture
Once a filibuster begins, by rule only cloture can stop it.
Cloture limits debate to one hour per senator.
Difficult to achieve, though, as 60 votes are needed to invoke cloture (known as a supermajority).
However, the simple threat of filibuster has become enough to stop Congressional action.

4. These Notes are Taxing!
Under the Constitution, all tax bills must start in the House.
Most important work on tax laws occurs in the House Ways and Means Committee.
Until the 1970s, tax bills were debated under the closed rule, which prevented amendments from being proposed on the House floor.
The Senate may offer amendments, and usually offer so many the tax bill resembles a ‘Christmas tree.’

5. Boy, I’m Spent!
The power of appropriation, or approval of government spending, belongs to Congress.
Congress follows two steps in spending money—an authorization bill and an appropriations bill.
Authorization bill—sets up a federal program and specifies how much money can be appropriated for it
Appropriations bill—provides the money to the program that was established
Both House and Senate appropriations committees have 12 subcommittees—important because they decide who gets the $

6. Sorry, I Can’t Control Myself
The appropriations committees only control about 30% of the total budget.
Earlier laws have established uncontrollables, such as Medicare, Social Security, and interest on the national debt.
Some of these uncontrollables are also known as entitlements, because certain individuals are entitled to their benefit.

7. Listen to Me! Many Factors influence lawmakers, including:
Voter expectations
Visits to their home districts
Messages from home
Key supporters, including campaign workers and donors
Their staff
Their party
The president
Lobbyists

8. May I Help You? Helping constituents is called casework
Helps lawmakers get reelected
One way for Congress to monitor federal programs run by the executive branch
Helps the average citizen cope with the huge national government

9. Mmmmmmm, Bacon!
Every year, Congress appropriates money to local projects (i.e. veterans hospitals, highways, mass-transit, dams, etc).
Giving money to these local projects is often called pork-barrel legislation, and draws much criticism.
Dipping into the pork-barrel (treasury) and removing fat (a project for the local district)
Provides money and jobs to those districts
Lawmakers often help each other get these projects, called logrolling.
Lawmakers also help acquire money and jobs for their constituents through federal grants and contracts.