• The United States has a bicameral legislature composed of the House and Senate.

House of Representatives

• Has 430 members.
• Representatives must be at least 25 years old.
• Representatives must be a citizen for 7 years.
• All representatives are up for reelection every 2 years.
• The Speaker of the House leads and presides over the House.
• The Speaker of the House is elected by the whole House.
• The Speaker recognizes speakers and rules on relevance.
• The Speaker sends bills to committee and appoints members to committees.
• The Speaker has extra power and allows members to speak.
• The Speaker controls the calendar, and nothing passes if the Speaker does not approve.
• The Speaker has more power than the majority leader in the Senate, which makes this position most powerful.
• The Majority Leader leads the majority party on the floor, serving as a watchdog.
• The Minority Leader leads the minority party on the floor and also serves as a watchdog.
• The Whip keeps leaders informed and rounds up voters.

Senate

• The Senate has 2 members per state which totals 100 members.
• Senators must be 30 years old.
• Senators must be a citizen for 9 years.
• Senators serve a 6 year term.
• One-third of the Senate is elected every 2 years.
• The Vice President is the constitutional head of the Senate.
• The Vice President has no real power except to vote in case of a tie and during presidential ceremonies.
• The President Pro Tempore presides in place of the VP.
• The President Pro Tempore is the member with the most seniority in the majority rule and largely holds a honorific office.
• The Majority Leader has real power, schedules business, reorganizes the floor, serves on committees, and is considered most powerful.
• The powers are the same with the majority and minority.

Committees

• Committees are the most important organizational feature of Congress, where the real work and power lies.
• Committees consider bills and legislative proposals.
• Committees have the power to vote, amend, table, make up, change, investigate, maintain oversight of executive agencies, and conduct investigations.
• The chairman of each committee is appointed by majority and minority members.

Types of Committees

• Standing committees are permanent bodies with specified legislative responsibilities and can report to the floor.
• Examples in the Senate are apporopiations, budget and foreign affairs.
• Examples in the House are Ways and Means which handles all appropriation and spending must start in the House.
• Selected committees are groups appointed for a limited purpose and duration.
• Examples in the Senate include intelligence and aging.
• Examples in the House include intelligence and China.
• Joint committees have members from both the House and Senate.
• An example is liberty of taxation, printing, economics.
• Conference committees are joint committees appointed to reconcile differences between Senate and House versions of the same legislation.

Powers of Congress

• Set rules for all bills regarding education, labor, agriculture, and science.
• Commander in chief.
• Can pardon and reprieve.
• Enforce "take care that law faithfully executive” executive power.
• Improve legislative voters approve about ambassadors, judges, and other high officials.
• Advise and consent majority vote of the senate.
• Has the power to tax and spend, borrow money, declare war, regulate commerce, and has an elastic clause.

War Powers Act of 1973

• Enacted during Vietnam War.
• Declaration by Congress.
• Authorization of force by Congress.
• If US interests here or abroad are attacked.
• The President may engage for 60 days without Congress approval.
• Inform them in 30 days extension- 90 days or 90 days.
• Disengage if Congress forces him or votes.

Executive Power

• Executive privilege is the right to withhold information from people that Congress may want to obtain.
• Has no constitutional backing.
• President can claim it.
• Separation of powers.

Succession Act of 1886

• Secretary of State takes over after VP.

1947 Law Amended

• Speaker of the House after VP.
• Then comes President Pro Tempore, cabinet members.

Incumbency Advantage

• 98% get reelected.
• 8-10% = elected before.

• 1 predictor.

Presidential Succession Line

1. President
2. VP
3. President Pro Tempore
4. Secretary of State
5. Secretary of Treasury
6. Secretary of Defense
7. Attorney of General
8. Secretary of the Interior
9. Secretary of Agriculture
10. Secretary of Labor
11. Secretary of Health and Human Services
12. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
13. Secretary of Transportation
14. Secretary of Energy
15. Secretary of Education
16. Secretary of Veteran Affairs
17. Secretary of Homeland Security

Discharge Petition

• A procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives that allows members to bring a bill out of committee and to the floor for a vote, even if the committee has refused to act on it.

Filibuster

• Is a tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay or block legislative action on a bill or nomination.
• Senators can speak for as long as they want on the Senate floor to delay proceedings.
• Often used by the minority party to block bills they oppose.
• There is no rule limiting debate time.

Ending a Filibuster

• Requires cloture, which is a vote to end debate.
• Cloture needs 60 votes out of 100 in the Senate.
• Once cloture is invoked, debate is limited to 30 more hours before a final vote.
• Only happens in the Senate, not the House.
• It's controversial because some argue it protects minority rights, others say it causes gridlock, and it's been modified for certain types of votes (like confirming judges).

Informal Powers of President

• Executive Agreements are like treaties but don't require Senate approval and are used in foreign affairs to make deals with other countries.
• Executive Orders are directives from the president that manage operations of the federal government and carry the force of law but can be overturned by future presidents or courts.
• Signing Statements are comments the president adds when signing bills into law and may signal how the president interprets the law or intends to enforce it.
• Agenda-Setting or Bully Pulpit: The president can shape public opinion and influence the national agenda through speeches, media, and public appearances.
• Crisis Manager: Acts quickly and decisively during emergencies which leads to gains in public and political power during times of crisis.
• Party Leader: Leads their political party and influences party platforms and campaigns.
• Persuasion / Bargaining: Uses influence to sway Congress, state officials, or foreign leaders and often behind-the-scenes negotiating.

Other Key Points

• The supreme court is not overworked for smaller courts.
• "Writ of certiorari" is an order by a higher court (like the Supreme Court) to a lower court to send up the records of a case so the higher court can review it.
• Four of the nine Justices agree to hear the case which is the Rule of Four, and the Court grants the writ.
• Only members of the House can introduce a bill.
• The Speaker of the House is the most powerful person between the Senate and the House.
• When the bill goes to the subcommittee, the members will study the bill, hold hearings, and debate provisions.
• The members will mark up the bill and vote on it.
• If it passes then it goes to a committee.
• The full committee considers the bill.
• The Speaker controls what bills get on the floor because the Speaker controls the calendar.
• If the Speaker disagrees with the bill, there are two options: not vote or pigeonhole which means it will be sent to a subcommittee that might not prioritize it, which kills the bill.
• If the bill gets approved, then it moves on to a rules committee, which is only in the House and there is no rules committee in the Senate.