US House Seats Changes 1950-2018

Congressional Key Questions

• Why do House and Senate members follow complex rules when these rules prevent majorities from passing legislation?
• Why do Congressional incumbents rarely lose elections, despite the fact that they are aware of the electoral implications of their actions?
• Why has the House and Senate become so polarized in recent decades, along partisan and ideological lines?
• Why have Congressional party leaders gained power, while committees have lost power?

Congressional Chapter Objectives

• Describe the powers of Congress and how the congressional electoral system functions.
• Identify the factors that influence advantages and disadvantages in congressional electoral politics.
• Discuss the racial and ethnic makeup of Congress and whether it mirrors the electorate.
• Explain six basic problems of legislative organization.
• Describe the lawmaking process and how it operates under "regular order."
• Understand public perceptions of Congress and develop a personal viewpoint on its performance.

Congressional History (2019)

• On December 18, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Trump.
• This was the third impeachment of a U.S. president in U.S. history.
• The impeachment inquiry investigated allegations that the president and his aides pressured Ukraine.
• Impeachment hearings were watched by many viewers.
• Democratic Representative Adam Schiff led the investigation and warned that the president and his men were plotting against U.S. Democracy.
• A few days later, the U.S. House moved to a new legislative process after the impeachment.
• Congress passed a new North American trade agreement.

Congress and the Constitution

• The structure of Congress is a product of the Great Compromise from the Constitutional Convention.
• The House of Representatives is based on population, with members directly elected by constituents.
• The Senate is composed of two members per state, originally chosen by state legislatures and now directly elected by voters.
• Members of Congress are subject to constitutional requirements like minimum age and citizenship.

Powers of Congress

• Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution details Congressional powers over various economic issues, such as taxation, spending, coining money, and regulating interstate commerce.
• The "necessary and proper clause" (or elastic clause) gives Congress broad power related to any governmental function.
• Congress has significant power in foreign affairs, such as declaring war, funding the military and also approving treaties and executive appointments.

The Electoral System

• Members of Congress and presidents are elected separately in the U.S.
• Congress is elected through a plurality, or winner-take-all, system from congressional districts.
• This system differs from proportional representation found in other parliamentary systems, where the distribution of seats is based on the proportion of votes received by each political party.

Congressional Districts

• After the U.S. Census in 1790, each state was given a number of House seats based on its population (one seat for every 33,000 inhabitants).
• The House size was fixed at 435 members in 1911.
• In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in Wesberry v. Sanders that congressional districts must be roughly equal in population to maintain equal representation.
• The population shifts across states have impacted districting over time.

Racial and Ethnic Gerrymandering

• The Supreme Court ruled in 1993 that districts cannot be drawn solely to benefit one race (even for minorities with a history of discrimination).
• Irregular districts designed to maintain minority representation have been successfully challenged.
• The 2010 reapportionment and subsequent districting schemes have been subject to legal challenges.

Congressional Parties, Leadership, and Organization

• Congress is organized around two political parties (Democrats and Republicans).
• Party leaders (e.g., Speaker of the House, majority leader) exercise considerable power.
• The committee structure helps distribute legislative work among legislators.

Congressional Committees (Important)

• Standing committees are permanent structures dealing with specific areas of legislation or policy.
• Examples include Committees on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Foreign Relations.
• Smaller groups called subcommittees assist in organizing work.
• Joint committees involve members from both chambers and deal with particular topics, such as the Library of Congress.

Committee Power

• Historically, Speaker of the House held great power over committee assignments due to their role in selecting committee chairs.
• Over time, rules restricting committee chairs to fixed terms have been implemented.
• The allocation of committee assignments, and the rules around it, have become major topics of political debate.

The Vote, Presidential Veto and Congressional Override

• Congress must navigate a multi-step process with a variety of factors influencing votes.
• Members must balance their constituents' views and party goals during an election or re-election.
• Presidents have the power to veto legislation; two-thirds majorities in Congress are needed to override a Presidential veto.
• Public opinion and other considerations also play a role in the legislative process.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

• A bill is introduced, debated, revised in committees, and then voted on by committees in both chambers.
• A conference committee is created when differences arise between the House and Senate versions of a bill.
• The bill is sent to the president who can sign it into law, veto it, or let it become law without signing it.

Other Groups in Congress

• Besides party-based coalitions, there are numerous other interest and constituency groups in Congress.
• These groups sometimes act as lobbies to promote specific interests or values.

Evaluating Congress

• Public perceptions of Congress are often mixed.
• People tend to hold individuals in high regard but criticize the institution itself.
• The ability of Congress to function effectively reflects the public mood and partisan division, which sometimes complicates effective consensus building through compromise.

Congressional Staff and Support Groups

• Congress creates support systems like the Congressional Budget Office and Congressional Research Service.
• These provide information about specific policy areas to help legislative staff make informed decisions.