2.2

Standard 2A

The republican ideal in the U.S. is manifested in the structure and operation of the legislative branch.

Learning Objective

Explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policy-making process.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

By design, the different structures, powers, and functions of the Senate and the House of Representatives affect the policy-making process.

Though both chambers rely on committees to conduct hearings and debate bills under consideration, different constitutional responsibilities of the House and Senate affect the policy-making process.

Chamber-specific procedures, rules, and roles that impact the policy-making process include:

• Number of chamber and debate rules that set the bar high for building majority support

• Roles of Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, party leadership, and committee leadership in both chambers

• Filibuster and cloture

• Holds and unanimous consent in the Senate

• Role of Rules Committee, Committee of the Whole, and discharge petitions in the House

• Treaty ratification and confirmation role of the U.S. Senate

Congress must generate a budget that addresses both discretionary and mandatory spending, and as entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending opportunities will decrease unless tax revenues increase or the budget deficit increases.

Pork-barrel legislation and logrolling affect lawmaking in both chambers.

Lesson