Organization of CongressParties, Caucuses and Committees

Party Leadership in the House

Majority party votes on the Speaker of the House, Floor Leader and “whips”

• Presides over all House matters

• Recognizes who speaks on the floor

• Decides which bills are assigned to which committees

• Nominates members to the Rules Committee

John Boehner – R (OH)Speaker of the House

Nancy Pelosi – D (CA) Minority Leader

Eric Cantor – R (VA)Majority Leader

Party Leadership in the Senate

Majority party chooses president pro tempore (usually by seniority)

VP is the “actual” president of the Senate

Majority leader, minority leader, and whips

Daniel Inouye – D (HI)President Pro Tempore

Harry Reid – D (NV)Majority Leader

Mitch McConnell – R (KY)Minority Leader

Caucuses

• Growing rival to parties as source of leadership

• Association of members created to advocate political ideology/interest

• Dramatic increase in number by 1970s

• In 1959 there were four caucuses, in the late 80s, there were over 100

Types of Caucuses

Intraparty (within the party)

• Class Clubs• The Coalition• Democratic Study

Group• Tuesday Lunch

Bunch

Personal Interest• Arts• Constitutional• Human Rights• Military Reform• Children’s

National Constituency• Congressional Black

Caucus• Women’s Issues• Hispanic• Vietnam Veterans

Regional Constituency• Border • Sunbelt• TVA• Western

Types of Caucuses

State/District Constituency

• Export• Irish• Rural• Suburban

Industry• Automotive• Boating• Depot• Steel• Textile• Travel/Tourism

Types of Caucuses

Committees: The Core of Congress

• Committees reflect the “specialization” and “division-of-labor” of Congress

• Where the “real” work is done

• Chairmanships show where the “real” power is

• Three kinds of committees

Standing Committees

• Has own jurisdiction, membership and authority to act

• Permanent status

• Fixed membership

• Like the major departments in the cabinet

Standing Committees: House

• Agriculture• Appropriations• Armed Services• Budget• Education and Labor• Energy and Commerce• Financial Services• Foreign Affairs and

Homeland Security

• Judiciary• Natural Resources• Oversight• Rules• Science and Technology• Small Business• Ethics• Transportation• Veterans’ Affairs• Ways and Means

Standing Committees: Senate

• Agriculture, Nutrition, Forestry

• Appropriations• Armed Services• Banking, housing, Urban

Affairs• Budget• Commerce, Science,

Transportation• Energy and Natural

Resources

• Environment and Public Works

• Finance• Foreign Relations• Health, Education,

Labor, Pensions• Homeland Security • Judiciary• Rules• Small Business• Veteran’s Affairs

Jurisdiction and Authority

Jurisdiction

• Encourages specialization

• Disproportionate influence

Authority

• 8,000 submitted, 1,000 are acted upon

• Gatekeeping is allowing the full chamber to vote on a bill

Select Committees

Groups appointed for a limited purpose lasting for a few congresses

• http://intelligence.senate.gov/

• http://globalwarming.house.gov/

Joint Committees

Members from both chambers serve on the committee

• Conference Committee– Resolves differences between House and

Senate versions of a bill

Subcommittees

Even more specialization occurs at the subcommittee level

Committee on Homeland Security• Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global

Counterterrorism• Emergency Communications Preparedness and

Response• Intelligence Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk

Assessment• Management, Investigations and Oversight• Emerging Threats Cybersecurity and Science and

Technology• Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection

Your Turn! Find the member, the party (easy), the caucus, and the committee!

What if committees abuse their power?