Congress
Overview
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The Congress is a body of elected politicians who deal with the passing of laws, approval of war declarations, budgets, presidential appointments (Attorney Generals, Supreme Court judges), and just about everything that needs to get the thumbs up in the government before things get put into law. The Cogress acts as the legislative branch of government, that, along with the executive and judicial branches, forms the federal government. The American congress is comprised of two chambers: the lower chamber being the House of Representatives, and the upper chamber being the Senate (we’ll get to what these things mean). Each chamber must vote on a bill (potential law that is being proposed in the chambers) in a majority to be approved and sent to the President for signing. However, the President can pull out his/her trump card, AKA Presidential Veto, and squash the bill. After such a veto, the bill must be sent back to Congress to be passed with a two-thirds majority, something that is very difficult to accomplish.
The House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is a pretty self-explanatory title—it’s a “house” of politicians who are elected to two-year terms to represent their constituents in the lawmaking process. The HOR is a mosaic of the the diversity and intricacies of the American public, where a wide range of political ideologies and backgrounds congregate to voice their opinions and ensure that a multitude of voices are heard in the political process. In other words, chances are that if you’re from Tulsa, Oklahoma, you’ve never met the president, but you may very well have emailed your representative or seen them at your church barbeque for a fundraising event. The reason that you’re likely to have been acquainted—if you have a keen interest in politics—with your rep, is because the House is comprised of 435 representatives, each responsible for their own jurisdiction. The representation of the house in proportion to the population has not remained consistent however, as seen in the chart below.
*Note, the number of House Representatives is now fixed at 435, and current estimates of the population per representative is nearly 750,000.
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The number of representatives from each state varies based on the states' population. For example, California has 53 delegates, where as South Dakota has one. Below is a chart that shows the breakdown of Representatives from each state.
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Today, out of the 435 voting Representatives, 247 are Republican, 186 are Democrat, and two do not affiliate with a political party (independents). The House is a vitally important piece of the legislative brach, and has many disticnt priveldges that the Senate, or upper chamber, does not, one of which is the ability to put for an impeachment of the President.
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House Representative Facts
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There are 435 Representatives in the House
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They serve two-year terms
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Each party as a House leader
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The House is headed by the Speaker, currently Paul Ryan
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The House can decide the President in the case of a electoral tie
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Must be 25 years old
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The Speaker of the House
The Speaker of the House is the leader of the House of Representatives and is elected by the House every two years. The Speaker is responsible for the day to day operations of the house, setting up votes, proposing bills etc. Perhaps most importantly, the Speaker is second in line to the presidency, after the Vice President. Moving on.
The Senate
The Senate is the upper chamber of the United States’ bicameral (two-tiered) legislative congress. The Senate is comprised of 100 senators, two from each state. Senators are elected by their constituents to serve six-year terms, and every two years a third of the Senate goes through an election. Just like the House of Representatives, the Senate votes on legislation, but also has unique powers that are not extended to the House, such as voting on treaties. The Senate is also responsible for voting on Presidential appointments. Today, a prominent issue that is at the forefront of the political scene, is the Senate's unwillingness to vote on President Obama's Supreme Court Justice nominee, Merrick Garland--an unprecendented move that exemplifies Washington's state of partisanship. Senators, like the House, also form committes that investigate and research into areas of national interest. Below is a quick video describing the differences between the Senate and House. Enjoy.
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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9defOwVWS8
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So, this video, as the man mentions, doesn't discuss how exactly the House and Senate operate in the passing of laws, their primary duty. Below is an infographic that goes through the life of a bill, from conception to legislation.
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So, we now know about the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and how a bill is passed into law. Well done, let's move right along.
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