Congress in Context

by Haskell, John

• ISBN13: 9780813344126
• ISBN10: 0813344123
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-16
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

The U.S. Congress is by far the least popular branch of the federal government. It is also probably the least understood. It is not uncommon for high-ranking government officials to be confused about the workings of the institution and how it exercises its power. This book aims to demystify the institution-to give readers a succinct yet sophisticated overview of Congress and the policymaking process. Instead of treating Congress as an entity isolated from the rest of government,Congress in Contextintroduces readers to Congressrs"s critical role as part of an interdependent system. Using the metaphor of Congress as a board of directors, author John Haskell explains the three key roles of Congress within the federal government-authorizing what government does, funding its activities, and, when it sees fit, supervising or "conducting oversight" on those activities. Grounded in current political science literature and packed with real-life examples,Congress in Contextoffers readers an informed and practical understanding of policymaking in the legislative branch. Contents 1. Congress as Board of Directors 2. The Nature of Congress 3. Congressional Elections 4. Congress as Board of Directors: Authorizing the Work of Government 5. Congress as Board of Directors: Funding the Government 6. Congress as Board of Directors: Oversight of the Executive Branch 7. The Board of Directors Meets Its Match: The Case of War Powers 8. The Board of Directors in the Twenty-First Century

Author Biography

John Haskell is Senior Fellow at the Government Affairs Institute in Washington, D.C. He has written several articles on presidential and congressional politics, and is the author of Fundamentally Flawed, an examination of the presidential nomination process.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. xi
Preface	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xix
Congress as the Board of Directors	p. 1
Five Examples of the Federal Government in Action	p. 1
Keeping Tabs on the Fish We Eat	p. 2
Combating Drugs and Gangs	p. 3
Joint Military Training Goes High-Tech	p. 3
Controlling Animals	p. 4
Providing Recreational Opportunities in the Heartland	p. 5
Congress as the Board of Directors	p. 6
Laying Down the Law	p. 6
Holding the Purse Strings	p. 8
Congress in a Separated System	p. 10
Congress and the Execution of the Law	p. 12
The Executive Branch and the Legislative Process	p. 12
The Plan of the Book	p. 14
The Nature of Congress	p. 19
The Nature of Congress, Part I: Two Distinct Responsibilities	p. 20
The Legislative Role	p. 20
The Representative Role	p. 22
Reconciling the Two Roles: The Publics Mixed Feelings	p. 24
Interest Groups and the Representative Role	p. 33
Two Roles, One Field of Vision	p. 40
Conclusion: The Primacy of the Representative Role	p. 47
The Nature of Congress, Part II: House and Senate	p. 48
The Great Compromise	p. 49
The House of Representatives	p. 52
The Senate	p. 64
House and Senate Organization and the Pressures of the Legislative Representative Roles	p. 71
Conclusion	p. 73
Congressional Elections	p. 77
The Electoral Connection	p. 79
Senator Stevens and America's Forty-Ninth State	p. 79
Representative Murtha Looks After Johnstown Pennsylvania	p. 79
Mississippi's Bennie Thompson and the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina	p. 80
Running for Congress	p. 81
Eligibility	p. 81
Deciding to Run	p. 83
The Work of the Parry Committees	p. 85
Protecting the Freshman Members	p. 87
The Geographical Context of Congressional Elections	p. 90
House Apportionment	p. 90
Partisan Gerrymandering	p. 92
Sweetheart Gerrymandering	p. 95
Racial Gerrymandering	p. 96
Senate "Districts"	p. 98
The Incumbency Advantage	p. 98
Institutional Advantages	p. 99
Political Advantages	p. 101
The Incumbency Advantage: The Bottom Line	p. 102
Financing the Campaign	p. 103
The Fund-Raising Burden	p. 103
Political Action Committees	p. 108
Parry Committees	p. 110
Putting It All Together	p. 112
Campaign Themes and Issues	p. 113
Primary and General Elections	p. 113
The Stakes in Congressional Elections	p. 119
The Landscape	p. 121
National Trends	p. 121
Conclusion: The Board of Directors and the Continuous Campaign	p. 124
Congress as the Board of Directors: Authorizing the Work of Government	p. 129
The Authorizing Power	p. 132
The Authorizing Committees	p. 132
Authorizing Legislation: Exerting Control over Government Policy	p. 137
Case Study: Congress Restructures the Intelligence Community	p. 150
Authorizing Direct Spending	p. 152
The Legislative Process	p. 157
The Legislative Process Resembles Baseball, Not Football	p. 160
Scheduling Legislation	p. 161
Key Stages in the Legislative Process: The House	p. 166
Key Stages in the Legislative Process: The Senate	p. 175
Reconciling the Differences	p. 182
Congress and the Authorizing Power	p. 186
The State of the Authorization Process: The Spending Continues- Sometimes Without the Thinking	p. 186
Authorizes Usurp Their Rivals: The Increase in Mandatory Spending	p. 189
Conclusion	p. 190
Congress as the Board of Directors: Funding the Government	p. 195
The Budget Pie	p. 198
The President's Budget: Kicking Off the Congressional Budget Process	p. 202
Putting the President's Budget Together	p. 203
Congress Responds: The Concurrent Budget Resolution	p. 205
What Does the Budget Resolution Do?	p. 206
The Budget Process Is Created	p. 207
The Early Stages of the Process	p. 209
The Components of the Budget Resolution	p. 210
Passing the Budget Resolution	p. 211
The Reconciliation Process	p. 213
The Appropriations Process	p. 215
The Appropriations Committees	p. 215
The Subcommittee Hearings	p. 217
The All-Important 302(a) and 302(b) Allocations	p. 218
Marking Up the Appropriations Bills	p. 220
The Rules Committee and the House Floor	p. 221
Appropriations Bills in the Senate	p. 224
The Conference Committee Stage	p. 225
Looking at Appropriations Bills	p. 227
Supplemental Appropriations	p. 234
Earmarks in Appropriations Bills	p. 235
The Power of the Purse	p. 237
The Breakdown of the Budget Process	p. 238
Not Enough Money	p. 239
Policy and Politics	p. 240
The Specter of a Government Shutdown	p. 241
Continuing Resolutions and Omnibus Appropriations	p. 242
Congress and the Funding Power	p. 242
Does Congress Budget Responsibly?	p. 242
Does Congress Need to Start Balancing the Budget?	p. 244
A Time of Surpluses	p. 245
What Is So Hard About Balancing the Budget?	p. 246
The Growing Entitlement Programs	p. 247
Is There Any Hope?	p. 248
Conclusion	p. 250
Congress as the Board of Directors: Oversight of the Executive Branch	p. 255
Congressional Oversight Authority	p. 258
The Two Central Purposes of Oversight	p. 258
The Statutory Bases of Oversight	p. 259
Methods of Congressional Oversight	p. 262
Congressional Hearings	p. 264
Congressional Investigations	p. 275
Case Study: Congress Investigates: The Senate and the IRS	p. 277
Oversight in Legislation and Report Language	p. 281
The Government Accountability Office and Oversight	p. 286
The Inspectors General	p. 288
The Government Performance and Results Act	p. 290
Informal Methods of Oversight	p. 290
Conclusion: The Politics of Congressional Oversight	p. 291
Members and Program Efficiency	p. 292
Discerning a Pattern to Congressional Oversight	p. 293
The Board of Directors Meets its Match: War Powers	p. 299
The Board of Directors: Domestic Powers and War Powers	p. 302
Congress Versus the President	p. 304
The Constitutional Provisions	p. 304
The Case for Congress	p. 305
The Case for Presidential Prerogative	p. 308
Two Key Dimensions of the Presidential Advantage	p. 315
Congress Attempts to Flex Its Muscles	p. 318
The 1973 War Powers Act	p. 318
Exercising the Power of the Purse: The Iran-Contra Affair	p. 322
Case Studies of War in the Twenty-First Century	p. 323
Authorizing Action Against the Perpetrators 9/11	p. 323
Authorizing War on Iraq	p. 327
Conclusion: Congress and War in the Twenty-First Century	p. 334
The Board of Directors in the Twenty-First Century	p. 343
Congress's Inherent Limitations	p. 345
It's Not All "Nature": The Environment Shapes the Contemporary Congress	p. 352
A More Partisan Place	p. 353
Electoral Pressures	p. 361
The Growth of the Lobbying Industry	p. 363
Can Congress Work in the Twenty-First Century?	p. 365
Delegating Responsibility to the Executive Branch	p. 366
The Commission Solution	p. 369
Legislating Reform	p. 371
Looking Ahead: A Therapeutic Approach	p. 373
Partisanship	p. 375
Congress's "Work-Work Imbalance"	p. 380
Conclusion	p. 385
Appendix: 100 Years of Congress: 1910-2010	p. 389
Glossary of Key Terms	p. 393
Index	p. 403
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