Congressional Congressional LeadershipLeadership

CivicsCivics

Mr. BloughMr. Blough

Leadership in Congress Leadership in Congress Defined by a mix of Constitutional mandate, Defined by a mix of Constitutional mandate,

established rules, and traditionestablished rules, and tradition Largely a function of personal characterLargely a function of personal character Provides structure through which parties Provides structure through which parties

exert influence in Congressexert influence in Congress Demonstrates the dynamics of political Demonstrates the dynamics of political

partisanship in Congresspartisanship in Congress Provides checks and balances with the Provides checks and balances with the

ExecutiveExecutive– Support or opposition to President’s billsSupport or opposition to President’s bills– Responses to State of the Union addressesResponses to State of the Union addresses

Leadership ResponsibilitiesLeadership Responsibilities

Promoting legislative agenda of the partyPromoting legislative agenda of the party– Monitoring and shepherding of party’s billsMonitoring and shepherding of party’s bills– Obstructing passage of opposition party’s billsObstructing passage of opposition party’s bills

Making committee assignmentsMaking committee assignments Supporting candidates in their home Supporting candidates in their home

districtsdistricts Forging political coalitionsForging political coalitions Issuing rewards and punishmentsIssuing rewards and punishments

Leadership PositionsLeadership Positions

Speaker of the House Speaker of the House President of the SenatePresident of the Senate Majority/Minority Floor LeadersMajority/Minority Floor Leaders Majority/Minority WhipsMajority/Minority Whips Republican/Democratic Conference ChairsRepublican/Democratic Conference Chairs Standing committee chairs and ranking Standing committee chairs and ranking

membersmembers Congressional membership organization Congressional membership organization

chairschairs

Speaker of the HouseSpeaker of the House Presiding officer (U.S. Const. art. 1, § 2, cl. 5) Presiding officer (U.S. Const. art. 1, § 2, cl. 5)

– Elected by members of House Elected by members of House – Each party nominates a candidate, majority winsEach party nominates a candidate, majority wins

Second in line of Presidential succession after Second in line of Presidential succession after the VP (Presidential Succession Act of 1947)the VP (Presidential Succession Act of 1947)

Has a lot of powerHas a lot of power– Controls the legislative calendarControls the legislative calendar– Leads appointment process of committee chairsLeads appointment process of committee chairs

Leader and national spokesperson of the Leader and national spokesperson of the majority partymajority party

House Majority LeaderHouse Majority Leader Second in command to SpeakerSecond in command to Speaker Responsible for day-to-day management Responsible for day-to-day management

of legislative affairs on the House floorof legislative affairs on the House floor Since 1911, elected by members of Since 1911, elected by members of

majority partymajority party

House Minority LeaderHouse Minority Leader

Official role emerged in 1899Official role emerged in 1899 Elected by members of the minority Elected by members of the minority

party to serve as their spokespersonparty to serve as their spokesperson Criticizes the program of the majority Criticizes the program of the majority

partyparty Seeks to block majority bills from Seeks to block majority bills from

passingpassing

President of the SenatePresident of the Senate Vice-President is the President of the SenateVice-President is the President of the Senate Only votes in the case of a tie, has little Only votes in the case of a tie, has little

powerpower Opens electoral ballots for Presidential Opens electoral ballots for Presidential

electionselections President Pro-Tempore (“President for a President Pro-Tempore (“President for a

time”) presides when the VP is not presenttime”) presides when the VP is not present– Elected by resolution in the SenateElected by resolution in the Senate– Usually the majority party member with the Usually the majority party member with the

longest record of continuous servicelongest record of continuous service– Third in line of Presidential succession Third in line of Presidential succession – Term of service solidified in 1890Term of service solidified in 1890

Senate Majority LeaderSenate Majority Leader Role first established in 1925 (Republicans)Role first established in 1925 (Republicans) Elected by members of the majority partyElected by members of the majority party Senior Senate official, has the right of Senior Senate official, has the right of

priority recognition on the Senate floorpriority recognition on the Senate floor Primary spokesperson for majority partyPrimary spokesperson for majority party Day-to-day manager of business on the Day-to-day manager of business on the

Senate floorSenate floor Schedules the sequence and manner of Schedules the sequence and manner of

debate on all legislationdebate on all legislation Responsible for building and managing Responsible for building and managing

majority party consensusmajority party consensus

Senate Minority LeaderSenate Minority Leader

Elected by members of the minority Elected by members of the minority partyparty

Senior official for the minority partySenior official for the minority party Primary spokesperson for the Primary spokesperson for the

minorityminority Responsible for setting the legislative Responsible for setting the legislative

agenda and strategy of the minority agenda and strategy of the minority partyparty

Majority & Minority WhipsMajority & Minority Whips

Elected by party membersElected by party members Assist the floor leaders to keep track of Assist the floor leaders to keep track of

party members and lobby them for votesparty members and lobby them for votes Designed to make sure people within the Designed to make sure people within the

party are voting along party lines (“whip party are voting along party lines (“whip them into place”)them into place”)

Party Conference ChairsParty Conference Chairs

Conference is the organizational Conference is the organizational vehicle for party members and their vehicle for party members and their staffstaff

Also referred to as Caucus (House Also referred to as Caucus (House Democrats)Democrats)

Led by chair elected by membersLed by chair elected by members In some cases the majority leader In some cases the majority leader

also serves as the conference chairalso serves as the conference chair

Standing CommitteesStanding Committees

Committees are where the bulk of legislative Committees are where the bulk of legislative work is done (house and senate)work is done (house and senate)

Committees mark-up bills, hold hearings, Committees mark-up bills, hold hearings, conduct investigations, and perform oversightconduct investigations, and perform oversight

Committees concentrate on areas such as:Committees concentrate on areas such as:– BudgetBudget– MilitaryMilitary– HealthcareHealthcare– EducationEducation– Etc.Etc.

Subcommittees Subcommittees

Smaller, more specialized Smaller, more specialized committees that focus on very committees that focus on very specific issuesspecific issues

Committee within a CommitteeCommittee within a Committee– Education Subcommittee on elementary Education Subcommittee on elementary

educationeducation– Military Subcommittee on weaponsMilitary Subcommittee on weapons

Select CommitteesSelect Committees

Temporary committees designed to Temporary committees designed to address a specific issue at hand:address a specific issue at hand:– Global WarmingGlobal Warming– Steroids in baseballSteroids in baseball

Joint CommitteesJoint Committees

Committees that consist of members of Committees that consist of members of both the House and the Senateboth the House and the Senate

Like joint committees, Like joint committees, conference conference committeescommittees are designed to have both are designed to have both members of the House and Senate meet members of the House and Senate meet together to “iron-out” any differences in a together to “iron-out” any differences in a proposed billproposed bill

Committee AssignmentsCommittee Assignments

House & Senate rules provide that they House & Senate rules provide that they elect the members of committees at the elect the members of committees at the beginning of each Congress (post 1970)beginning of each Congress (post 1970)– Representatives of the two parties agree on Representatives of the two parties agree on

committee assignments and party ratios, then committee assignments and party ratios, then submit rosters for votesubmit rosters for vote

Seniority is the normal basis for ranking Seniority is the normal basis for ranking among committee membersamong committee members– The longer a member is in the committee, the The longer a member is in the committee, the

more likely to become chair or ranking minority more likely to become chair or ranking minority membermember

Be able to explain all of the Be able to explain all of the following in your notes:following in your notes:

Majority/Minority leaders in Majority/Minority leaders in House/SenateHouse/Senate

Party WhipParty Whip Speaker of the HouseSpeaker of the House President pro temporePresident pro tempore

Individually, identify the Individually, identify the following:following:

1 Standing Committees1 Standing Committees 2 Subcommittees2 Subcommittees 3 Select Committees3 Select Committees 4 Joint Committees4 Joint Committees 5 Conference Committees5 Conference Committees

Congressional Member Congressional Member OrganizationsOrganizations

Most commonly known as caucusesMost commonly known as caucuses– Also called coalitions, study groups, task forces, Also called coalitions, study groups, task forces,

and working groupsand working groups Special interest alliances that function as Special interest alliances that function as

internal lobbiesinternal lobbies Represent a wide variety of political interestsRepresent a wide variety of political interests Emerged around 1930s, peaked in 1970s & Emerged around 1930s, peaked in 1970s &

80s80s Registered with the Committee on House Registered with the Committee on House

AdministrationAdministration

Useful SourcesUseful Sources

DirectoriesDirectories– Almanac of American PoliticsAlmanac of American Politics– Politics in AmericaPolitics in America– Congressional Staff Directory Congressional Staff Directory (especially for (especially for

caucuses)caucuses)– U.S. Congressional DirectoryU.S. Congressional Directory (official) (official)

CQ publications (excellent for background)CQ publications (excellent for background)– Guide to CongressGuide to Congress– How Congress WorksHow Congress Works– CQ Weekly ReportCQ Weekly Report