Legislative branch
The legislative branch of the United States government, known as Congress, is responsible for crafting and enacting laws. It comprises two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate, each playing distinct roles in the legislative process. The House of Representatives, larger in size with 435 members, is designed to represent the population proportionally, with all budget-related bills originating here. Members serve two-year terms and are directly elected by constituents from their districts.
Conversely, the Senate consists of 100 members, with each state equally represented by two senators who serve six-year terms. Originally selected by state legislatures, senators have been directly elected by the public since the Seventeenth Amendment was ratified in 1913. The Senate holds significant powers, including the authority to approve presidential appointments, treaties, and the ability to impeach federal officials. The vice president serves as the Senate's leader, primarily acting in a tiebreaker role.
Together, the House and Senate must collaborate to pass legislation, embodying a system of checks and balances that limits the power of each branch of government. This structure ensures that diverse perspectives are considered in the law-making process.
Legislative branch
The legislative branch of the US government is the branch that writes the laws. Almost all laws start in the legislative branch as do most federal programs, declarations of war, and the federal government's budget. Additionally, the legislative branch can confirm or deny most appointments to the president's cabinet, federal judgeships, and even the Supreme Court. Like the executive and judicial branches, the legislative branch is powerful, but a system of checks and balances allows the other branches to limit this power.
Overview
The US legislative branch is also known as Congress. Congress is comprised of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both houses consist of representatives elected from their respective states and meet and work in the capitol in Washington, DC. Both houses are also involved in the creation of laws and most major governmental decisions. However, the Senate and the House of Representatives differ in many important ways.
The House of Representatives is much larger than the Senate. It draws its inspiration from the British House of Commons, the governing body comprised of people without title or rank. The House of Commons had the right to create taxes and decide how the money raised by taxes was used. This kept the power of the royalty and the House of Lords (comprised of nobles) in check. Similarly, all bills relating to the national budget originate in the House of Representatives. The Senate must approve them and may suggest amendments but cannot write or initiate the budget.
The House of Representatives uses proportional representation. This means that states with more people get more representation and thus more power. The House of Representatives was designed to be the house of the people instead of the state governments. Members represent a district of a state, instead of an entire state, and are elected or removed from office solely by members of that district. Members are usually required to live in the district they represent. The 435 members of the House of Representatives serve terms of two years. That means the entire House of Representatives is up for reelection every two years.
The speaker of the house leads the House of Representatives. The speaker serves several roles. The speaker is the head of whatever party holds a majority of seats in the House. He or she is also the official head administrative officer of the House while continuing to carry out duties as an elected representative of his or her district. Additionally, the speaker is immediately after the vice president of the executive branch in the presidential succession of power. This means that should both the president and the vice president become unfit to hold office, the speaker of the house becomes president of the United States.
The Senate, the other house of Congress, was modeled after the British House of Lords. In contrast to the House of Representatives, the Senate has only 100 members. Each state has only two senators, so states are represented equally. Originally, people within a state had no say in who represented them as their senators. Senators were elected by individual state legislatures. This became problematic when state legislatures failed to agree on senators, and Senate seats remained vacant for years. The state legislatures also had a tendency to elect only very wealthy candidates, which in turn led to the Senate having a reputation of serving only the rich. In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the US Constitution was amended so that Senators would be directly elected by the general public of each state, making Senators more accountable to the common man. Senators serve six-year terms, and the terms are staggered so that only one-third of the Senate is up for reelection at any one time. A person must be at least thirty years old to serve in the Senate.
Though smaller in size, the Senate is at least as powerful as the House of Representatives. The Senate holds many power checks against the executive branch, including the power to deny the president his or her choice of judges, public ministers, ambassadors, and cabinet members. Additionally, the Senate must approve all treaties signed by the executive branch, and approval is only declared if two-thirds of the Senate votes in favor of a treaty. The Senate can also amend a treaty. Lastly, the Senate has the power to impeach (remove from office) the president.
The vice president of the executive branch is also the president, or leader, of the Senate. However, the vice president is only allowed to vote as a tiebreaker and is not allowed to formally address the Senate without the senators' permission. Over time, the vice president's role has drifted toward mainly working in the executive branch. While they originally presided over the Senate on a daily basis, modern vice presidents only attend the Senate on days when crucial votes are taking place.
When the vice president is not presiding over the Senate, the job falls to the president pro tempore. The president pro tempore of the Senate has the tiebreaking power of the vice president but is also allowed to vote normally and address the Senate at any time. Traditionally, the president pro tempore is elected from the members of the Senate's current majority party. The president pro tempore falls behind the speaker of the house in the presidential line of succession.
Bibliography
"Powers & Procedure." Senate.gov, www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one‗item‗and‗teasers/powers.htm. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
"Power of the Purse." History.house.gov, history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Power-of-the-Purse/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
"President Pro Tempore." U.S. Senate www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/President‗Pro‗Tempore.htm. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
"Proportional Representation." History.house.gov, history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Proportional-Representation/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
"The Legislative Branch." The White House, www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/legislative-branch. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
"17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators." Archives.gov, www.archives.gov/legislative/features/17th-amendment/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.