The Responsibilities of Congress and the President Essay

In this module we have study modifications to the way Congress and the President do business. The Constitution lists specific duties for Congress to attend to; it is a little vaguer when assigning duties to the President. It is up to both of these institutions to best determine how to accomplish these duties. The major theme of this module is change, the addition of offices under the President and the modifications to the power distribution within the Congress to help better and sometimes hinder these institutions in accomplishing their duties. The Congress of the 1950s, known as the â€Å"textbook Congress†, is quite different than the Congress of the today. Our Author notes six legislative folkways that were noted by political scientist†¦show more content†¦This is how change may hinder the completion of legislation. The module goes on to address the changes made in the Congressional committee system. Committees are an integral part of our Congressional syst em without them in place the 435 members of the House and the 100 members of the Senate would be severely hindered in doing their job. Committees have been used in the Congress since the beginning at first the committees were ad hoc bodies put together to address issues and then reported back to their specific bodies as time went by permanent standing committees were formed. Over time members built careers within committees building seniority and power. â€Å"By the turn of the century, seniority had become such an iron-clad formula that in both House and Senate party leaders’ real discretion in committee assignments was limited primarily to new members.† (Loomis/Schiller p 156) The power amassed by committee chairmen began to rival party leadership and stifle junior members of committees. Both parties recognized that too much power rested with the chairpersons of committees and worked to place limits on this power and return it party leadership. The Democrat reforms o ccurred from 1959-1975 and included limiting the number of chairs a member could hold and fixed jurisdiction of subcommittees among other steps. The Republican changes reduced the number of staff personnel and did away withShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Role of Congress937 Words   |  4 Pages Congress has helped develop the Presidency as we know it today. This is because Congress argues over proposals and legislation proposed by the President. They are a major determent in whether bills turn into laws. But it’s not easy. One reason for this is because there are many powerful groups out there who argue about what should be discussed such as air pollution with the EPA or jobs. In order to run more efficiently, there are certain responsibilities that Congress has given to the PresidentRead MoreAnalysis Of Necessity Knows No Law1406 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween the president and Congress. In Article I, section 8, the Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, while Article II, section 2 grants the president the power to be Commander in Chief of the military. Essentially, the Constitution’s broad language concerning the war powers was â€Å"an invitation to struggle† (Jillson 302). This struggle can be captured through people’s different perspectives on how the government should take action during times of crisis. To some, the president was givenRead MoreThe debt limit can be seen as a kind of bomb under the American government, placed there by the600 Words   |  3 Pagesfinancial responsibility between Congress and the president. When it comes to the economy the president has two jobs. 1: he/she has to collect taxes 2: spend those taxes to run the government. These two powers give an impression that the president is all-powerful then it comes to economy. And many people share this impression, since the president’s new budget usually is a hot topic on the news even thought it is not really the president’s budget. But the truth is the opposite the president is the oneRead MoreFederal Bureaucracy849 Words   |  4 PagesFederal Bureaucracy – to what Extent does the President have Control of it? When the framers of the Constitution developed our government, they gave Congress the authority to create the departments necessary to carry out the day-to-day responsibilities of governing - the federal bureaucracy. The vast majority of the departments, agencies, and commissions that make up the federal bureaucracy today were created by Congress through legislative acts. Congress is unable to act in a bubble though, dueRead MoreThe American Political System Is Defined As A Constitutional Democracy1228 Words   |  5 Pageslegislative power is vested in the Congress and made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress makes laws, controls finances of the country. The President is a head of executive branch, who offers bills to the Congress, enforces federal laws, controls foreign policy, serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and with the approval of the Senate, makes treaties and appoints secretaries (ministers). President can veto a bill unless Congress by a two-thirds vote shallRead MoreThe Constitutional Framers And The President Of The United States858 Words   |  4 Pagespower the President of the United States has obtained to this present day. Based off their work, it seems as if the framers expected Congress to have the vast majority of power. It is true that Congress still has maintained some of their power; yet, as a collective society we tend to place our sole interest on the president and magnify on all his accomplishments and especially on all his losses (sometimes even blaming him for events that are out of his jurisdiction). Nonetheless, the president has gainedRead MoreThe Constitution And The Legislative Branch1390 Words   |  6 Pagesvote, impeach the president, etc. It is the branch debited with creating our structural laws within society. The essential role of this branch is to write, deliberate, and pass bills on to the president for his approval. Although if the president were to veto the bi ll congress could override his veto with a two-thirds vote. If congress cannot come to a two-thirds majority vote then they will have to rewrite said bill in order to win over the president s approval. If the president receives a bill thatRead MoreThe Role Of The President Of The United States1282 Words   |  6 Pagestheir ideologies and manifesto to the citizens. Therefore, before the United States gets a new president, media [online media, newspapers, television, radio, and magazines] play a major role in making the candidate known both at local and international levels. After a successful election, the president-elect is then inaugurated on January 20th, takes the Oath of Office to the high office of the president. The constitutional framers believed in the presidency, this led them to the creation of an officeRead MoreThe President As Chief Legislator1035 Words   |  5 PagesThe President as Chief Legislator When a president is sworn into office, he or she takes on a multitude of titles. One of the many titles the president is issued is the role of Chief in Legislator. This means that the president plays a crucial part in the legislative process or lawmaking. This title holds much authority in the eyes of Americans (Hoffman Howard, 1317). Though this title does not give the president absolute authority, it does grant him or her strong jurisdiction in the legislatureRead MoreUs War Research Paper1326 Words   |  6 PagesThe U.S. Constitution allows the president and Congress to have big responsibilities on their military action, but there have been many debates how their war powers begin and the end has. The administration of Obama chose to make a decision in August 2013 to look for congressional authority to have a military strike in Syria. They wanted this for the use of the chemical weapons. This has caused a new debate on the need for the president to request approval. In the past, the administrations major