The Power Of The House Of Representatives

In creating the legislative branch, the founding fathers inherently chose after a compromise to divide congress into two chambers. The concept of having both chambers inherently different from each other encouraged checks and balances and ensured that each legislature that passes is deliberately reviewed. Additionally, to prevent a tyranny of the majority from prevailing in among the chambers, the founding fathers distributed several exclusive powers among the House of Representatives and the U. S Senate.
The US senate, according to America’s Democratic Republic was intended to represent all the states equally, and “called for the election of senators by state legislatures, not by the people” . As such the senate is composed solely of 100 members, as opposed to the 435 members of the House of Representatives. One of the main exclusive powers
that belong to the Senate involves the trial of impeachment cases, for the president.
This power can essentially regulate the actions of the president or even a majority in the other chamber, as it is a parallel to the House of Representatives’ ability to place impeachment charges. Although the House of Representatives can inflict the charges of impeachment, the Senate ultimately has to conduct the actual case, to ensure the basis of the charges is justified and not for an ulterior motive from a majority. Another exclusive power pertaining to the Senate is the ability to consent or recommend nominations/appointments of military officials, federal judges, ambassadors, and executive officials. This power allows Senate to review the nominations and choices of the President for certain positions, and instills a check on the executive branch, so no party can effectively employ members in high-ranking positions in the government for self-serving reasons. However this power can go
once again in hand with the House of Representatives ability to call for an impeach, as the House of Representatives can essentially conduct an impeachment for any potential appointments approved by the Senate that would be considered a tyranny of the majority. Despite the Senate appearing to have an advantage when it comes to exclusive powers, the House of Representatives were also distributed powers that not only were exclusive to the chamber, but also limited the power Senate has in the legislative branch.
The House of Representatives were intended to be variable, based on the population of the state. As such the House of Representatives as of 1910 totals 435 members, significantly larger than the Senate. One exclusive power that the House of Representatives possess is the power to start revenue bills, or bills intended to raise revenue. This can essentially prompt taxation on the country, and if used correctly can ensure equal taxation among all citizens. This power however is still moderated by the Senate, as like all bills they have to approve it before it is sent to the president. As such it is a powerful tool to aid the country, when used correctly. Another exclusive power that the House of Representatives possess that the Senate does not is the ability to elect a president in the event that a candidate fails to possess the majority of Electoral votes. At a glance, it would appear that this power does little to prevent a tyranny of the majority, but it latently does. It is plausible should an election race be extremely contested and one-sided, it is possible that a majority could influence the election into a position where no candidate possesses the majority of the votes. In this case, the House of Representatives can further review the candidates in a more thoroughly, as the states are represented according to their population, unlike the Senate. This would limit the power the majority has in deciding an election, and is an effective usage of the chamber’s inherent qualities.
Overall the powers belonging to each chamber play into the specifics and differences each chamber possess, The House of Representatives, as mentioned have the ability to decide revenue bills or the president in a certain scenario, naturally as the particular chamber possess representation from each State to decide upon impactful decisions. This is countered, as the House of Representatives members are switched out on even number years and for a term of 2 years, preventing a majority to form and take total control of the entire chamber and its decision making. The Senate’s exclusive powers synergize will with the notion that its members serve longer terms and only 1/3 of the members are reelected on even number of years. This intentional ensures that Senate members are experienced to consent to nominations by the president, and conduct trials of impeachment. This is balanced as these decisions are not intentionally drastic in altering the policies of the nation, such as the case of proposing revenue or deciding upon a presidency.
In conclusion, the founding fathers deliberately decided upon the exclusive powers that both chambers of Congress possessed. Each power pertaining to the chamber upon further analysis can be utilized to prevent a tyrannical majority. Some powers specifically are intended to go in opposition to the other chamber’s exclusive powers, to insure that they are justifiably