To What Extent Are The Two Chambers Of Congress Equal
To what extent are the two chambers of Congress equal in power (15 marks)
One factor which could be seen to imply that the two chambers of Congress aren’t equal in power is the contrast in importance of the political decisions they get to vote on – and for this reason the Senate can be seen as superior. Senators hold exclusively the ability to ratify treaties as well as confirming the President’s nominees for position such as Supreme Court justices and leading roles within the government, and they exercise this power which is highlighted by the fact that just last year Debo Adegbile had 52-47 (with one person not voting) bipartisan votes against him to prevent him becoming the next head of Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. This is significant because if the President is in a situation where his party doesn’t hold control of the Senate, like Obama is currently in, he will find it more difficult to successfully nominate people who share his political ideology and increase the number of Liberals (for Obama) in his government. Whilst the fact Members of the House get to vote on legislation is still a very important, the Senate do this as well – whilst their exclusive powers can prevent the President filling Congress with his own party and ‘ruling from the grave’.
Another feature of the Senate which suggests that it has more power than the House is the difference in size of the two houses as well as the different time periods they serve; there are 435 members in the House serving two year terms whilst only 100 Senators serve 6 years - so less politicians for longer means more power for individuals. In addition to this because of fewer members being a Senator is considered more ‘prestigious’ in a sense. The number of members is significant in terms of passing legislation, particularly because of the toleration of the use of the filibuster in the Senate with a supermajority of 60 needed to have a vote of cloture and overrule it – meaning it is harder to get
One factor which could be seen to imply that the two chambers of Congress aren’t equal in power is the contrast in importance of the political decisions they get to vote on – and for this reason the Senate can be seen as superior. Senators hold exclusively the ability to ratify treaties as well as confirming the President’s nominees for position such as Supreme Court justices and leading roles within the government, and they exercise this power which is highlighted by the fact that just last year Debo Adegbile had 52-47 (with one person not voting) bipartisan votes against him to prevent him becoming the next head of Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. This is significant because if the President is in a situation where his party doesn’t hold control of the Senate, like Obama is currently in, he will find it more difficult to successfully nominate people who share his political ideology and increase the number of Liberals (for Obama) in his government. Whilst the fact Members of the House get to vote on legislation is still a very important, the Senate do this as well – whilst their exclusive powers can prevent the President filling Congress with his own party and ‘ruling from the grave’.
Another feature of the Senate which suggests that it has more power than the House is the difference in size of the two houses as well as the different time periods they serve; there are 435 members in the House serving two year terms whilst only 100 Senators serve 6 years - so less politicians for longer means more power for individuals. In addition to this because of fewer members being a Senator is considered more ‘prestigious’ in a sense. The number of members is significant in terms of passing legislation, particularly because of the toleration of the use of the filibuster in the Senate with a supermajority of 60 needed to have a vote of cloture and overrule it – meaning it is harder to get