Week Nine - Congress
Reading
What role does Congress play in the American political system?
What is the relationship between the House of Representatives and the Senate?
How representative of the US public and their interests are Senators and House
Representatives?
How important is partisan politics in the running of Congress and whose interests
does it represent?
How has the relationship between President Trump, the Republican-led Senate
and the Democratic-led House affected US politics and public policy? What
challenges will a Biden presidency face in its relations with the Congress?
David McKay: ‘American Politics and Society’ Chapter 8
From the Constitution1:
Article I Section I: ‘All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of
the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives’
Article I Section II: ‘The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen
every second Year’. ‘Representatives… shall be apportioned among several States which
may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers’
Article I Section III: ‘The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators
from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall
have on vote’.
1
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/
, Week Nine - Congress
Demographics in Congress (2019): https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-
interactive/2018/nov/15/new-congress-us-house-of-representatives-senate 2
Congress U.S. Population
Cis-Male 76.4% 49.2%
Cis-Female 23.6% 50.8%
Trans & Non- 0% 0.6%
binary
Straight 98.1% 95.5%
LGB 1.9% 4.5%
Under 35 2.1% 20.14%
35-49 22.6% 31.28%
50-64 42.2% 28.83%
Over 65 33.1% 19.75%
White 77% 72.4%
Hispanic 6.2% 16.3%
Black 9.3% 12.6%
Asian 2.2% 4.8%
Native 0.7% 0.9%
American
Middle 1.5% 2.8%
Eastern
Multiracial 2.6% 2.9%
Christian 81.3% 69%
Jewish 6.9% 1.9%
Hindu 0.7% 0.7%
Muslim 0.6% 0.9%
Mormon 1.9% 1.6%
Buddhist 0.4% 0.7%
Non- 0.2% 7.1%
religious
- Professions such as banking/ business and law are also vastly overrepresented in
Congress (white-collar vs blue-collar).
- Members of Congress behaves as trustees to their electorate; they elected on the
basis that they will exercise their own judgement on behalf of their constituent’s
interests.
2
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2018/nov/15/new-congress-us-house-of-
representatives-senate
Reading
What role does Congress play in the American political system?
What is the relationship between the House of Representatives and the Senate?
How representative of the US public and their interests are Senators and House
Representatives?
How important is partisan politics in the running of Congress and whose interests
does it represent?
How has the relationship between President Trump, the Republican-led Senate
and the Democratic-led House affected US politics and public policy? What
challenges will a Biden presidency face in its relations with the Congress?
David McKay: ‘American Politics and Society’ Chapter 8
From the Constitution1:
Article I Section I: ‘All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of
the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives’
Article I Section II: ‘The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen
every second Year’. ‘Representatives… shall be apportioned among several States which
may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers’
Article I Section III: ‘The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators
from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall
have on vote’.
1
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/
, Week Nine - Congress
Demographics in Congress (2019): https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-
interactive/2018/nov/15/new-congress-us-house-of-representatives-senate 2
Congress U.S. Population
Cis-Male 76.4% 49.2%
Cis-Female 23.6% 50.8%
Trans & Non- 0% 0.6%
binary
Straight 98.1% 95.5%
LGB 1.9% 4.5%
Under 35 2.1% 20.14%
35-49 22.6% 31.28%
50-64 42.2% 28.83%
Over 65 33.1% 19.75%
White 77% 72.4%
Hispanic 6.2% 16.3%
Black 9.3% 12.6%
Asian 2.2% 4.8%
Native 0.7% 0.9%
American
Middle 1.5% 2.8%
Eastern
Multiracial 2.6% 2.9%
Christian 81.3% 69%
Jewish 6.9% 1.9%
Hindu 0.7% 0.7%
Muslim 0.6% 0.9%
Mormon 1.9% 1.6%
Buddhist 0.4% 0.7%
Non- 0.2% 7.1%
religious
- Professions such as banking/ business and law are also vastly overrepresented in
Congress (white-collar vs blue-collar).
- Members of Congress behaves as trustees to their electorate; they elected on the
basis that they will exercise their own judgement on behalf of their constituent’s
interests.
2
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2018/nov/15/new-congress-us-house-of-
representatives-senate
