US Congr ess
Exclusive pow er s of the HoR
Pow er of the pur se:
The House of Representatives alone can begin appropriation bills. This gives the
house considerable individual power, and power over the presidency. Each year the
President submits the annual budget for the US government to the House Budget
Committee to begin the approval process. In 2018, President Trump requested that
the budget for the environmental protection agency be cut by one third. Despite
being of the same party as the president, House Republicans proposed cutting the
EPA budget by just 6%. As the Senate can amend these bills and must approve them,
this limits the importance of this power.
B r in g ch ar ges of im peachm en t:
The House of Representatives can bring impeachment charges on the president, their
officials or justices of the federal courts. If they are found guilty, they are removed
from office. While this power has been used only four times in US history, it is a
threat to any president who holds office, helping restrain their actions.
Ch oose the pr esiden t if the Elector al College is deadlocked:
Thereare 535 votes in the electoral college therefore a candidate needs 270 to win. If
no one manages this, the house of Representative chooses who it who is to become
the president. In this eventuality, each state is given a single vote to exercise,
regardless of its size. With the development of two-party politics in the USA, this is a
power that is now unlikely to be used. It was, however, used in both 1818 24 to elect
president Thomas Jefferson and President John Adams.
Exclusive pow er s of the Senate
Ratify treaties:
As a check on the president's power over foreign policy, the Senate scrutinises
proposed treaties from the Senate from the president and can approve or reject them
by 2/3 vote. In 2012, the Senate voted to reject the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, with several Republicans expressing concern over the extra
government regulation that it might entail.
, Con fi r m appoin tm en ts:
The Senate can confirm nominees put forward by the president to the federal courts,
the cabinet and ambassadorial posts, among others. This usually entails hearing by
relevant committee on the qualifications and suitability of a candidate before a vote
of the whole Senate.
President Trump had the opportunity to nominate three justices to the US Supreme
Court. The hearings of the Senate Judicial Committee held for his second nominee,
Brett Kavanaugh, was subject to unprecedented protests to his nomination after
Kavanagh faced allegations of sexual assault on his old college professor Christine
Blasey Ford. During the committee vote on Trumps final nominee, Amy Coney
Barrett, the Democrats boycotted the vote in protest at the swiftness of the
nomination.
Tr y cases of im peachm en t:
When the House of Representatives votes to bring impeachment charges a trial is
then held in the Senate. 2/3 of senators are required to find the person guilty or not
guilty. This is not a criminal trial, however, and the verdict simply allows an official
to keep the position or to be removed from it. The constitution is however rather
vague on what constitutes grounds for impeachment.
Ch oose Vice Pr esident if the EC is deadlocked:
Well, this seems like a lesser power than that of the house, the vice president axes the
president of the Senate, so it is logistical that the Senate would select them in the
circumstances. This has only ever happened twice, in 1800 and 1824
Legislative pr ocess
1: In tr oduction
A bill is given to the leading member of the house and then placed into committee.
The speaker can choose to time limit bill or not, and which committee that bill will go
into. If the speaker chooses to send the bill to more than once committee, this can be
done sequentially, with the bill finishing in one committee before beginning another.
This lengthens the process potentially makes it less likely that a bill will pass.
Alternatively, the speaker can break up the bill and send bits of the bill to different
committees. This is known as a split referral and may serve to speed up the process.
In the Senate, presented bills must go to the committee of that policy area. The
Senate acts on the principle of unanimous consent and therefore to place a bill into
Exclusive pow er s of the HoR
Pow er of the pur se:
The House of Representatives alone can begin appropriation bills. This gives the
house considerable individual power, and power over the presidency. Each year the
President submits the annual budget for the US government to the House Budget
Committee to begin the approval process. In 2018, President Trump requested that
the budget for the environmental protection agency be cut by one third. Despite
being of the same party as the president, House Republicans proposed cutting the
EPA budget by just 6%. As the Senate can amend these bills and must approve them,
this limits the importance of this power.
B r in g ch ar ges of im peachm en t:
The House of Representatives can bring impeachment charges on the president, their
officials or justices of the federal courts. If they are found guilty, they are removed
from office. While this power has been used only four times in US history, it is a
threat to any president who holds office, helping restrain their actions.
Ch oose the pr esiden t if the Elector al College is deadlocked:
Thereare 535 votes in the electoral college therefore a candidate needs 270 to win. If
no one manages this, the house of Representative chooses who it who is to become
the president. In this eventuality, each state is given a single vote to exercise,
regardless of its size. With the development of two-party politics in the USA, this is a
power that is now unlikely to be used. It was, however, used in both 1818 24 to elect
president Thomas Jefferson and President John Adams.
Exclusive pow er s of the Senate
Ratify treaties:
As a check on the president's power over foreign policy, the Senate scrutinises
proposed treaties from the Senate from the president and can approve or reject them
by 2/3 vote. In 2012, the Senate voted to reject the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, with several Republicans expressing concern over the extra
government regulation that it might entail.
, Con fi r m appoin tm en ts:
The Senate can confirm nominees put forward by the president to the federal courts,
the cabinet and ambassadorial posts, among others. This usually entails hearing by
relevant committee on the qualifications and suitability of a candidate before a vote
of the whole Senate.
President Trump had the opportunity to nominate three justices to the US Supreme
Court. The hearings of the Senate Judicial Committee held for his second nominee,
Brett Kavanaugh, was subject to unprecedented protests to his nomination after
Kavanagh faced allegations of sexual assault on his old college professor Christine
Blasey Ford. During the committee vote on Trumps final nominee, Amy Coney
Barrett, the Democrats boycotted the vote in protest at the swiftness of the
nomination.
Tr y cases of im peachm en t:
When the House of Representatives votes to bring impeachment charges a trial is
then held in the Senate. 2/3 of senators are required to find the person guilty or not
guilty. This is not a criminal trial, however, and the verdict simply allows an official
to keep the position or to be removed from it. The constitution is however rather
vague on what constitutes grounds for impeachment.
Ch oose Vice Pr esident if the EC is deadlocked:
Well, this seems like a lesser power than that of the house, the vice president axes the
president of the Senate, so it is logistical that the Senate would select them in the
circumstances. This has only ever happened twice, in 1800 and 1824
Legislative pr ocess
1: In tr oduction
A bill is given to the leading member of the house and then placed into committee.
The speaker can choose to time limit bill or not, and which committee that bill will go
into. If the speaker chooses to send the bill to more than once committee, this can be
done sequentially, with the bill finishing in one committee before beginning another.
This lengthens the process potentially makes it less likely that a bill will pass.
Alternatively, the speaker can break up the bill and send bits of the bill to different
committees. This is known as a split referral and may serve to speed up the process.
In the Senate, presented bills must go to the committee of that policy area. The
Senate acts on the principle of unanimous consent and therefore to place a bill into
