How Congress Works ; and Why You Should Care
By: Lee H. Hamilton
Chapter 1: The Role of Congress
Why Congress Exists
Congress is the most dominant branch of national government, has the most
powers and is seen as the “First branch”. Acts as the people’s voice against
unchecked powers. Has the power to make laws, levy taxes, decide how
government should spend its money, and to declare war.
Sovereignty of the People
The American Revolution declared that the people are the ultimate rulers, and
therefore ultimate authority lies with them. Freedom can only exist when one is
governed with consent and with a voice. A representative democracy where people
elect representatives to be their voice in Washington was chosen. John Adams
stated it should be; “miniature, an exact portrait of the people at large. It should
think, feel, reason, and act like them. Above all, it should be accountable for them.”
Continuously striving for a more perfect union will be what keeps our nation
thriving.
Balancing Powers of Government
The basic idea behind balancing the powers is so that one government is never
more powerful than another. The system of checks and balances prevents the
abuse of power. Example: The president may nominate judges for the Supreme
Court, but they must be approved by the Senate. On the downside the continuous
system of checks and balances makes things sometimes run slowly with a lot of
debate, however this allows for a thorough and majority-fair outcome.
Congress and the President
They adequately work together, though 1 president trying to win over 535 seats in
Congress can be daunting and time consuming. Here is where the system of checks
an balances can cause a delay in immediate action being taken on topics of
interest.
Passing the Basic Laws of the Land
The lawmaking body of government for the USA is Congress. Article 1, Section 1 of
the Constitution states that; “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in
a Congress in the United States.”Congress has the power to abolish all federal
courts! Simply, lawmaking is about trying to understand the hopes, needs, and
desires of the American people. The basis of lawmaking is how Americans tell
Congress what to do and how to do it through action. An issue is never settled once
and for all, they are generally always on-going issues that will be revisited.
