An Introduction to the U. S. Congress.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- Tables and Figures -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- Congress and Public Policymaking -- Public Policymaking in Washington -- Policy Types -- Policy Patterns -- How to Read This Book -- 2. Origins and Evolution of the Congressional System -- Civil War and Revolution: Britain and Tyranny -- Revolution in America: A Cromwell Flashback -- The Constitutional Settlement -- Evolution of Government Since the Constitution -- Summary -- I. Competing Roles: Lawmaker and Representative -- 3. Speaking for the People: The Majoritarian House -- The Logic of the House: Representation Over Legislation -- Organizing the House -- Members of the House -- Parties and Leaders in the House -- Committees -- Majority Rule in the House -- House Leadership and Legislation -- Committee Action -- Floor Action in the House -- The Founders and the House Today -- Summary -- 4. Representing the States: The Individualistic Senate -- Legislation and Representation -- Serving in the Senate -- Senate Committees -- Parties and the Senate -- A Senate Full of Leaders? -- The Floor of the Senate: Where the Action Is -- Advice and Consent": The Senate's Special Powers -- The Senate and the Framers -- Summary -- II. Enforcing Policy Decisions -- 5. The Oversight Power -- What Is Oversight? -- Who Oversees Whom? -- Committee Oversight -- Congressional Agency Oversight -- Beyond Regular Oversight -- Assessing Congressional Oversight -- Summary -- 6. The Power of the Purse -- Congress and the Federal Budget -- The Development of the Budget Process -- The Budget and Appropriations Process Today -- Running, or Ruining, the Calendar? -- Congress's Money Committees -- The Tax Committees -- The Committees on the Budget -- The Committees on Appropriations -- Assessing Congress's Power of the Purse.

Summary -- 7. The Organizing Power -- Organization as Policy -- Development of the Executive Branch -- Organization and Reorganization Since the Progressives -- Congress and the Challenge of Reorganization -- Reorganization Within Jurisdictions -- Major Reorganizations -- Assessing Congress and the Organizing Power -- Summary -- III. Congress and Emerging Challenges -- 8. Using the Three Powers: Creating DHS -- The Challenge: Coordination, Intelligence, and Response -- Interagency Coordination -- Intelligence Demands in a New World -- Responding to New Challenges -- A New Department for Homeland Security? -- Time Line: October 2001 to November 2002 -- The Department Takes Shape -- Assessment: The Three Powers Are Tricky! -- 1947: Creating the Defense Department -- Summary -- 9. Conclusions -- The Framers and Change -- Congress Today and into the Future -- Two Centuries of Success -- Notes -- Selected Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author.

Offers an introduction to Congress and the role it plays in the US political system. Written by a former Congressional staff member, this book includes boxed features on Congressional action - highlighting such topics as file sharing and student loans - that show students how Congress's work affects their lives.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.