Question 1: The Congress and Parties
The legislative process starts with a Congress member introducing a bill into the house for consideration. The representative can be either from the house or senate. After a representative introduces the bill, the next step is the committee consideration. All bills and resolutions must be passed through various house or senate committees for a study. The congress committees are subdivisions of the U.S. Congress that deal with specific areas of the domestic and foreign policies. Depending on the kind of bill presented to the Congress, the various standing Congress committees can include agriculture, budget, energy, finance and education among others. In the next step, the committees will then take action by considering the bill in details and analyze the potential impacts that it could have on the budge. If the committee approves the bill, it is then sent to the legislative process. However, if the committee rejects the bill, it fails to reach the legal process.
The bill is then taken before the floor of the house or senate where the speaker of the house and majority leader decide the order in which the bill will be debated. The bill is then presented for a debate where representatives debate for and against the bill before both houses. Debating the bill follows the rules of the house debate. Upon the completion of the debate and amendments to the bill have been approved, members of both the house and senate will vote for and against the bill. If there are differences between the house and senate on the significant changes, the bill is sent to the conference committee which will reconcile the differences. In the house, the bill is passed by a simple majority (218 of 435), similar to Senate which passes by (51 of 100). From the conference committee, the bill is sent back to the house and senate for approval. The bill then undergoes enrolling after which it is sent to the president to sign or veto the enrolled bill.
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The divided political party control of policymaking increases the time it takes to enact legislation entirely. The process gets even slowest when the ideologies between the parties are polarized. The political parties play a fundamental role in structuring the legislative process and ensure that there is a voting cohesion by the members in the legislative process. The primary significance of having a cohesive voting behavior parties is to ensure stability in the legislative process. The critical role of political parties any democracy is the competition they provide in the electoral contests which allow voters to choose accountable leaders. However, due to the polarization of the political parties, the legislative process has been prolonged. This is primarily when one political party controls the presidency, and the other party has a majority in either one of the chambers. This is because political parties influence the way their members in both chambers vote during legislation processes.
Question 2: The Presidency and the Courts
Judicial review involves the ability of the courts to ensure that the written constitution remains adhered to in the event that there are legislations that are in conflict with the constitution. When the state or even the Congress comes with laws that are inconsistent with the provision of the constitution, it is the power of the courts to declare such laws null and void. This also applies to the executive actions which are inconsistent with the constitutional provisions. In 1803, the Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in the case of William Marbury v. James Madison and confirmed the principle of judicial review, which is the power of the Supreme Court to limit the powers of the Congress by declaring their legislation null and void. The court made a ruling that President Thomas Jefferson was wrong via the state secretary James Madison to prevent William Marbury from assuming the office. In the judgment, the court through the chief justice said that the act of the Congress was inconsistent with the constitution and that any law that conflicts with the constitution are not laws. It was, therefore, the first responsibility of the court to uphold the constitution. It is, therefore, the role of the judiciary to ensure that the constitution is fully adhered to and that no one violates the constitution.
Many constitutions require the judiciary to be separate and independent from the government to enable it to perform its function without any influence. It is the authority of the president to appoint the judges of the Supreme Court although they must pass through the senate and house chambers for vetting. Due to this power of the president as the appointing authority, the independence of the judiciary can be influenced. The appointing authority may seek some favors from the judges or appoint people who will make some rulings in his favor rather than follow the constitution, and this impacts the independence of the judiciary.
The other leading powers of the president other than being an appointing authority include being the commander in chief of the military. The president is the head of the military of the country. The president also has the veto power over legislative bills. The president can even negotiate the treaties with other nations although the Senate chamber must approve this. The president can also grant pardons for the federal crimes and also propose the various legislation in the legislative agenda. The primary check that the president has over the Congress and legislation is the veto. However, this power can also be overtaken by the majority in the Congress. The powers of the president have seen a few changes, especially since the 9/11 attacks. For example, the president’s powers on emergency matters such as attacks no longer seek the approval of the Congress as this seemed to complicate issues.
Question 3: What have you learned?
In the American politics, I have learned the role and responsibility of the Congress in the legislative process and its importance. I now understand the lawmaking process, the role of both the senate and house chambers in passing bills into laws. I have also understood the role that political parties play in a democracy, electoral as well as legislative processes. I have understood how party polarization and different party ideologies impact the legislative process by the Congress. I have also understood that the election process is the power of the citizens as it allows people to donate power to the fellow citizens to represent them in the Congress in the lawmaking process and protection of their interests.
Furthermore, I have gotten to understand the American judicial system and the role of the judiciary in protecting the constitution of the land. I now know the superior powers that the judiciary has over the Congress, especially in the judicial review when legislation conflicts the constitutional provisions in which the courts have the power to declare such laws null and void. The knowledge in politics has made more develop more interest in studying and understanding the American politics. I am now very interested and happy to participate in the voting exercise because it is the only way the citizens can have their voice in the Congress by electing a representative. I will also consider running for a political office so that I can represent my people and help fight for their rights in the Congress.
