What is the Legislative Branch?

Amid endless talk of presidential elections, and the importance of the Executive Branch in the United States' government, many often downplay the importance of the Legislative Branch in the functioning of America, and the passing of its laws. Founded in Article I of the Constitution, this branch- which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives- is crucial to the checks and balances in the U.S. government. The two chambers form what is known as Congress. Congress has played a massive role in U.S. politics throughout its history, with its main function being to introduce legislation, or a bill. Once introduced, a bill passes through various Senate committees and subcommittees, where it is changed and debated to fit the needs of each group. During the legislative process, members of the House also have a chance to speak on the bill. Senators often use this time to debate other issues, and can filibuster a piece of legislation. Once the bill is passed by the two chambers, it goes to the president for approval. But the deliberation and writing of a bill lay in the hands of Congress, a powerful yet often mysterious force in U.S. politics. In fact, the three branches of government, especially the executive and legislative use their power to keep one another in check and to balance the other's power. But what exactly are the Senate and the House of Representatives, and how are they elected?

The Senate:

Each state in the U.S. has 2 senators, meaning there are 100 total in Congress. These senators are elected by the citizens of their states, and serve for 6 year terms. This means that elections for senators occur every two years, with one third of the Senate being up for reelection every two year election cycle. Senators are up for election during the midterm elections and during the presidential election cycle every 4 years. In order to run for the Senate, an individual must be above the age of 30, a citizen of the U.S. for 9+ years, and live in the state which they are seeking to represent. Unlike in presidential elections, there is no electoral college, and the candidate that receives the most votes becomes the Senator. The Senate's functions are crucial to the smooth working of the U.S. government. They act largely behind the scenes in Congressional settings, but also in highly popularized instances as well. The main functions of the Senate are to declare war, filibuster legislation, impeach government officials including the president, appoint other high-ranking government members, sign treaties, and vote on bills and various forms of legislation.

The House of Representatives:

There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, also referred to as the House. The number of representatives per state depends on the population of each state, like how Electoral College votes depend on the population. This makes it so that more highly populated states are properly represented, and so there is no disparity between representation in smaller and larger states. House seats go up for reelection every two years, no matter what, so Representatives only serve for two years and then must be reelected. This makes it a very quick turnaround for House members, who must act quickly to pass bills their state favors, and then build momentum for reelection. House members of each state are also representatives of specific regions in a state. This makes it a more local system, rather than the Senate which has 2 overarching officials for each state. Individuals can search for their Representatives online, and see how they are impacting local, regional, and national politics. Since there are such short terms for Representatives, they are basically always campaigning for reelection, but this also keeps them accountable, as they are seemingly always fighting for their jobs by passing or voting against certain bills. House members can also be reelected an infinite amount of times, as long as they continue to meet the qualifications. The makeup of the House also includes an individual known as the Speaker of the House. It also includes minority and majority leaders, and "whips" who help lead the House and keep it on track.

Historical and Current Importance:

Historically, Congress has exercised its power at crucial points in American politics. Most notably perhaps, has been Congress' decisions to declare war such as in 1812 against Great Britain, in World War I, and World War II. It has also sought to impeach multiple presidents throughout history, including Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson. Other famous impeachments include Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump, who was impeached twice. Congress also leads investigations into government misconduct, including the infamous Watergate Scandal in 1973, which led to Richard Nixon's resignation. These examples of Congress using its power reflect the way in which it can check the power of other branches, especially the president and the executive branch. Today, Congress carries the same power that it did during the founding of the United States. It plays a crucial role in passing the legislation that impacts Americans on a daily basis, and keeps the rest of the government in check. Elections for Congress, such as the midterms have recently gained a lot more traction on social media and the mainstream news, as just like other areas of America, it becomes more polarized. There is now always Congressional debate and fighting between Democratic and Republican members of Congress, who use legislation to attempt to secure policy wins for their parties. According to Pew Research polling, Congress is more polarized today than in its history. There are fewer moderate members, and members are much more ideologically opposed to one another than ever before. While this has followed the course that all American politics has followed in the past decade, it creates new obstacles as Congress tries to continue to perform its duties. Primarily, this creates issues when legislation is being debated and passed, as each side is less willing to give concessions to the other, as neither wants to lose the seemingly ideological battle that it entails. As the legislative branch is shaken up every two years, it will be interesting to see how the highly opposed two chambers end up, alongside the presidential election in November.

For more election coverage, check out PoliticAll's other blogs!

https://politicall.com/en/blogs/how-presidential-elections-work/

https://politicall.com/en/blogs/history-of-the-democratic-and-republican-parties/

Images:

https://carbonherald.com/carbon-capture-bills-gain-popularity-in-congress-this-year/

https://loc.getarchive.net/media/congress-attests-election-result-at-a-joint-session-of-the-house-and-senate

https://www.flickr.com/photos/casajump/14157926731

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Home_of_the_US_Congress.jpg

What does the Legislative Branch do?

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