GOVT2305: Congress - Power, Policy, and Your Opportunity

The Functional Role of the Legislative Branch in American Life

Author
Affiliation

Tom Hanna

Houston Community College

Published

October 15, 2025

Introduction: Why Congress Matters to You

The Congressional Mandate: Securing Liberty and Opportunity

  • Congress (Article I) is the source of law and democratic consent.[2]
  • Goal: To secure unalienable rights—Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Opportunity).[2]
  • New Focus: Analyzing how functional power (purse, oversight) directly impacts student economic stability and civic accountability.[4, 5, 24]

The Crisis of Relevance: Congressional Impact on Students

  • Community College Barriers: Costs, housing, childcare, and basic needs security.[4]
  • Federal Policies Affecting You: Financial aid (Pell Grants, FAFSA), Career & Technical Education (CTE) funding, and local community service programs.[5, 35]

Constitutional Foundations: Safeguards of the Republic

House vs. Senate: Purpose and Power

  • House: Designed to be reactive (2-year terms); power to originate revenue and impeach.[1]
  • Senate: Designed for deliberation (6-year terms); power of Advise and Consent (Treaties, Cabinet, Judges).[1]

Checks and Balances: The Intentional Design for Delay

  • The division of power (separation of powers) is a safeguard against tyranny and hasty legislation.[6, 9]
  • Examples: Veto/Override, Confirmation process, Judicial Review.[9]
  • Visual Asset 1: Diagram showing the web of checks and balances. !(checks_balances_diagram.png)

Streamlined Power: Three Functional Categories

  • Consolidation of Enumerated Powers centered on:
    1. Economic Power: Tax, spend, borrow, regulate commerce (Civil Rights Act via Commerce Clause).[1, 11]
    2. National Security: Declare war, raise and support military forces.[1]
    3. Governance: Naturalization/Immigration, establishing courts, necessary and proper clause (Implied Powers).[1, 6]

Functional Power 1: Congress and Your Economic Future (The Power of the Purse)

The Purse as the Engine of Opportunity

  • Congress has the constitutional duty to limit the amount and duration of spending authority.[13]
  • Key Insight: This power is the direct legislative fulfillment of the promise of economic opportunity.[2]

Direct Impact: Education, Aid, and Community Support

  • Funding threats to the Department of Education can delay critical aid delivery (FAFSA, Pell Grants).[5]
  • The “Hand Up”: Federal Work Study (FWS) community service programs reduce student costs while fostering decentralized volunteerism and skill development.[8]

Federalism and the Power of Conditional Spending

  • Congress uses federal funds to impose compliance standards on states and universities.[14]
  • Examples: Mandating military recruiter access on campuses. This circumvents the 10th Amendment’s anti-commandeering principle by using funding conditions.[14, 15]

Functional Power 2: The Legislative Maze and Committee Control

The Process: Why Lawmaking Is So Difficult

  • Lawmaking is intentionally difficult to prevent simple majority tyranny.[6]
  • Formal steps: Introduction, Committee Action, Floor Action, Conference, Presidential Action.[21]
  • Visual Asset 2: Complex flow chart emphasizing the high failure rate and bottlenecks in the process.[20] !(legislative_maze_flowchart.png)

The Essential Role of Committees

  • Committees provide expertise, necessary for tackling complex technical issues.[22]
  • High-Impact Committees: Ways & Means (Tax/Social Security); Appropriations (Funding distribution); Rules (Procedural gatekeeper).[1]
  • Conference Committees: Reconcile differences between House and Senate versions.[1]

Functional Power 3: Oversight and Accountability

The Investigative Authority

  • Oversight is the “check” on the executive branch, used to expose fraud, inform the public, and write better legislation.[1, 23]
  • Power of Inquiry: Includes subpoena power and the ability to compel witnesses (upheld by the Supreme Court).[23]

Case Studies in Constitutional Safeguards

  • Historical Examples: Watergate and the Church Committee (investigating intelligence abuses, protecting civil liberties).[23, 24]
  • The War Powers Resolution (1973): Congress’s legislative response to executive military overreach, attempting to assert its constitutional authority.[25]

The Modern Congress: Challenges to Trust and Function

Representation: The Problem of Gerrymandering

  • Partisan gerrymandering distorts representation, maximizing one party’s advantage.[26]
  • Consequence: Reduced accountability, increased ideological polarization, leading to gridlock.[26]
  • Visual Asset 3: Comparison of neutral vs. partisan district mapping.[26] !(gerrymandering_example.png)

Ethics and Campaign Finance

  • The Debate: The tension between limiting large donations (seen as “corrupting influence”) and protecting free speech rights.[27, 28]
  • Challenges: Political funding frequently circumvents regulatory limits, eroding public trust.[27]

The Budgetary Labyrinth and Gridlock

  • The official Fiscal Year timeline (October 1) is rarely met due to political polarization.[29, 30]
  • Failure to Pass: Congress relies on temporary Continuing Resolutions (CRs) instead of regular appropriations bills.[31]
  • Impact: This fiscal instability hinders long-term federal planning and affects the timely delivery of student aid.[13]
  • Visual Asset 4: Federal Budget Timeline (Theory vs. Reality).[29, 32] !(budget_timeline_gridlock.png)

Conclusion: Your Role as an Active Citizen

Beyond the Ballot Box

  • Civic learning must involve action: critical thinking, local debate, and community participation.[7]
  • Defending Freedoms: Understanding and preparing to defend Constitutional freedoms is essential for maintaining a free democratic society.[7]
  • Call to Action: Engage in local political life, understand how Congress funds your community (libraries, education), and hold representatives accountable for securing opportunity.[8, 19]

Chapter 11: Congress - Exam Review Questions

    - What is Congress?
    - What are the roles of Congress?
    - What are the powers of Congress?
    - What are the functions of Congress?
    - What are the types of Congress?
    - What are the types of Congressional committees?
    - What are the types of Congressional leadership?
    - What are the issues with Congress?
    - What are the issues with Congressional leadership?
    - What are the issues with Congressional committees?
    - What are the issues with Congressional powers?
    - What are the issues with Congressional functions?
    - What are the issues with Congress?

Authorship and License

Do not submit to Quizlet, Chegg, Coursehero, or other similar commercial websites.

Creative Commons License