AQA Government and Politics Chapter 13 : Congress (Essay Plans)
Updated 2023/2024
This Resource includes 11 9-Mark Question Plans and 2 25-Mark Question Plans collectively for the ‘Congress' topic - also including a list of key definitions alongside a specification checklist (+ topics that ...
Congress – Federal legislature of the USA
House of Representatives – Lower House of Congress – 435
Congress(wo)men are elected for 2-year terms to represent
congressional districts
Senate – Upper House of Congress – 100 Senators serve 6-
year terms, and each state has two senators
Oversight – Process where Congress oversees and scrutinises
the activities of federal government – an important check
Committee System – System of different types of Committees
used by Congress to divide up the workload (Standing
Committees, Select Committees, House Rules Committees,
and Conference Committees)
“Explain and Analyse three ways that Congress can check
the power of the Executive Branch”
,Overturn a Presidential Veto
- January 1st 2021 = Trump’s veto of the annual defence spending bill was
overridden by 81-13 in Congress despite having a Republican majority
- TISB this provides an element of ‘balance’ between the law-making
branches of government, as well as ensuring that acts with popular
support do not get repealed at the discretion of the president only – thus
serving as a significant check on the power of the President
‘Nuclear’ Option of Impeachment
- Trump was impeached twice in 2017 and 2019, for ‘high crimes and
misdemeanours’ as well as for facilitating the storming of the US Capitol
on January 6th 2021 and encouraging his supporters to “fight like hell”
respectively
- Concept of Impeachments = less significant, only three presidents have
ever been impeached (Johnson, Clinton, and Trump) and none of which
got convicted
- Yet threat of Impeachment = more significant, large media attention and
the consequential negative publicity serves as a check on the power of the
President
E.g., Nixon resigned in 1974 after threats of impeachment following
the Watergate Scandal
Reject, Amend, or Delay Legislation
- After the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting Obama
proposed stricter gun control legislation, yet Congress (divided at the
time) rejected it by 60-40
- TISB this demonstrates how a divided government with a subsequent
lack of unanimous agreement is able to serve as a check on the power of
the President
Yet this isn’t always the case as opposition can come from within –
e.g., Joe Biden’s 2022 Build Back Better Bill was forced to be amended
due to opposition and criticism from fellow Democrat Joe Manchin –
eventually being passed instead as the Inflation Reduction Act 2022
“Explain and Analyse three ways that the Power of the
Purse may be significant in US Politics”
, Encourages Compromise between the Executive and the
Legislature over the Budget
- April 2017 = Trump removed funding for a border wall for the US-
Mexican border from his budget in order to prevent a Government
Shutdown
- Less significant – although this seems to be an effective check on the
president at face value, Trump eventually declared a national emergency
in February 2019 to secure funding for his border wall instead, thus
finding a way around this check and demonstrating the limitations of this
power
Significance of Government Shutdowns caused by Power of the
Purse
- A 35-day Government Shutdown occurred between Dec 2018 - Jan 2019
due to disagreements over a budget for Trump’s border wall
- TISB Government Shutdowns are more likely during periods of divided
government, but can still happen during periods of unified government as
the separation of powers means that Congress are able to defy the will of
the president regardless – such as Republican Senator Rand Paul’s
filibuster causing two minor shutdowns in 2018 despite the Republicans
holding both houses of Congress as well as the Presidency
Passing the Annual Budget
- Presidents can prepare the annual budget yet only Congress has the power
to pass it – February 2020 = Trump’s budget for the coming year took
government spending to $4.8 trillion, even before COVID-19
- TISB this also serves as a check on the president’s power as Congress are
able to reject the budget at their discretion – e.g., Obama’s 2016 budget
was largely rejected by the Republican-controlled Congress
“Explain and Analyse three powers of Congress”
Overturn a Presidential Veto
- January 1st 2021 = Trump’s veto of the annual defence spending bill was
overridden by 81-13 in Congress despite having a Republican majority
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