The United States Congress

✍ Scribed by Ross M. English

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 188
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This introductory text looks at the workings of the United States Congress, and uses the Republican period of ascendancy, which lasted from 1994 until 2000, as an example of how the Congress works in practice. The book illustrates the basic principles of Congress using contemporary and recent examples, while also drawing attention to the changes that took place in the 1990s. The period of Republican control is absent from many of the standard texts and is of considerable academic interest for a number of reasons, not least the 1994 election, the budget deadlock in 1995 and the Clinton impeachment scandal of 1999. The book traces the origin and development of the United States Congress, before looking in depth at the role of representatives and senators, the committee system, parties in Congress, and the relationship between Congress and the President, the media and interest groups.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 8
List of tables and boxes......Page 9
Preface......Page 10
1 Origins and development of Congress......Page 12
2 Congressional elections......Page 27
3 Representatives and Senators......Page 50
4 The committee system......Page 72
5 Parties in Congress......Page 98
6 Floor deliberations and beyond......Page 116
7 President and Congress......Page 131
8 Congress, the media and interest groups......Page 154
9 Assessing the US Congress......Page 171
Select bibliography......Page 181
Index......Page 184