Anaya Nolan
The United States Congress, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate, is the law-making branch of the federal government. Congress has the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, confirm or reject presidential appointments, and hold investigative powers. A bill, which is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one, can be introduced by a sitting member of Congress or proposed during an election campaign. It can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups. Once introduced, a bill is assigned to a committee, which researches, discusses, and makes changes to it. If a bill passes one body of Congress, it goes through a similar process in the other body. After both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must reconcile any differences before voting on the same version, which, if passed, is presented to the President for approval. The President can approve the bill, veto it, or do nothing, which is called a pocket veto. In most cases, Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who can create laws? | Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate |
| Who can propose a bill? | A sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, during their election campaign, or people or citizen groups who petition their representative |
| What is a bill? | A proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law |
| What happens after a bill is introduced? | It is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill |
| What happens if a bill passes one body of Congress? | It goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting |
| What happens if a bill passes both bodies of Congress? | Both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president |
| What can the president do when presented with a bill? | The president can approve the bill and sign it into law, or refuse to approve it (veto it) |
| What happens if the president vetoes a bill? | In most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law |
| What is a pocket veto? | If the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default (this cannot be overridden by Congress) |
| What is the role of Congress in presidential elections? | If no candidate receives a majority of the total electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the President from among the three candidates having the largest number of electoral votes |
| What is the role of Congress in vice-presidential appointments? | The Senate chooses the Vice President from the two candidates having the largest number of votes for that office |
| What is the role of Congress in impeachments? | The House of Representatives presents the charges, and the Senate sits as a court to try the impeachment |
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What You'll Learn
Bills can be proposed by citizens or citizen groups
Bills are proposals for a new law or a change to an existing law. While bills are typically proposed by sitting members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or during their election campaigns, they can also be proposed by citizens or citizen groups. This is done by petitioning a bill to a member of Congress that represents them. The right to petition is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.
If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.
The president then considers the bill. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law. Or the president can refuse to approve a bill. This is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law. However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This action is called a pocket veto, and it cannot be overridden by Congress.
It is important to note that while citizens and citizen groups can propose bills, the legislative process is up to Congress and the President. The role of citizens and citizen groups is to bring attention to issues and propose solutions through the creation of bills, but the decision-making power lies with the elected officials.
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The President can veto a bill
Congress is the law-making branch of the federal government of the United States. It is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, with all legislative power vested in Congress, meaning that it is the only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing ones. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.
There are two other options that the President may exercise. If Congress is in session and the President takes no action within 10 days, the bill becomes law. If Congress adjourns before 10 days are up and the President takes no action, then the bill dies and Congress may not vote to override. This is called a pocket veto, and if Congress still wants to pass the legislation, they must begin the entire process anew.
The President may also recommend measures for Congress to consider. This is done either by personally addressing a joint session of the two Houses or by sending messages in writing to Congress, or to either body thereof, which are received and referred to the appropriate committees.
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Congress can override a veto
Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill.
If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.
The president can approve the bill and sign it into law. Or the president can refuse to approve a bill. This is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, in most cases, Congress can vote to override that veto and the bill becomes a law.
However, if the president does not sign off on a bill and it remains unsigned when Congress is no longer in session, the bill will be vetoed by default. This action is called a "pocket veto," and it cannot be overridden by Congress. A pocket veto can only occur after a session of Congress has adjourned. If Congress adjourns before the ten days have passed during which the president might have signed the bill, then the bill fails to become law.
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Congress can declare war
Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. The idea for a bill can come from a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives or be proposed during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by people or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them.
Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting. Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president.
However, the interpretation of the Declare War Clause is not always clear-cut. Some argue that deployment as peacekeepers or involvement in low-level hostilities may not require Congress's approval, as it does not rise to the level of "war" in the constitutional sense. There has been debate over whether using force against non-state actors, such as terrorist organizations, falls under the Declare War Clause. Additionally, the scope of presidential use of force that falls within the Declare War Clause is contested. While Congress has the power to declare war, the President generally serves as the nation's voice in foreign affairs.
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Congress confirms Presidential appointments
In the United States, Congress is the federal government's law-making branch. A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law. A bill can be proposed by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives, or during their election campaign. Bills can also be petitioned by citizens or citizen groups who recommend a new or amended law to a member of Congress that represents them. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee whose members will research, discuss, and make changes to the bill. If the bill passes one body of Congress, it goes to the other body to go through a similar process of research, discussion, changes, and voting.
Once both bodies vote to accept a bill, they must work out any differences between the two versions. Then both chambers vote on the same version of the bill. If it passes, they present it to the president. The president can approve the bill and sign it into law or refuse to approve it, which is called a veto. If the president chooses to veto a bill, Congress can usually vote to override that veto, and the bill becomes a law.
In addition to creating laws, Congress also plays a role in confirming presidential appointments. After an election, the president or president-elect begins making decisions on critical Senate-confirmed appointments. The Senate's role in this process officially begins when it receives an official written nomination from the president. The nomination is then sent to the appropriate committee, which will research, discuss, and make changes to the nomination. The nominee will likely face serious scrutiny from the Senate, but most nominees are eventually confirmed. Once reported out from the committee, the nomination may be called up for a vote by the full Senate. To proceed to the nomination, a simple majority of senators present and voting is required. After the Senate has voted, the clerk of the Senate notifies the White House to prepare the presidential commission, which is signed by the president and sent to the State Department for official onboarding.
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