Ahmed Mourad (Cairo)
For nearly two and a half centuries, the US Congress has constituted one of the most important and strongest legislative authorities in the world, and it is described as “the master of American politics” due to its important and multiple roles in the system of government.. How was it established?, How are its members elected?, And what about its powers and powers? .
249 years old
Two years before the United States of America gained its independence from the British crown, the first American Congress was established during the year 1774, and it was known as the “Congress of Revolution and Resistance.” The first elections for the US House of Representatives took place.
The establishment of the Congress came in accordance with Article 1 of the US Constitution, as it represents the legislative authority in the democratic system of government, and the authority consists of two chambers: the first is the House of Representatives, and the second is the Senate.
Congress is located in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., where members of the House of Representatives and Senate meet to hold sessions and other political activities.
And at a time when the American president is elected through the Electoral College, and not by the people directly, Congress is the only authority elected directly by the people, unlike other authorities.
435 members of the “Representatives”
The US House of Representatives consists of 435 members representing electoral districts in all states that are divided into 435 congressional districts, and each district elects one representative to represent it in the House of Representatives for a period of two years only, as the House operates in a two-year cycle system.
California is the most representative state in the US House of Representatives, with 53 deputies, as it is the largest state in terms of population, and every candidate for membership in the House of Representatives is required to be a US citizen for at least 7 years, and reside in the state in which the constituency in which he is running is located. He is obligated not to exercise any public position in the civil service or the army during his membership period, and the council elects its leader or president
Powers and authorities
Article 1 of the US Constitution defines the functions, powers, and powers of Congress, including the enactment of laws whose subject matter is taxes, and the participation of the president in appointing senior officials and judges, and he has the right to object to appointments.
The powers of Congress also include amending the Constitution, raising public money, providing it and supervising its proper expenditure, impeaching, impeaching and impeaching federal officers, including the president himself, and ratifying treaties negotiated by the executive branch.
In terms of making laws, when a majority of the House and Senate agree that a bill becomes law, it is signed and sent to the President, and the President may sign the Congress Act into law, or he can veto it, and Congress can then override the President’s veto or veto by a vote Two-thirds of each of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and at that time the bill becomes a law that is adopted without the approval of the president, as then the president has no power.
The US House of Representatives has the right to vote on the budget of the federal government, and to bring charges to isolate the country’s president and Supreme Court judges, in addition to the right to issue bills to increase imports, and to choose a president in cases where one of the presidential candidates does not obtain a majority, and in this case the representative of each state has one vote. .
The House of Representatives and the Senate approve most of the bills by unanimous consent or by suspending provisions, and these are the two fastest methods in the process of legislation in draft laws about which there is no dispute. As for those that are in dispute, the House of Representatives considers them according to the controls set by the Regulations and Rules Committee.
100 members of the “Sheikhs”
The Senate consists of 100 members, with an average of two seats per state, and members are elected every 6 years, and the House is subject to the majority of one of the two main parties in America, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, when the number of seats in one of them reaches more than 50 seats, and thus controls the House and its decisions, There are US regions that do not have representation in the Senate, such as the islands of Guam and the Virgin Islands.
The US Vice President assumes the presidency or leadership of the Senate, and casts his vote if the votes are tied when voting on projects and laws.
race every two years
The midterm elections for the US Congress, “Representatives and Senators”, are held every two years, and are called the midterm elections, because they come in the middle of the president’s four-year term.
These elections are of great importance to the American people because of their great influence on the political agenda and the direction the country is moving towards during the two years following the elections, in addition to being especially important when they do not coincide with the US presidential elections.
Midterm elections are held for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, representing all US states according to their population size, while one-third of the Senate is elected, which equals 35 seats.
The third guy
The person who occupies the position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives is considered the third most important figure in American politics after the President and his Vice President.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives enjoys strong political influence and many powers, and is always the member or head of the party that enjoys the parliamentary majority. In addition to his presidency of the House of Representatives, he is also the leader of the majority in the House.
The powers of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives include setting the legislative agenda for the House, defining the work program, referring bills to the specialized committees, approving procedural issues, putting issues to a vote, and announcing the results of the vote.
The Speaker of Parliament can make or break the president’s agenda, thwart the opposition, lead the largest legislative initiatives of the party to which he belongs, and mobilize his party members behind the party’s agenda.
In the first session of the House of Representatives, it is necessary to vote on the election of the Speaker of the House, and without the presence of a speaker, the House cannot carry out any other task, including the members taking the oath, and voting for the Speaker of the House requires that the candidate obtain the support of the majority of the House of Representatives at a rate of 218 votes.
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives does not participate in the membership of any of the permanent committees of the House, but he has the right to vote on bills and to participate in the discussions of the members.
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