Eleanor Finch
The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch is outlined in Article I of the Constitution, which is the longest part of the Constitution. This is because the Founding Fathers expected Congress to be the most powerful and most dangerous branch of the government. The legislative branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. Congress is the only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing ones.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Established by | Article I of the Constitution |
| Composition | House of Representatives and the Senate |
| Members | 435 elected members, 6 non-voting members, and 2 Senators from each state |
| Election | Members chosen every second year by the people of the states |
| Powers | Enact legislation, declare war, confirm or reject Presidential appointments, investigative powers, make laws, raise and support armies, exercise exclusive legislation, borrow money, mandate spending, levy taxes and tariffs |
| Limitations | Presidential veto, Supreme Court rulings |
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What You'll Learn
- The legislative branch is the first branch of the US government outlined in the Constitution
- Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate
- Congress is the only branch of government with the power to make new laws
- Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses
- Congress can confirm or reject presidential appointments
The legislative branch is the first branch of the US government outlined in the Constitution
The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers. Congress is also empowered to enact laws deemed "necessary and proper" for the execution of the powers given to any part of the government under the Constitution. Part of Congress's exercise of legislative authority is the establishment of an annual budget for the government. To this end, Congress levies taxes and tariffs to provide funding for essential government services. If enough money cannot be raised to fund the government, then Congress may also authorize borrowing to make up the difference.
The House of Representatives is made up of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, with the number of representatives proportionate to each state's population. Representatives must be at least 25 years old and have been citizens of the United States for at least seven years. The Senate, on the other hand, is organized under the principle of equal state representation, with each state receiving two Senators, serving six-year terms, regardless of its population.
Congress, as one of the three coequal branches of government, is ascribed significant powers by the Constitution. All legislative power in the government is vested in Congress, meaning that it is the only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing laws. While the President may veto bills passed by Congress, Congress may override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate
The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This separation of powers ensures that no individual or group wields too much control. The legislative branch, outlined in Article I of the Constitution, is the first branch mentioned and is considered the most powerful and dangerous.
Congress, the legislative branch, is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the states, with each state's number of representatives proportional to its population. Representatives must be at least 25 years old, have been a US citizen for at least seven years, and be an inhabitant of the state they represent. The House has 435 voting members and 6 non-voting members, the latter representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other US territories. The Speaker of the House, elected by the Representatives, is the presiding officer.
The Senate, on the other hand, is based on equal state representation, with each state receiving two Senators, serving six-year terms. The Senate has 17 committees and 70 subcommittees, while the House has 23 committees and 104 subcommittees. These committees and subcommittees oversee specific policy areas and are subject to change with each new Congress.
Together, the House of Representatives and the Senate form the United States Congress, which has the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war. Congress can confirm or reject Presidential appointments, and it has substantial investigative powers. All legislative power in the government is vested in Congress, meaning it is the only body that can create or change laws. Congress also plays a role in establishing the annual budget, levying taxes, and authorising borrowing if necessary.
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Congress is the only branch of government with the power to make new laws
The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This separation of powers ensures that no individual or group has too much authority. The legislative branch, outlined in Article I of the Constitution, is the first branch mentioned and is considered the most powerful and dangerous branch of government.
Congress, the legislative branch of the US government, is the only branch with the power to make new laws or change existing ones. It is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, with each state receiving proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate, with two Senators each. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation, declare war, confirm or reject Presidential appointments, and exercise investigative powers.
The legislative process begins with the introduction of a bill to Congress, which can be written by anyone but must be introduced by a member of Congress. The bill is then referred to the appropriate committees and subcommittees for review, which oversee specific policy areas. Congress can also mandate spending on specific items, known as "earmarks," and has the power to levy taxes and tariffs to fund essential government services. In addition, Congress can authorize borrowing if sufficient funds cannot be raised through taxation.
While the President can veto legislation passed by Congress, Congress may override this veto with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This showcases the significant powers vested in Congress by the Constitution, reinforcing its position as the only branch with the authority to create and amend laws.
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Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses
The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This separation of powers ensures that no individual or group will have too much authority. The legislative branch, which is the first branch mentioned in the Constitution, is comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.
Congress is responsible for enacting legislation and has the power to override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses. This means that if a bill has passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but the President vetoes it, Congress can still turn it into law if two-thirds of both chambers vote to override the veto. This ability to override a presidential veto highlights the checks and balances in the US political system, where each branch of government can change the acts of the other branches.
The legislative branch has several other important responsibilities and powers. For example, it has the sole authority to declare war, confirm or reject presidential appointments, and enact an annual budget for the government. Congress can also mandate spending on specific items through legislatively directed spending, or "earmarks." Additionally, both chambers of Congress possess extensive investigative powers, enabling them to compel the production of evidence or testimony as they deem necessary.
The legislative branch, through its power to override presidential vetoes and its various other responsibilities, plays a crucial role in shaping US laws and policies. The system of checks and balances between the three branches of government ensures that the legislative branch operates within a framework that prevents the concentration of power in any single branch.
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Congress can confirm or reject presidential appointments
The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This ensures that no individual or group will have too much power. The legislative branch is made up of Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Congress is the only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing ones. All legislative power in the government is vested in Congress. The Constitution grants Congress the authority to confirm or reject many presidential appointments, including those of heads of federal agencies, federal judges, and the Supreme Court.
The Appointments Clause requires that Ambassadors, public ministers and consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States be appointed by the President, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. This means that the President nominates individuals to these positions, but the appointments are not final until they have been confirmed by the Senate. The Supreme Court has interpreted these requirements as distinguishing between two types of officers: principal officers and inferior officers. Principal officers must be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, while inferior officers can be appointed by the President alone, by the heads of departments, or by the judiciary.
The House of Representatives is made up of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states. Each state shall have a number of representatives proportional to its population. The Senate, on the other hand, is composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the state legislature for six-year terms.
Congress also has the power to enact laws, declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, make rules concerning captures on land and water, raise and support armies, and provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions. It is responsible for establishing the annual budget for the government, levying taxes and tariffs, and authorizing borrowing if necessary. Additionally, Congress has extensive investigative powers and can compel the production of evidence or testimony as needed.
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Frequently asked questions
The legislative branch is outlined in Article I of the Constitution because the Founding Fathers expected Congress to be the most powerful and dangerous branch of the government.
The legislative branch is made up of Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The Constitution grants Congress the power to make laws, enact legislation, declare war, confirm or reject Presidential appointments, and exercise investigative powers. Congress is also responsible for establishing an annual budget, levying taxes, and authorizing borrowing if necessary.
The first step in the legislative process is the introduction of a bill to Congress. After being introduced, a bill is referred to the appropriate committees and subcommittees for review. Each committee oversees a specific policy area. The bill can undergo changes during this process.
