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Positions in Congress
Remarkably, the United States has a bicameral legislature, which is Congress. It has two chambers, which are Senate and also the House of representatives (Barber 56). Both chambers have different positions that need to be analyzed for a better understanding of the country’s political system.
First and foremost, the president of the Senate is Mike Pence. The president mainly presides the assembly of the Senate, guides and also controls the debates, and ensuring that the Senate functions democratically while ensuring there is an order in the assembly. President Pro Tem is Grassley. Their primary role is acting on behalf of the vice presiding while controlling the vice president. They sign legislation and can give an oath of office to incoming senators. Senate majority leader is Mitch McConnell. They serve as spokespeople for their party’s on specific issues. They mobilize support on their party’s interest during a debate. Together with the minority leader, they fashion agreements that the Senate used to limit time for debate. The minority party leader is Chuck Schumer. They are crucial in addressing the minority’s party issues and negotiating with other parties. The Majority whip is John Thune. They help the floor leader, also ensure that members attend and count votes. The Minority whip is Dick Durbin. The minority whip helps the leader of the minority on the floor, ensures that members of the minority party attend and count votes. My two US Senators in California are Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. Kamala sits on various senate committees such as the budget committee, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Committee on Judiciary, Select Committee on intelligence. Diana sits in the appropriations committee. Rules and administration, judiciary, and lastly, agriculture, nutrition, and forestry (Barber 98). The committees cater to most of the issues affecting the citizens. They can be described as the dockets in the country.
The speaker of the House of Representatives is Nancy Pelosi in California. She is a democrat. The speaker ensures the House passes different laws that have the support of the majority party. They preside over the steering committee of the majority party. And also determine which bill can reach the floor of the House. The majority leader in the House is Steny Hoyer. He is a democrat (Cahill et al. 89). The majority leader’s central role is to represent Republicans mostly on the floor of the House by advancing its goals and objectives. They engage other members in party sentiment. The minority party leader is Kevin McCarthy. He is a Republican. They promote and publicize the agenda of the party. The main role of the minority party leader is to mobilize other members and pressure the main party. Discuss with either the president or their aides on different issues concerning Congress. The majority whip is Jim Clyburn. He is a democrat. The minority whip is Steve Scalise. Both the majority and minority whips mobilize votes in their parties regarding delicate issues. They also work in the place of the party floor leader if they are absent. He is a Republican. My district’s Congressional Representative in the House Doug LaMalfa. It is the California 1st district. He sits on the House Committee on Agriculture and also House Committee on Transportation and infrastructure. The committee on Agriculture focuses on conservation issues and forestry. It also focuses on research, biotechnology, and horticulture (Cahill et al. 78). The other on transportation and infrastructure mainly focuses on railroads, highways, hazardous materials, environment, pipelines, and water resources.
Works Cited
Barber, Michael J. “Representing the preferences of donors, partisans, and voters in the US Senate.” Public Opinion Quarterly 80.S1 (2016): 225-249. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/poq/article-abstract/80/S1/225/2223338
Cahill, Christine, and Walter J. Stone. “Candidates in the upcoming 2018 US House election should communicate consistent and clear policy positions to maximize votes.” USApp-American Politics and Policy Blog (2018). Retrieved from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/91874/