Congressional Agencies

Legislative

The legislative branch of government, established in Article I of the Constitution, makes new national laws and modifies existing ones. Under the Constitution this duty is carried out by the Congress, a bicameral body divided into the Senate and House of Representatives. Members of both chambers are directly elected by the people of the state they represent. The House of Representatives has 435 members, with the number representing each state decided according to population size, elected every two years. The Senate is based on equal representation, with each state supplying two of the 100 members, and each has a six-year term.

The founding fathers wanted to check the power of the majority by giving smaller states extra representation, and gave Senators a longer term in office so that they would be less subject to popular pressures.

Congress

Congress has wide-ranging powers including control over federal taxing and spending and the right to coin money or declare war on other countries. Its primary duty is to write, debate and pass bills before they are sent to the president. Money bills can only originate in the House, but both houses need to approve a bill before it can be passed.

Another key task is overseeing the executive branch of government. Congressional committees are tasked with ensuring the government is being run competently and without corruption. To assist in this they can summon senior officials for questioning and demand audits of executive agencies. Congress can also hold hearings on matters of general public concern.

How the president can check the legislature:

• Can veto a bill Congress has passed
• Can call special sessions and force an adjournment when both Houses cannot agree on adjournment
• Can temporarily appoint senior officials without Senate approval when it is in recess
• Congress cannot reduce the president's salary while he or she is in office.

How the judiciary can check the legislature:

• Has the power to declare laws unconstitutional
• Congress cannot reduce a judge's salary while he or she is in office
• Chief justice presides over impeachment trials.

Congressional Agencies

As congressional work has grown and become more complex, Congress has come to rely on the advice and assistance of a large number of auxiliary agencies and a large congressional staff. One of the most important agencies is the Congressional Budget Office, a group of experts in economics and statistics, who aid legislators by providing independent, impartial advice on the president's budget proposals. Another is the Library of Congress, which serves Congress as a research facility, and is also the US national library and home to some of its most precious texts, including copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.