The United States follows a federal system of government, which is bicameral. Bicameral means the entire government is divided into two bodies – the upper body called the Senate and the lower body called the House of Representatives. Both the houses or bodies are housed in Washington DC, in the US Capitol.
The US congress comprises 535 members, of which 100 are senators, and the rest 435 are house representatives. The Congress party has a two-year term, after which elections are held on Election Day, where every citizen has the right to vote for their desired candidate.
Overview of the US Congress
The two bodies of congress – the House of Representatives and Senate are considered the equal partners of the congress committee, which are responsible for making the right legislative decisions. Any bill or law connoted bypassed without consent from members of both these Houses. Each member in both houses is granted some powers in the constitution. For instance, The Senate is responsible for approving presidential appointments, and the House is responsible for raising revenue bills and other activities.
Currently, the 117th congress is in progress, which will end on 3rd January 2023. The members of the Senate is called senator, and the members of the House are called congressmen or congresswomen or the members of the House of representatives. One of the primary responsibilities of the House is to initiate the impeachment of cases and the House, on the decision, considers the impeachments.
Congress is considered the driving force of the American government, whose main aim is to provide freedom to its citizens and lend them an ear to solve all their problems. It is also considered the soul and heart of the democratic United States, which will help in delivering extraordinary public services to people.
Role of the US Congress
Most of the US Congress’s powers are mentioned in article one of the constitution in section eight. Congress has many different powers, some of which include:
- Laying down taxes and bills
- The general welfare of the people of the United States
- Collection of taxes and imposition of excises
- National defense and the decision of whether or not to impose war
- The respective members of congress can issue patents
- Fix standards for measurement for the entire world to follow
- Execute foreign powers and interfere with decisions regarding the supreme court.
- Checks and balances all the different whereabouts in the nation
- Oversees all the constitutional responsibilities
- Enumeration of powers, laws, and other amendments by the constitutional governments
- Taking care of all foreign affairs and making the right decisions regarding their implementation.
- Mend constitutional laws according to the needs of people and ensure their proper delivery in the country