House of Representatives
Since, as mentioned above, Congress is bicameral, it makes sense to consider the role of each of the chambers separately. The House of Representatives includes legislators from all 50 states following congressional districts, the number of which directly depends on the number of people in the land. Thus, each US state has at least one representative in the lower house of Congress. This fact in itself is a merit of the US legal system, as it ensures that every state has an impact on the parliamentary process (Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d.a). Residents can hope that the interests of their land will be reflected in the highest legislative body of the country.
However, there is an inequality in the distribution of the number of deputies based on the census of each state. Thus, the state with the most significant amount of inhabitants receives the largest number of representatives. In contrast, such remote and sparsely populated places as, for example, Alaska, can receive only one congressman. Moreover, given a large number of members, it is much more difficult for one delegate to promote the interests of the home state (Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d.a). Thus, the very idea of representation is undoubtedly positive, but in reality, there is a massive disparity between the number of voting people from different states. This fact complicates the promotion and representation of the interests of its staff, which in some way raises questions about the effectiveness of the representation system as such.
The House of Representatives has a wide range of powers granted by the Constitution. The nature of the processes taking place in the lower house of the Congress was formed under the influence of the factions existing in it (Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d.a). The party with the biggest number of representatives plays a significant role in the House of Representatives. Since leaders represent their party, they also have a substantial influence on all the processes. Typically, leaders are those individuals who have actively shown their ambitions from the very beginning of a career, and also, in the process, have secured necessary personal connections (Rubin, 2019). It should be noted that the oldest members with a large number of associations have the most considerable influence and the highest probability of becoming leaders.
Such an approach, on the one hand, provides party leaders with the most experienced members who are sharp in politics and have a long service life for the good of the state. This factor, of course, is purely decisive, since it ensures the competence of people holding such high posts. However, in reality, the age and the number of connections may be completely unrelated to the experience and understanding of politics. As in many other areas of activity at present, the oldest members of the system are far from always being the most efficient employees. At the moment, the world is rapidly changing, and, accordingly, approaches to politics must change. However, under the leadership of old leaders who hold in place thanks to their connections, this can be difficult.
Nevertheless, this drawback is insignificant, since conversations about personalities are strictly theoretical and depend on each specific case. Summarizing the view on the House of Representatives, it is worth noting that the existing system has several disadvantages that can significantly affect the effectiveness of the state. However, at the same time, the lower house of Congress is efficient in its work due to the abundance of various committees and the properly laid foundations of its structure.
Senate
The Upper House of Congress, like the House of Representatives, is an elected body of 100 senators. Unlike the lower chamber, the Senate has a much more balanced system for selecting its members. While the composition of the representatives of the lower house varies, although it is limited by the upper bar of 435 members, a much more transparent and strict selection is made in the Senate. 100 senators include two legislators from each state, regardless of the population of these regions (Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d.b). Accordingly, such a system is much fairer, since each state is represented in equal numbers and everyone is in identical conditions. This is partly due to the original purpose of creating the Senate as such since its role is to verify the popularly elected House of Representatives (Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d.b). However, the question of whether such an approach is practical requires further consideration.
The main potential problem is the fact that although pairs of senators come from the same region, this does not mean at all that they will work together on the interests of the represented state. Moreover, members of one delegation can belong to different political parties, which will only increase competition between them. Given the level of competition between politicians, this problem could be a severe obstacle to the work of the Senate. However, studies show that senators from the same state prefer to cooperate (Gross & Kirkland, 2018). The highest likelihood of teamwork was found when resolving issues related to transport and agriculture. Slightly fewer senators collaborate on joint projects, especially those affecting the financial sector. Thus, senators from one state strive to create dualistic partnerships, mutually promoting the interests of their land. This fact allows us to recognize the system used in the Senate as efficient and productive.
As in the House of Representatives, party leaders, especially those with a majority, have a significant influence on the Senate. However, in addition to these leaders, there is another crucial figure in the Senate – the President of the Senate. This post is not elective, as it is held by the vice president of the United States, but it is precisely this fact that casts doubt on their appointment (Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d.b). The President of the Senate has the right to vote; however, he or she can use it only in rare cases of a tie. However, this possibility leads to the emergence of a somewhat chaotic force.
Theoretically, the decision of the President of the Senate will depend on their membership in a particular party. If they are associated with the majority of the party, they will vote in its favor. However, studies show that for parties, the vice president is a much less reliable vote source than regular senators (Lynch et al., 2018). The main reason for this is the lack of any responsibility or accountability of the vice president to the party. Consequently, this topic becomes a question of trust, whether the vice president will be an agent of the majority or not. However, the lack of faith not only robs the party of the vice president’s voice but also affects the entire chamber. Since the vice president has an insufficient level of responsibility, their presence leads to the absence of a centralized force that could unite the Senate (Lynch et al., 2018). Instead, the Senate is deprived of centralized power and, because of this, functions less efficiently than it could.
Summing up the analysis of the US Congress, it can be noted that each of the chambers has an impact on the efficiency of the entire government system. At the same time, both the lower and the upper houses of Congress have a set of certain shortcomings. The representative system of the lower house is doubtful because of its imbalance, and the figure of the President of the Senate is a decentralizing force in the upper house. However, each chamber has its advantages, for example, the strict organization of senators by the state in the Senate. Thus, each of the committees is critically important for the entire US administration system. However, there are significant shortcomings in them that need to be corrected to achieve the most efficient work.
References
Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.a). House of Representatives. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Web.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.b). United States Senate. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Web.
Gross, J. H., & Kirkland, J. H. (2018). Rivals or allies? A multilevel analysis of cosponsorship within state delegations in the U.S. Senate. Congress & the Presidency, 46(2), 1–31. Web.
Lynch, M., Madonna, A., Owens, M., & Williamson, R. D. (2018). The vice president in the U.S. Senate: Examining the consequences of institutional design. Congress & the Presidency, 45(2), 145–165. Web.
Rubin, R. B. (2019). Book review [Review of the book Choosing the leader: Leadership elections in the US House of Representatives, by M. N. Green & D. B. Harris]. The Forum, 17(2), 375-377. Web.