Power within the United States congress - Essay Example

Power within the United s Congress Power within the United s Congress What is the Issue? The US government is divided into three branches and this help in the establishment of a power balance. There is a common misconception among the members of the public that the president has power over the congress. However, it is imperative to bear in mind that the congress closely watches the president’s actions and decisions. The president as well has a way of checking the congress. The congress checks the president through a majority vote.

On the other hand, the president maintains control over the congress through the vetoing process. This has resulted into to a conflict in the balance of power between the two parties (Denhardt et al., 2013). In contrast to popular belief, the Congress and presidents have always been at loggerheads. This is because on numerous occasions the Senate, House of Representatives are controlled by different parties. Over the years, the Democrats have had a considerable advantage over the Republic with regards to this control.

Strategies to ‘Fix’ the Issues The above section clearly shows there are serious issues relating to the balance of power between the Congress and the Office of the President. There should be a clear definition of duties to minimize conflicts between the president and the congress (Denhardt et al., 2013). Secondly, they should meet on a regular basis to ensure that they are on the same page with regards to public policy as well legislation. Thirdly, there should be effective communication between the two parties to minimize conflict.

Finally, the parties should work towards achieving the greatest benefits for the citizens. Rationale for the strategies The above mentioned strategies can be employed to solve the issues relating to the balance of power (Heady, 2001). To start with, the clear definition of duties means that each of the parties will perform the tasks that they are required to with minimal conflict. Secondly, the regular meetings ensure that the two parties compare their duties and activities on a regular basis.

Thirdly, effective communication ensures that any issues are dealt with on a timely basis (Schickler, 2001). Finally, when both parties work for the greatest benefit of the people there will be fewer conflicts since both work towards achieving similar goals. Break Down of CongressThis entails the composition of the congress based on the political party membership. In the 113th parliament, between 2013 and 2015, there were a total of 100 members in the senate. Fifty four members are from the Democratic Party, Forty five members are from the Republic party and one member is from another party that is classified as others (Denhardt and Catlaw, 2014).

In the House of Representatives the situation was different as the Republicans had the majority (Denhardt et al., 2013). The house had a total of four hundred and thirty five members: 201 Democrats and 234 Republicans. Description of the Organizational Structure and Mission The Congress organizational structure is based on three tenets. First, the structure is determined by the constitution, legislation is signed by the president and endorsed by congress. Legislation is formulated by the Senate and House of Representatives.

Its mission is to formulate legislation on public policy and social issues for the greater good of the citizens (Denhardt et al., 2013). ReferencesDenhardt, R., Denhardt, J., & Blanc, T. (2013). Public administration: An action orientation. Cengage Learning.Denhardt, R., & Catlaw, T. (2014). Theories of public organization. Cengage Learning.Heady, F. (2001). Public administration, a comparative perspective. CRC Press.Schickler, E. (2001). Disjointed pluralism: Institutional innovation and the development of the US Congress.

Princeton University Press.