This document features 8 A*, in-depth essay plans for the Congress section of the US Politics Edexcel A level Politics Course. These essay plans are very detailed and include numerous up-to-date examples to help give this essay plans A* quality, as well as excellent AO3 judgment and evaluation. Th...
ETVT xxxx is the most important factor in how members of
Congress vote
Para 1: Parties
Against
● Party polarisation leads to the political party to which a member of Congress belongs
to becoming an extremely important determinant
● Politicians identify with a party because of their own personal values, and members
of a party tend to vote in the same way
● Party leaders in congress can influence the way in which members of the party
caucus vote
● Party leaders have authority as the recognised leader of that party and so certainly
bring the party together in order to have collective power in Congress
● Party leaders have patronage power, especially in the house in which the house
speaker and minority leader have a strong say in who gets to chair key committees
● Loyalty can be rewarded with greater positions of power
● In recent years partisanship has increased, and thus parties have become more
unified
● Example: For the People Act 2020 passed the House with all but one Democrat in
Congress supporting
● Example: the Respect for Marriage Act passed in 2022 with all democrats voting for it
in the House
● Example: in 2022 in the Senate 83.1% of votes were party unity votes which is the
highest on record - only one Democrat scored less than 90% on unity votes
● Example: Party line voting was the cause of the federal government shutdown in Dec
2018/Jan 2019 in which Democrats and Republicans could not agree on government
spending plans, particularly Trump's request for $4.4bn for border wall funding
● Example: in 2019 on average the 30 House Democrats in Trump districts voted wot
the Democratic caucus on 92.6% of votes
For
● There is a lack of influence on members of Congress to stick with their political party
as there isn’t the threat of deselection
● Party unity is limited by the other pressures on members of Congress and by the
personal ideology of the political
● In many cases there is bipartisan (cross party) support for a bill, where members
from both parties work together
● Example: the CARES Act passed with bipartisan support in 2020
● Example: Biden was able to pass the Burn Pit Act in August 2022 as a result of
bipartisanship in Congress
● Example: Biden passed the IIJA in Nov 2021 due to acquiring bipartisan support from
within Congress
● There are many exceptions where people do not vote with their political party
● Example: Congressman Jim Cooper is a Conservative Democrat yet often votes with
Republicans
, ● Example: Senator Susan Collins is a moderate Republican yet often votes with the
Democrats, for example on same sex marriage legislation
● Example: Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney voted to impeach Trump
Para 2: Constituents
Against
● The US Constitution creates a strong link between voters and members of Congress
● The separation of powers gives a specific mandate to members of Congress distinct
from the President
● Representatives and Senators have to respond to their constituency needs in order
to get re-elected
● House terms are very short, with 1/3 of the House being up for reelection every 2
years, ensuring a constant threat of removal thus making congresspeople
responsible to public need
● Example: Joe Manchin would not vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act unless
provisions were made to support oil and gas industries (key in his state of West
Virginia)
● It is written in the Constitution that members of Congress must be residents of the
State they represent and thus they understand what ‘the folks back home’ are saying
and can hold closer relationships with their constituents
● Members of Congress engage with their constituents by keeping in touch with their
offices by phone and email and local newspapers - hold town hall meetings,
surgeries and appear on local radio phone-in programmes
● Example: NY representatives Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez spoke at an immigration town
hall meeting in New York in July 2019
● Example: 12 Republican representatives of the HOR voted against the Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act in 2017 - they would have seen tax increases in their states
For
● Constituents might be ignored as a result of interest groups and the need for funding
for elections
● Opposing the measures of the other party appears to have become an automatic
reaction for members of Congress
● This suggests that constituency views can become a secondary consideration where
there is a conflict between the two factors
● In many cases, members of congress have voted against the views of their
constituents
● Example: in 2017, Senator Susan Collins voted in favour of the Republican tax
reform bill. This vote was seen as contradicting the preferences of many of her
constituents who were concerned about the bill's potential impact on income
inequality and the federal deficit
● Example: Representative Dan Lipinski has often voted against the views of his
constituents on social issues - for instance, he opposed abortion right hand voted
against the ACA, even though his district leans heavily Democratic and generally
supports progressive policies
● Influence of pressure groups takes precedence to views of constituents
● Example: Heidi Hietkamp was beholden to the NHRAs wishes, as seen in her vote
on background checks, despite the fact that 90% of her constituency has voted in
support of background checks in the polls
, ● Joe Manchin is constantly voting against climate change bills as his state is a big
producer of coal
Para 3: Pressure groups and lobbyists
Against
● Pressure groups exert influence through lobbying politicians and organising publicity
on key votes
● Pressure groups can play a critical role at election time, providing positive or negative
publicity for a candidate
● Pressure groups may provide much needed funding for a politicians campaign with
critics arguing that this is effectively buying policy
● Pressure groups provide accurate, detailed, up-to-date information to the who need it
● Example: American Medical Association - strong lobbying presence in Washington
DC and has been successful in advocating for policies that benefit the medical
profession, such as Medicare reimbursement rates
● Lobbyists provide research and evidence that is specifically designed to support its
cause and often draft examples of what possible legislation could look like
● There are many lobbyists in Washington DC and it is often referred to as the K Street
Corridor
● Example: The American Medical Association (AMA) is a powerful interest group that
represents doctors in the US. In 2021, the AMA lobbied and educated Congress to
pass the American Rescue Plan
● Pressure groups can have former legislators or bureaucrats working for them who
use their expertise and contacts to lobby the institution which they were once part of
● Example: in 2012 a survey found that 54% of people in pressure groups used to work
for Congress
● Suggests they have a lot of influence on members of congress and how they vote as
they have insider contacts and expertise which make them very persuasive and this
provides them with leverage
● Wealth and campaigning abilities provide pressure groups with a lot of power
● Medical corporations are seen to be very influential
● Example: In the 2018 midterm elections pharmaceutical companies donated to 416
of the 435 members elected to the House
● Example: Health sector businesses spent a record $594m in 2019 on lobbying. This
enormous sum was spent mainly on persuading members of Congress to vote in a
certain way, especially in aiming to repeal aspects of Obamacare or successfully
fight off Democrat led efforts to regulate drug prices
For
● Only a minority of pressure groups are successful in achieving goals and
successfully influencing congressional outcomes
● Members of Congress have no obligation to listen to pressure groups or vote in their
favour
● Example: Sarah F. Anzia explained that political science research finds little evidence
that interest groups have influence on politics
● Pressure groups represent a minority view, and if this does not align with the views of
the legislatures, they see minimal change in their favour
● Pressure groups put the interests of a small group before the interests of society as a
whole
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