Knowra United States Congress United States Congress The bicameral legislature of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It makes federal laws, controls appropriations, and oversees the executive branch.
United States legislative process : The sequence of introduction, committee review, chamber votes, and presidential action through which federal bills become law. It explains how both chambers must act before most bills can reach the president.
Article One of the United States Constitution : The constitutional article that establishes Congress and defines its composition, powers, and procedures. It is the primary constitutional framework for the institution.
Constitutional Convention (United States) : The 1787 gathering in Philadelphia that drafted the United States Constitution. Its delegates designed the national legislature that replaced the Confederation Congress.
United States federal budget : The federal government's annual plan for revenues, spending, and borrowing. Congress authorizes spending and revenue measures that determine budget outcomes.
Committee of the United States Congress : A subgroup of members that reviews legislation, conducts oversight, or investigates matters within its jurisdiction. Committees do much of the detailed review that shapes bills before floor votes.
Bicameralism : A legislative arrangement in which lawmaking authority is divided between two chambers. Congress's two chambers must generally agree on identical legislation.
Great Compromise : The 1787 agreement creating a House apportioned by population and a Senate with equal state representation. It resolved the central dispute over how states would be represented in Congress.
Power of the purse : The authority to raise and allocate public funds, especially through taxation and appropriations. Congress's control over federal funding gives it leverage over executive programs.
United States Senate : The upper chamber of Congress, with two senators from each state serving six-year terms. Its equal state representation and distinct powers make it one half of the legislative system.
Enumerated powers : Powers expressly granted to a government body by a constitution or other foundational law. Congress's listed constitutional powers define much of its federal authority.
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