The US Congress

The US Congress

The US Congress is divided into two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The two houses are charged with a variety of duties, the most important of which is the creation of legislation (Spitzer, 2015). Its members are directly elected through a constitutionally mandated election. The US Congress has the authority to initiate an impeachment proceeding against the president and to enact revenue bills (Spitzer, 2015). House committees play a significant role in Congress. Its members are divided into specific groups in order to conduct hearings and draft measures to be submitted on the floor of the house. The committees have a special duty of exercising the control that the Congress has on other government departments. Senior government officials including the members of the Cabinet are regularly summoned to by the special committees so as to explain their policies. Besides the development of new laws, the House of Representatives and the Senate also have the power to change the existing laws in order to solve some of the challenges that come with the law (Spitzer, 2015).

The President of the United States

The President of the United State bears all the executive powers. Besides that, the Head of State is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and thus exercises authority over all the actions of the military. The president also plays the duty of enforcing and implementing the rules and the laws that are drafted by the parliament as stated in Article II of the US constitution (Spitzer, 2015). In efforts to exercise his powers, the president appoints the heads of various federal institutions including the Cabinet. The Head of State has the ability to assent the bills discussed in parliament into law and can also veto them in instances that he or she is not in agreement with. The president can extend pardons to those jailed due to various crimes except those of impeachment. The president also represents the citizens of the United States in the international arena through attending the United Nations summit and engaging with other Head of States in order to improve the lives of US Citizens.

Mitch McConnell, a US Senator from Kentucky

Mitch McConnell, a US Senator representing the state of Kentucky, is drawn from the Republican Party. Mitch has served in this position since 1885 and is currently the Senate Majority Leader. He is the second Kentuckian and the 15th Republican to hold the office of the majority leader in the Senate (Boehner, & McConnell, 2014). During President Obama’s regime, Mitch was seen as an obstructionist by the Democrats. While others praised him for his courage and tenacity, others saw him as part of the political formation that wanted to hinder development. Mitch has received various praises for his tactical and strategic political mind. This perception has, however, reduced amongst a number of people since the Republicans refused to pass a substitute to the Affordable Care Act of 2017. In 2016, McConnell’s disapproval of the Obama’s regime was evident when he refused to schedule the Senate hearings for Merrick Garland, Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, who was to replace Justice Antonin Scalia (Boehner, & McConnell, 2014). McConnell’s success in the political career includes his appointment to chair the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2000. In 2004, he also served as the Majority Whip and sponsored the Small Business Liability Reform Act that protected small businesses from extra litigations.

Reference

Boehner, J., & McConnell, M. (2014). Now We Can Get Congress Going. Wall Street Journal.

Spitzer, H. (2015). Constitutional Law I: Structure of Government-A507, Section D.