The founding fathers of America thought of creating Congress to be more authoritative. Congress was meant to have some special powers different from those of the president and the Supreme Court. For legislative purposes, Congress was established with two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. This paper seeks to explore the strength, weaknesses, and positive impact of Congress on the American political system.
When it comes to law-making, the two houses must approve a bill before it becomes a law. The powers of the two assemblies are anchored on their constitutional rights to make regulations. However, one weakness of Congress is its limitation in interfering with commerce regulations. Therefore, in the trade between foreign merchants and the United States, Congress cannot safeguard the rights of merchants or standardize goods and services. Nevertheless, Congress has a positive influence on the American political system with unique powers and the status granted to it by the constitution. For example, the discussion of bills concerning tax cuts is handled by the two houses and the executive.
Congress is critical in helping citizens to monitor the performance of an elected president. For instance, only the two aforementioned chambers can impeach a sitting president when he or she acts contrary to the constitution. The House of Representatives has the power to charge the president. Since the elected president belongs to a party, he or she is also represented by the members of the caucus in the House of Senate for hearing. During impeachment, the Senate uses the two-thirds rule where all members are supposed to vote to reach the required number to force the president to vacate the office. Lastly, the Senate has the power to approve treaties between the US and foreign nations through voting, where a threshold of two-thirds majority must be attained for ratification. Therefore, Congress is crucial in tackling tax cuts, monitoring the performance of the president, and approving treaties.
In conclusion, Congress plays a critical role in ensuring the stability of the country. American people express their will through the two houses by electing leaders to represent their wishes and interests. For years, the two chambers have successfully led the United States to higher levels of development by constantly checking the other branches of the government to ensure they work for citizens. The significance of Congress is, therefore, exhibited in its ability to ensure all institutions and federal leaders adhere to the American constitution.