The Pour Over Today - Bonus Episode: 2024 Civics Sips - The Legislative Branch

Episode Date: November 19, 2024

In a special episode of The Pour Over Today, we’re explaining The Legislative Branch of the U.S. government. This is the first episode of our Civics series. Please support our TPO sponsors! Cru: give.cru.org/tpo Upside: https://links.thepourover.org/Upside The Bible Study: https://links.thepourover.org/TheBibleStudy Politics for People Who Hate Politics: https://links.thepourover.org/PoliticsForPeopleWhoHatePolitics Keola Fit: https://links.thepourover.org/KeolaFit_Pod Compelled Podcast: https://links.thepourover.org/Compelled_TomTarrants Nothing Left Unsaid Podcast: https://linktr.ee/tgnlu CCCU: https://www.mycccu.com/tpobonus The Voice of the Martyrs: vom.org/TPO CSB Gift Guide: https://links.thepourover.org/CSBGiftGuide HelloFresh: hellofresh.com/freepourover

In a special episode of The Poor Over Today, we're explaining the legislative branch of the U.S. government. This is the first episode of our civics series. For those who only vaguely remember Schoolhouse Rock, the U.S. government has three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial. Today we're focusing on the legislative branch. The legislative branch, also known as Congress, has two chambers, the Senate, the upper chamber, and the House of Representatives, the lower chamber.

The Senate has 100 members, two per state, giving each state equal say, regardless of size. The House has 435 representatives, which are divvied up based on each state's population every 10 years following a census. More people equal more representation. Senators represent entire states, while House members represent smaller districts, theoretically making the House more closely tuned to local concerns and current public opinion. Next up, the legislative job description.

What is the primary responsibility of the legislative branch? To pass laws. The House and Senate must work together to draft, debate, and pass laws on everything from healthcare to highways. But that's not all it does. Congress controls the power of the purse, approving the federal budget, and ideally making sure taxpayer dollars

are spent responsibly, and has the sole authority to declare war. Congress keeps the other branches in check through hearings, investigations, and if necessary, impeachments. The Senate confirms presidential appointments like cabinet positions and federal judges, including Supreme Court justices. Now let's zoom in.

How does a bill become a law? The bill-to-law journey starts when a bill is introduced in either the Senate or the House. Committees review and amend it before the entire chamber votes yay or nay. If a bill passes one chamber, it moves to the other for another round of approval. Once both chambers give a bill the green light, it's sent to the president, who can sign it into law or veto it. But Congress has the final word.

If they muster a two-thirds majority in both chambers, they can override a veto and make a bill a law. We'll be back with some frequently asked questions after a quick break. combines the full text of My Upmost for His Highest, one of the best-selling devotionals of all time, with a full CSB translation of the Bible, so you can soak in the Word of God and Oswald Chambers' wisdom all at once. It's packed with more than 25 topical articles, commentary from select works

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Let's close with some frequently asked questions about the legislative branch. Why does the US have a two chamber Congress? The founders set up a two chamber Congress known by have a two-chamber Congress? The Founders set up a two-chamber Congress, known by politicos as a bicameral Congress, to balance interests. It seeks to give each American roughly equal representation in the House, giving bigger states a greater say

while ensuring smaller states aren't overlooked or always outvoted in the Senate. How long do members of Congress serve? Senators serve six-year terms with one-third of seats up for reelection every two years, while representatives in the House serve two-year terms. This difference means the House, which must draft all tax bills, is more frequently up for reelection

and hopefully better reflects current public opinion, while the Senate, which is responsible for foreign treaties, can take a longer-term perspective and offer more stability. What is Congress's role in foreign policy? The Senate ratifies treaties, and both chambers play a role in declaring war, approving military funding, and keeping an eye on foreign aid spending.

These powers allow Congress to work alongside the president in shaping foreign policy. That's all we have for today. Thanks for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, give us a five star rating and drop a review. If you're listening on the Apple Podcasts app, give us a 5 star rating and drop a review. If you're listening on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode. We appreciate your support and hope you have a great day. We'll be back tomorrow with the regular news.

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