William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

376 Chapter 11 | Congress

replace the lottery program for legal immigration and family-based immigration with a

merit-based system. Trump’s proposal would also extend legal status and create a path to

citizenship for the 1.8 million Dreamers, including those eligible for the program who did

not sign up. Critics on the far right, such as Senator Ted Cruz, called it amnesty for illegal

immigrants, while those on the far left called for a “clean bill” that addressed only the

Dreamers. The “Common Sense Caucus” offered a bipartisan compromise that provided

funding for the wall, the DACA fix, and some changes to family-based immigration, but

this was rejected by the president.

On a basic level, this appears to be an example of congressional incompetence and

dysfunction. How could a policy with such broad support and positive consequences

for the economy not be passed? But it is not unusual for congressional leaders to use a

consensual policy (DACA) to help pass more controversial legislation (building the wall

with Mexico). Some would argue that it is an essential feature of the legislative process.

The essential nature of conflict and compromise in the legislative process is not very

well understood by the general public. Americans often view the type of wheeling and

dealing that is necessary to reach compromises as improper and wonder why there is

so much conflict. A typical sentiment is, “Why does there have to be so much partisan

bickering? Can’t they just implement the best solutions to our problems?”

In this chapter, we argue that Congress members’ behavior is driven by their

desire to respond to constituent interests (and the closely related goal of reelection)

and constrained by the institutional structures within which they operate (such as

the committee system, parties, and leadership). At the same time, members try to

be responsible for broader national interests, which are often at odds with their

constituents’ interests and, consequently, the goal of reelection.

This tension between being responsible and responsive is a source of conflict

and requires members of Congress to make tough decisions, often involving political

trade-offs and compromises. Should a House member vote for dairy price supports

for her local farmers even if it means higher milk prices for families around the nation?

Should a senator vote to subsidize the production of tobacco, the biggest cash crop

in his state, despite the tremendous health costs it imposes on millions of Americans?

Should a member vote to close a military base, as requested by the Pentagon, even if

it means the loss of thousands of jobs back home? These are difficult questions. On a

complex issue, such as immigration, there is no obvious “responsible” solution and fair-

minded people can disagree. These disagreements take on a partisan edge, as most

Republicans favor building a stronger border with more limits on legal immigration

while most Democrats do not, which obviously leads to conflict. Why is it so hard for

Congress to compromise on issues that appear to be consensual, like protecting the

Dreamers? How can members of Congress best serve the collective interests of the

nation while also representing their local constituents?

Congress and the People

Congress and the Constitution

Congress was the “first branch” in the early decades of our nation’s history. The

Constitution specified for Congress a vast array of enumerated powers, including

regulating commerce, coining money, raising and supporting armies, creating the

courts, establishing post offices and roads, declaring war, and levying taxes (see Article I,

EXPLAIN HOW MEMBERS OF

CONGRESS REPRESENT THEIR

CONSTITUENTS AND HOW

ELECTIONS HOLD MEMBERS

ACCOUNTABLE

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