Lesson 45 of 1524
Congress
The two chambers were built to slow each other down, and the rules still do that work.
Practice this chapterApportionment divides the 435 House seats among the states by population. Redistricting draws the lines inside a state. Gerrymandering draws those lines to favor a party or a group.
A trustee votes by independent judgment. A delegate tries to mirror constituents. A politico mixes the two, depending on the issue and how visible it is.
Stopping debate, overriding a veto
Cloture is 3/5 of the Senate. An override is 2/3 of both chambers.
Different supermajorities, for different acts. Do not swap them.
Worked example
A bill has passed the House and the Senate. The president vetoes it. The House then votes 300 to 135 to override. The Senate votes 62 to 38. Does the bill become law?
- 1A veto sends the bill back. It becomes law only if both chambers override.
- 2An override requires two-thirds of each chamber, not the three-fifths used for cloture.
- 3Two-thirds of 435 is 290. The House vote of 300 clears that number.
- 4Two-thirds of 100 is 67, or two-thirds of the senators voting if the denominator is those present and voting. 62 is short of 67. The Senate does not override.
- 5Because one chamber failed, the veto stands.
Result: No. The Senate vote is short of two-thirds.
Why. Both chambers must clear two-thirds. A strong House vote cannot supply the votes the Senate did not cast. Cloture’s 60-vote figure is a different rule and does not override a veto.
The filibuster is a Senate practice. The House does not have the same open-ended debate.
Practice margin
This chapter
A fresh set from this chapter only. Choose 10 or 20. Multiple choice and fill-in, with no repeat inside the set.