The Three Branches of Government

The Importance Of Committees and Caucauses

 

Almost all of the work that gets done in the senate and the house happens in committees and or caucauses. Membership in committees is ussually based off of seniority or policy areas that intrest members of congress. Certain Committees have more power than others. For example the Appropriations committtee is the budget committee meaning it has alot of power compared to a committee on agriculture which may still have power but its impact on Americans daily lives is relativly small. Senate members tend to be on committees that their constituents have intrests in. This means that a wisconsin congress man or woman would want to be on an agriculture comitttee merely because of wisconsins agriculture heritage. Caucaus membership is based off of quiet the contrary, any one can actually be a member of a caucas as long as you have certain traits or beliefs that are similar to other members of the caucaus. For example if you are african american you will probably be in the black caucaus. Caucauses have power because they ussually vote as a block, this means that if you persuade one or two of the caucaus members and they will more than likley to swing the vote in the rest of the caucaus.