Chapter 4 Congress Mark A Peterson 2008 Delmar

Chapter 4 Congress Mark A. Peterson © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

U. S. Congress: A Unique Institution • Few other legislatures play such a powerful role when it comes to initiating policy • Accords with the “consensus” model of policy making – Interests must bargain with numerous institutional actors in order to achieve positive outcome on any given issue 2 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

U. S. Congress: A Unique Institution • Lack of competing national (unifying) institutions – Tradition of bureaucratic government ensures Congress retains powerful role in policymaking 3 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

The Changing Face of Congress • Party unity/discipline has changed over time – Generally lower than in majoritarian systems • House started 20 th century as a highly centralized institution – Power gradually decentralizing over time – Up to the 1990 s 4 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

The Fate of Health Care Reform in Congress-1 • National health care reform legislation first introduced (gingerly) by Robert Wagner in 1939 • President Truman made health care reform a priority – Further reform attempts were made in the 1970 s – Most recently, in 1993 -’ 94 5 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

The Fate of Health Care Reform in Congress-1 • Not a single piece of health care reform legislation ever made it to the stage of debate on the floor of the House or Senate 6 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

The Fate of Health Care Reform in Congress-2 • Despite Democratic majorities in mid-20 th century and party leadership commitment to health care reform – Party cohesion in Congress was low throughout the period 7 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

The Fate of Health Care Reform in Congress-2 • Conservative southern Democrats managed to scuttle reform efforts through the mid-1960 s • Next, the American Medical Association (AMA) became an obstacle to reform 8 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

The Fate of Health Care Reform in Congress-2 • Newer groups such as the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) led interest group opposition to health care reform legislation over time 9 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

Presidential Strategy and Health Care Reform • President Clinton waited too long to unveil reform plan – Too close to the midterm elections • Ordering of process also proved faulty – Administration hoped to prevail in the House before moving on to the Senate but this did not work 10 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

Presidential Strategy and Health Care Reform • Lengthy (secretive) process of formulating reform plan gave interest groups time to galvanize members against it • Intensity of opposition generated greater than expected enthusiasm among natural allies 11 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

Chapter 4 Summary • Congress is unique among the legislatures of the world • Structural profile of Congress has changed significantly over time 12 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.

Chapter 4 Summary • Congress has often served as the graveyard of health care reform legislation • Clinton health care reform package died largely as a result of poor legislative strategy 13 © 2008 Delmar Cengage Learning.