To what extent are the two chamber of congress equal in power?
The two chambers do have some concurrent powers. Concurrent powers are those that are held by both chambers of congress. The two houses are equal in the passage of legislation. All bills must pass through all stages in both houses; neither house can override the wishes of the other. Both must agree the same version of the bill before that bill can be sent to the president for his signature. Both houses must vote by a two-thirds majority to override a president’s veto of a bill. In 2007, congress overrode president bush’s veto of the Water Resources Development Bill. The vote in the House was 381-40 and the vote in the senate was 81-12. The two houses are also equal in power when it comes to initiating constitutional amendments, an amendment must be approved by a two thirds majority in both houses before it can be sent to the states for their ratification. Both houses must concur in a declaration of war. This has occurred on only 5 occasions, the last one being in 1941, when America declared war on Japan in the Second World War. Lastly the 25th amendment gave to both houses the power to confirm a newly appointed vice president, this has occurred in 1973 and in 1974. Furthermore when the republicans take control of the senate in January 2015, both houses will be controlled by the republicans, meaning the differences in houses will be less relevant, as agreement between both houses will be much easier. It is also worth mentioning that members of both houses receive the same salaries, in January 2012, it was $174,000. However due to the more influence Senators have they are more likely to receive sponsoring from interest groups.
With regards to the power of impeachment the senate has the power to try that case of impeachment. In December 2010, Judge Thomas Porteous was found guilty by the Senate on four counts, but the Senate acquitted President Clinton in 1999. Not only do the senate have a slightly higher influence in the concurrent powers but is generally seen as the more powerful house of the two due to their exclusive powers being more prestigious than that of the House. Two of them in particular give the senate more power than the house. Firth the senate along has the power to confirm by simple majority many appointments made by the president. These include all the president’s appointments to the judiciary and many of the appointment to the executive branch. In 2013 when secretary of state Hillary Clinton resigned, President Obama had to gain the approval of the senate to appoint John Kerry to replace her. The senate voted 94-3 to appoint him. This power is significant in giving the senate more power as it allows them to confirm the people who would be more beneficial to them, i.e. someone who agrees with the views of the party that controls the senate.
The second significant exclusive power of the senate is to ratify by a two thirds majority all treaties negotiated by the president. This means that the president needs to keep the Senate informed throughout treaty negotiations, to avoid concluding treaties that the senate is unlikely to ratify. In December 2010, the senate voted by 71 votes to 26 to ratify the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty negotiated by president Obama. However this may not be a true indication of the Senates power with regards to treaties as the senate was at that time and still is until January controlled by the Democrats who hold similar if not the same views as Obama therefore it would not hard for him to gain their support. As of January Obama may find it harder to get his treaties ratified by the Senate.
Suggestions that the house is more prestigious than the Senate are substantiated by the fact that Congressmen seek to be Senators, in 2013 there were 50 former House members in the Senate but no ex- senators in the house. There are various reason why Senators are seen to be more powerful than Congressmen other than the exclusive powers of the house. Firstly whilst Congressmen only represent a congressional district, senators represent an entire state. For example Adam Schiff represents only the 28th congressional district of California, but Senator Dianne Feinstein represents the entire state of California. Senators also enjoy a 6-year term in the Senate whilst congressmen have only a 2 year term in the house. This means that House member can only really push forward populist policy rather than pursuing what they really want to achieve as they have the constant challenge of re-election. One other power that the Senate have that gives them slightly more power, is the ability to filibuster, which is the power to delay, this gives senators greater power in the legislative process.