Congress and Its Members

Roger H. Davidson, Walter J. Oleszek, Frances E. Lee, Eric Schickler, James M. Curry

• Publisher: CQ Press
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN:
  9781071981931
• Edition: 20
• eBook ISBN:
  9781071981955
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Congress and Its Members has been the gold standard for Congress courses for thirty years. Now in its 20th edition, the book offers comprehensive and current coverage of the U.S. Congress and the legislative process by examining the tension between Congress as a lawmaking institution and as a collection of politicians constantly seeking re-election.

The 20th Edition covers the outcomes of the 2024 election and subsequent changes in congressional organization and leadership. Updated coverage looks at how Congress operates in today?s polarized context, including recent procedural changes, policy debates, and interbranch dynamics, as well as a breakdown of data on the members of the new Congress.
 
Always balancing great scholarship with currency, the book features lively case material along with relevant data, charts, maps, and photos.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Acknowledgements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Brief Contents
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• Chapter 1 The Two Congresses
• Chapter 2 Evolution of the Modern Congress
• Chapter 3 Going For It: Recruitment and Candidacy
• Chapter 4 Making It: The Electoral Game
• Chapter 5 Being There: Hill Styles and Home Styles
• Chapter 6 Leaders and Parties in Congress
• Chapter 7 Committees: Workshops of Congress
• Chapter 8 Congressional Rules and Procedures
• Chapter 9 Decision Making in Congress
• Chapter 10 Congress and the President
• Chapter 11 Congress and the Bureaucracy
• Chapter 12 Congress and the Courts
• Chapter 13 Congress and Organized Interests
• Chapter 14 Congress, Budgets, and Domestic Policymaking
• Chapter 15 Congress and National Security Policies
• Chapter 16 The Two Congresses and the American People
• Appendix A
• Appendix B – Internships: Getting Experience on Capitol Hill
• Title
• Index