The three major roles of the United States Congress Essay Example for Free

The three major roles of the United States Congress Essay The congress is the legislation department of the United States Government.   It it is bicameral and is comprised of two chambers, the senate and the house of representatives (English, 2003). The first Article of the constitution sculpts the vital roles of Congress.   The primary role of the United States Congress as the legislative branch of the government is the responsiblity for the process of legislating laws, which is subject for revision and approval.   The congress has jurisdiction over monetary concerns, such as a detailed report on the funds and expenditures of the entire government as well as to impose and collect revenues (Davidson, 2006,).    The financial matters also cover the budget for national defense and the welfare of the populace (English, 2003). The congress plays a vital role in National Defense as well, in this regard, the United States Congress has the authority to manage the military, to set rules for the armed forces to abide by and exclusive power to declare war, contrary to popular notion that the presidents or the head of state is the power (Hamilton, 2004).   A minor yet important and delicate role of the congress is to check the executive branch of the government called congressional oversight, this is the monitoring, supervision and acquiring control of federal agencies by congressional commitees from both chambers if an agency is deemed incapable of functioning properly.   This power has been exercised since the early days of the congress (Baker, 2000). The power of the United States Congress is vast, from financial issues to laws governing the military.   The congress primary role may only revolve around the legislation process, however, its non-legislative roles   gives it power to put its hands on issues several issues which only prove that it is more than a law-making body. References Baker, R.K. (2000). House and Senate, 3rd Etition.   New York:   W.W. Norton. English, R.M. (2003). The United States Congress.   Manchester: Manchester University Press.