The Congress of the USA at work

1. Organisation of the Congress Article I, Section 1, of the United States Constitution, provides that: All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate, the smaller of the two chambers, is composed of two members for each state as provided by the Constitution. Membership in the House is based on population and its size is therefore not …

…that the Congress would concern itself largely with external affairs, leaving domestic matters to state and local governments. These views were clearly wide of the mark. The Congress has proved to be exceedingly active, with broad powers and authority in all matters of national concern. While its strength vis-a-vis the executive branch has waxed and waned at different periods of American history, the Congress has never been impotent or a rubber stamp for presidential decisions.