The Patriot Act

1
The Patriot Act

• Passed in 2001
• Fillibustered in 2005

2
Washington Post

• the administration appears to have taken the
  position that the president is entitled to ignore
  a clearly worded criminal law when it proves
  inconvenient in the war on terrorism.
• Does the administration now claim that
  warrantless surveillance of hundreds of people by
  an agency generally barred from domestic spying
  is consistent with FISA? Does it claim that the
  congressional authorization to use military force
  against al Qaeda somehow unties the president's
  hands?

3
Wall Street Journal

• What we really have here is a perfect
  illustration of why America's Founders gave the
  executive branch the largest measure of
  Constitutional authority on national security.
  They recognized that a committee of 535 talking
  heads couldn't be trusted with such grave
  responsibility. There is no evidence that these
  wiretaps violate the law. But there is lots of
  evidence that the Senators are "illegally"
  usurping Presidential power--and endangering the
  country in the process.

4
Wall Street Journal

• key Members of Congress were informed about them
  at least 12 times
• The two district court judges knew about them
• We're glad Mr. Bush and his team are forcefully
  defending their entirely legal and necessary
  authority to wiretap enemies seeking to kill
  innocent Americans.

5

• Patriot Act

Should the National Security Agency be allowed to
intercept telephone conversations between
terrorism suspects in other countries and people
living in the United States?
6
Taxes and Spending Bills

• Tax
• Closed rule
• Appropriation
• Authorization bill
• Entitlement
• What authority does Congress have over the
  raising and spending of money?
• What is the procedure Congress uses to Executive
  agencies and departments?

7
Taxes

• Constitution
• Gives all power of raising money to House of Rep.
• Where in the Constitution does it state the power
  to tax?
• Article I Section 8
• In What Committee does most work on taxes take
  place?
• Ways and Means

8
Ways and Means Committee

• Gives thumbs up or Thumbs down to requests from
  the President
• Sets the rules for taxes
• How much can parents deduct for children living
  at home
• Tax write-off for business building new factories

9
US TAX LAW
10
Closed Rule

• No amendments can be added to tax bill on the
  House Floor
• Only could be amended in Ways and Means
• 1973 this was ended
• Can now be amended anywhere

11
Senate and Taxes

• Article I section 7
• The Senate may proposeamendments
• Senate Committee on Finance
• Chair is extremely powerful
• Charles Grassley
• IA Republican

12
Appropriating Money

• Appropriation the approval of government
  spending
• Article I Sec.9
• No money taken from Treasury unless appropriation
  made by law
• Two Step process

13
Appropriation Process

• Authorization Bill sets up federal program and
  that can be spent
• Appropriations Bill executive dept. requests an
  amount of be appropriated.

14
Uncontrollable Expenditures

• Congress doesnt control all spending
• 70 must be spent by law!
• Often called entitlements
• Social Security
• Medicare
• Other non-entitlement include
• National Debt

15
7.3 Influencing Congress

• Lobbyist
• Lobbying
• How closely should the votes of members of
  Congress reflect the opinions of their
  constituents?
• What factors must a member of Congress consider
  when deciding to support an interest group or the
  president?

16
Influences

• Personality
• Staff members
• Voters
• Political parties
• President
• Interest groups

17
Examples of Influence

• Senator
• Ben Nelson
• Nebraska
• Democrat
• Represents a Conservative state

18
Examples of Influence

• Senator
• Lincoln Chaffee
• Rhode Island
• Republican
• Represents a Liberal state
• s

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(No Transcript)
20
Examples of Influence

• Jack Abramoff
• Lobbyist
• Abramoff arranged for at least 85 Congressmen and
  aides to take trips in the late '90s to the
  Northern Mariana Islands,

21
Examples of Influence

• Abramoff showered members of Congress with
• donations,
• trips,
• gifts, and
• fundraising events
• often as quid pro quo for favorable legislative
  action. At least four dozen lawmakers from both
  parties are documented as having taken actions
  favorable to Abramoff clients around the time
  they received large donations from Abramoff
  and/or his clients.

22
Pork Barrel Spending

• Citizens Against Government Waste

23
Pork SpendingMay 2005

• 295 billion for highway spending
• 256 billion gas tax
• Senate Finance Chairman
• 4 million to build the Principal Riverwalk in
  Des Moines
• 2 million Lake Belva Deer, Sigourney
• 1 million interchange on I-80 Urbandale
• 1 million to buy forty foot buses in Des
  Moines

24
Harry Reid December 2005

• 36 million for his home state
• Energy and Water Appropriations bill
• 17 projects to Nevada
• 1/5 of Renewable Energy Labs budget
• 100 scientists at the national lab in Golden, CO
  will be laid off.