| Is the United States Congress dead, alive, or trapped in a moribund
cycle? When confronted with controversial policy issues, members of
Congress struggle to satisfy conflicting legislative, representative, and
oversight duties. These competing goals, along with the pressure to satisfy
local constituents, cause members of Congress to routinely cede
power on a variety of policies, express regret over their loss of control,
and later return to the habit of delegating their power. This pattern of
institutional ambivalence undermines conventional wisdom about congressional
party resurgence, the power of oversight, and the return of
the so-called imperial presidency.
In Congressional Ambivalence, Jasmine Farrier examines Congress's frequent
delegation of power by analyzing primary source materials such
as bills, committee reports, and the Congressional Record. Farrier demonstrates
that Congress is caught between abdication and ambition and
that this ambivalence affects numerous facets of the legislative process.
Explaining specific instances of post-delegation disorder, including Congress's
use of new bills, obstruction, public criticism, and oversight to salvage
its lost power, Farrier exposes the tensions surrounding Congress's
roles in recent hot-button issues such as base-closing commissions, presidential
trade promotion authority, and responses to the attacks of September
11. She also examines shifting public rhetoric used by members
of Congress as they emphasize, in institutionally self-conscious terms, the
difficulties of balancing their multiple roles. With a deep understanding
of the inner workings of the federal government, Farrier illuminates a
developing trend in the practice of democracy.
Jasmine Farrier, associate professor of political science at the University
of Louisville, is the author of Passing the Buck: Congress, the Budget, and
Deficits.
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