Focusing on the tension between Congress as a lawmaking institution and as a collection of reelection-minded politicians has proven to be a powerful and effective way to understand Congress and the legislative process. Over ten previous editions, thousands of students have benefited from the text’s tightly organized framework, as well as the engaging and vivid narrative that characterizes Congress and Its Members.

Now in its eleventh edition, this classic tackles many of the burning questions that the new Democrat-controlled Congress raises. They include:

• Was the 2006 election a “wave election?” What lessons can the GOP learn from its losses?
• What accounts for the especially negative tone of television advertising in 2006, and what messages did voters send with their ballots?
• What role will Nancy Pelosi play as the first female Speaker of the House, and how will Democrats adjust from twelve years in the minority to being the majority party once again?
• Will the return of divided government signal gridlock between the parties and between Democrats and the White House? Is the stage set for bruising battles over judicial appointments, or will there be bipartisanship on nominees and major policy initiatives?
• Does Democratic control of Congress mean there will be policy changes for the war in Iraq and increased congressional oversight of the Bush administration?
• How will the budgeting process change, and will the Democrats deliver on their pledge to reform ethics on Capitol Hill?
• What new rules will the 110th Congress implement, and how will they affect open deliberation on each party’s priorities?

The new edition will also examine Harry Reid’s new position as majority leader in a tightly divided Senate, the role of moderates in both chambers, the impact of the new House and Senate committee chairs on the policy process, as well as a review of recent trends—partisan polarization, decline of the “regular order,” abuse of the conference committee process, the expansion of presidential power—and their effect on legislative policymaking.

Preface

Part I. In Search of the Two Congresses
1. The Two Congresses
2. Evolution of the Modern Congress

Part II. A Congress of Ambassadors
3. Going for It: Recruitment and Candidacy
4. Making It: The Electoral Game
5. Being There: Hill Styles and Home Styles

Part III. A Deliberative Assembly of One Nation
6. Leaders and Parties in Congress
7. Committees: Workshops of Congress
8. Congressional Rules and Procedures
9. Deliberation in Congress

Part IV. Policy Making and Change in the Two Congresses
10. Congress and the President
11. Congress and the Bureaucracy
12. Congress and the Courts
13. Congress and Organized Interests
14. Congress, Budgets, and Domestic Policymaking
15. Congress and National Security Policies

Part V. Conclusion
16. The Two Congresses and the American People

Reference Materials
Appendix A. Party Control: Presidency, Senate, House, 1901-2007
Appendix B. Internships: Getting Experience on Capitol Hill
Notes
Index
Congressional Historical Timeline

“More than a decade ago I used Congress and its Members as an undergraduate. From then until now it has been a constant on my ready-reference shelf. Davidson and Oleszek are the gold standard for clarity, accuracy, and current relevance in understanding the Congress. My students appreciate the readability and attention to detail, and I appreciate that the authors understand their audience.”

- Kimberly S. Adams, East Stroudsburg University

“Congress and Its Members is still the definitive text on Congress by two of the foremost scholars of the institution: highly readable and comprehensive and regularly updated. This book is indispensable for teaching undergraduate classes on Congress and a reference work for congressional scholars.”

- Nicol C. Rae, Florida International University

Roger H. Davidson is professor emeritus of government and politics at the University of Maryland, and has served as visiting professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. For the 2001-2002 academic year, he served as the John Marshall Chair in political science at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. His books include Remaking Congress: Change and Stability in the 1990’s, co-edited with James A. Thurber (1995), and Understanding the Presidency, Third Edition, co-edited with James P. Pfiffner (2003). Davidson is co-editor with Donald C. Bacon and Morton Keller of The Encyclopedia of the United States Congress (1995).

Walter J. Oleszek is a senior specialist in the legislative process at the Congressional Research Service. He has served as either a full-time professional staff aide or consultant to every major House and Senate congressional reorganization effort beginning with the passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. In 1993, he served as Policy Director of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. A long-time adjunct faculty member at The American University, Oleszek is a frequent lecturer before various academic, governmental and business groups. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Congress and Its Members, 10th ed. (2006),with Roger H. Davidson, and Congress Under Fire: Reform Politics and the Republican Majority (1997), with C. Lawrence Evans.

Frances E. Lee joined the faculty at Maryland in 2004, where she is associate professor of government. She received her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in 1997. She has been a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution and an APSA Congressional Fellow, and she previously taught at Case Western Reserve University. She coauthored Sizing Up The Senate:The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation with Bruce I. Oppenheimer, which won the D. B. Hardeman Prize in 1999. Her articles have appeared in American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, American Journal of Political Science, among others.