Book description
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. She lives in
Louisville, Kentucky.
