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2.3 Congressional Behavior

Part of Interactions Among Branches of Government in AP® US Government & Politics. Read the opening section, then create a free account for the full interactive lesson, practice, and progress tracking.

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Members of Congress are influenced by elections, party affiliation, and institutional incentives. Increasing political polarization has led to more ideologically unified parties and fewer moderate legislators. As a result, voting behavior has become more partisan, and compromise has become more difficult. Divided government, in which the presidency and Congress are controlled by different parties, often intensifies conflict and legislative stalemate.

In this unit

15 lessons

  1. 2.1Congress: The Senate and the House of RepresentativesPreview lesson
  2. 2.2Structures, Powers, and Functions of CongressPreview lesson
  3. 2.3Congressional BehaviorThis lesson
  4. 2.4Roles and Powers of the PresidentPreview lesson
  5. 2.5Checks on the PresidencyPreview lesson
  6. 2.6Expansion of Presidential PowerPreview lesson
  7. 2.7Presidential CommunicationPreview lesson
  8. 2.8The Judicial BranchPreview lesson
  9. 2.9The Role of the Judicial BranchOpen lesson
  10. 2.10The Court in ActionOpen lesson
  11. 2.11Checks on the Judicial BranchOpen lesson
  12. 2.12The BureaucracyOpen lesson
  13. 2.13Discretionary and Rulemaking AuthorityOpen lesson
  14. 2.14Holding the Bureaucracy AccountableOpen lesson
  15. 2.15Policy and the Branches of GovernmentOpen lesson

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