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====​**110th Congress** ====

** __ Detailing the Climate of the 110th Congressional Session __ ** Congress faced many challenges and victories along the way of the 110th Congressional session. The branches did not get along to well with Congress. Not many people were a fan of Bush but some liked him. Bush had to deal with the September 11 terrorist attack and that was very harsh on the people of America, everyone was in a scare. The United States also had to face the wars with Iraq and Afghanistan which was not something many agreed on in the U.S. The Congress struggled to get along with the branches of government because they did not particularly like the way Bush was running things. In the end, most people did not like Bush because he did not go through with all the things he said he would, but he helped America to the best of his ability. 

· Majority/Minority Party- Senate Majority-Democrat, 49 seats, 49% Minority- Republican, 49 seats, 49% · Majority/Minority Party- House Majority-Republican, 229, 54.3% Minority- Democrat, 203, 45.7%
 * Majority/Minority Party-breakdown **

//Majority// · Speaker of the House- Nancy Pelosi · Majority Leader- Steny Hoyer, Dick Durbin · Majority Whip- James Clyburn · President of the Senate- Joseph R. Biden · President Pro Tempore- Robert Byrd · Senate Majority Leaders- Harry Reid · Senate Majority Whips- Dick Durbin //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Minority // · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Speaker of the Senate- Ronald L. Ramsey · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Minority Leader- John Boehner · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Minority Whip- Roy Blunt · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">President of the Senate- Dick Cheney · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">President Pro Tempore- Robert Byrd · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Senate Minority Leaders- Mitch McConnell · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Senate Minority Whips- Trent Lott and Jon Kyl <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">**__Amendments and Major Legislation__**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Majority/Minority Leadership: **
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">House Page Board Revision Act of 2007 || To change the composition of the House of Representatives Page Board to equalize the number of members representing the majority and minority parties. Also, to include a member representing the parents of pages and a member representing former pages. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">Emergency appropriations act that provides funding for the Iraq War through September 30, 2007. The Act is previously called the "Making emergency supplemental appropriations and additional supplemental appropriations for agricultural and other emergency assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes." ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Preserving United States Attourney Independence Act of 2007 || <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;">This act removes a provision from the 2005 Patriot Act revision that gave the US Attorney General the power to assign permanent "interim" US Attorneys, bypassing the need to obtain Senate confirmation. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Foreign Investment And National Security Act of 2007 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">Addresses investments made by foreign bodies in the United States. The law strengthens pre-existing laws including the Exon-Florio Amendment and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">The Act implements some of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission including authorizing 100% inspection of all air and sea cargo entering the US, and a new method of redistributing antiterrorism funding. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Protect America Act of 2007 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">Removed the warrant requirement for government surveillance of foreign intelligence targets realistically believed to be outside of the United States. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Honest Leadership and Open Government Act || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Strengthens public disclosure requirements regarding lobbying activity and funding, places more restrictions on gifts for members of Congress and their staff, and provides for mandatory disclosure of earmarks in expenditure bills ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Water Resources Development Act of 2007 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">This Act reauthorized the Water Resources Development Act, flood control, navigation, environmental projects, and studies by the US Army Corps of Engineers <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">The purpose of this Act was to move the United States toward greater energy independence and security. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">This Act’s purpose was to provide for several kinds of economic stimuli intended to boost the United States economy and to prevent a recession, or improve economic conditions. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The Act was designed to prohibit the improper use of genetic information in health insurance and employment. It prohibits group health plans and health insurers from denying coverage to a healthy individual or charging that person higher premiums ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 || It continues America’s long history of agricultural financial support and pursuing areas including energy, conservation, nutrition, and rural development. Some initiatives include increases in Food Stamp benefits and money for the research of pests, diseases and other agricultural problems. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">This Act allowed $250 billion for ongoing military operations and domestic programs. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008 (FISA Amendments Act of 2008) || Act of Congress that amended the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which orders procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance/collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign powers" and "agents of foreign powers". ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">An Act of Congress, that bans gemstones (specifically rubies and jadeite) from Burma from entering the United States through third party countries. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">This Act authorizes the Federal Housing Administration to guarantee up to $300 billion in new 30-year fixed rate mortgages for subprime borrowers if lenders write down loan balances to 90% of current appraisal value. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px;">Public Law 110-343 || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">An Act of Congress which was designed to ease the growing financial crisis of 2007-2009 by giving relief to "Troubled Assets." ||

**__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Accomplishments, Criticisms, and Pitfalls __** The 110th Congressional session had many accomplishments, criticisms, and some down-falls, altogether this was a pretty good time period. Some of the accomplishments are; the Democrats passing the first minimum wage increase, the ** Democrats passed Wounded Warriors Bill to upgrade Military Health Care and provide a 3.5% pay raise for our troops, the Democrats also passed bill to Implement 9/11 Commission Recommendations. The first minimum wage increase was very important because **the minimum wage rises 70 cents to $5.85 an hour, the first increase in a decade. It ends the longest span without a federal minimum wage increase since it was enacted in 1938. The Democrats and Republicans worked together to help the wounded and hurt soldiers and to give them better health care so they could be in better shape. Also, the people are helping commission recommendations and such to help the hurt ones and places from 9/11. This means that people are asking for better emergency communications, more money for cities at high risk of terrorist attacks, and tighter security for air cargo, ports, chemical plants and the rail systems. Some of the criticisms are how a lot of people did not agree with Bush’s decisions and how we were at war when he was President. A lot of people also did not like Bush because a poll released Sunday, in 2007, said that Bush's eight years in the White House were a failure, with 44 percent saying this was because of his personal shortcomings and 22 percent blaming the failure on circumstances beyond his control, which really is not good for him. Many events took place during the 110th Congressional session for the better or worse, but in the end the United States economy was suffering.

__<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">**Characteristics of the 110th Congres**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**s** __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The 110th Congress, meeting between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, consisted of a Democratic influence. A majority of Democrats controlled both the Senate and House, which happened for the first time since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995. The Democrats brought a new determination to Congress, with a purpose to change the U.S. policy in Iraq. The first year of the 110th Congress consisted of constantly challenging Bush and his foreign policy issues. Their approval rating decreased after failing to pass legislation on immigration, domestic surveillance, and other important issues. When it came to the President, Congress did not get along with him on all levels. They did not agree with Bush’s proposals towards the war in Iraq. Congress steadily challenged him, but failed to shift policy. Bush vetoed a bill passed by Congress in 2007, and the bill failed an override vote. Other attempts to establish withdrawal timelines were also turned down by presidential veto threats. The Supreme Court had the same viewpoints as Congress, for the most part. They often passed policies and bills that Bush would instantly reject.

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">__ **U.S. Era & the Impact of Congress** __ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">2007-2008 was an interesting year financially and economically for the United States. Many issues concerning the Iraq war took place in 2007, including an additional 20,000 troops deployed by Bush to slow down sectarian fighting. Following up sending so many troops, President Bush vetoed the $124 billion spending bill passed by Congress for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. By this time, America was in a state of economic hurt, with unemployment up to 4.6% and slowly increasing. By 2008 the war in Iraq seemed to be taking the backseat to the credit crisis. Expectations of a drop in economic activity sent stocks dropping worldwide, and the rush to sell stocks resulted from fears that the value of stocks would not grow, or would decline. The 110th Congress, which was made up of Democratic majority in both House and Senate, showed low support for the war. In 2007, a bill passed by Congress in April for linking war-funding legislation to a withdrawal time was vetoed by Bush. In a sense of impact, Congress did not have much say in the war due to President Bush. On the other hand, the 110th Congress fulfilled pledges to strengthen homeland security protections and passed an energy package to change vehicle fuel economy.

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