Who Runs This Place?
The nature and style of leadership in the Senate is dramatically different than that of the lower chamber. As you learned in Chapter 4, the House requires a rigid hierarchy of leaders and deputy leaders enforcing strict discipline to get anything accomplished. The Senate takes the opposite approach. With only 100 members, leadership can be more collegial and informal. Members are on a first-name basis with their colleagues, and they're accustomed to working together on unanimous consent and other agreements.
Floor Leaders
Although the Constitution provides that the vice president shall serve as the Senate president, it's mostly a symbolic title. The only time the vice president presides over the Senate is to cast the occasional tie-breaking vote.
During his eight years as vice president, Al Gore cast four tie-breaking votes, the most notable being the one that passed President Clinton's 1993 budget. John Adams holds the record for breaking the most ties, casting 29 votes while serving as vice president under George Washington.
When the vice president is absent, which is usually the case, the Senate President pro tempore (also known as the pro tem) presides over the chamber. The pro tem position is typically held by the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service in the Senate. Like the role of the vice president, it is mostly a ceremonial position. However, it does carry one important function: The pro tempore is fourth in line to the presidency behind the vice president and the Speaker of the House.
Real leadership in the Senate is provided by the majority and minority leaders elected by their party's caucus, along with whips, who serve as their deputies. Given the shortage of formal rules, and the ability of the minority to obstruct floor action, the two leaders are forced to work more closely together than their House counterparts.
The most important power the leaders enjoy is the right of first recognition, meaning they are allowed to speak first during floor debate. It gives leaders the ability to outflank their adversaries by shaping the debate, offering amendments, and making other motions to reconsider.
In addition, leaders control the scheduling of floor debates, help determine committee assignments, select conference committee members, work closely with committee chairpersons to set legislative priorities, and act as one of the party's chief spokespersons. When the majority leader is a member of the president's party, he acts as the legislative point man for the White House, and is expected to mobilize support for the president's agenda. The opposition leader is expected to thwart the president's agenda, more so than the House opposition leader, who has few tools at his disposal to derail the majority.
Through the years, majority leaders have adopted varying styles of leadership to accomplish their goals. Lyndon Johnson was legendary for his unique skills of persuasion, often referred to as the “LBJ treatment.” Robert Byrd is considered the finest parliamentarian in Senate history, and Bob Dole is unrivaled in the art of compromise and conciliation.
Committee Chairmen
The Senate first established standing committees shortly after the War of 1812. At first, committee chairmen were appointed by the vice president. Then, in 1846, party leaders began making the selection. Today, committee chairmen are elected by a majority of their caucuses, although their election is in keeping with the seniority system. Typically, the majority member with the longest tenure on a committee is automatically elevated to chairman, subject to caucus approval.
Currently, the Senate has seventeen standing committees (two fewer than the House):
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Appropriations
Armed Services
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Budget
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Energy and Natural Resources
Environment and Public Works
Finance
Foreign Relations
Governmental Affairs
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Indian Affairs
Judiciary
Rules and Administration
Small Business
Veterans' Affairs
These committees are ranked in importance by class: Class A (the most important), Class B, and Class C. Chairmanship of the Judiciary, Budget, and Foreign Relations committees are particularly coveted posts.
When the Republicans took control of the Senate in 1995, one of the first orders of business was to reduce committee staff by 20 percent — a drastic and unprecedented move. According to Democratic senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the staff reductions “affected the ability of Members to adequately address issues of national importance which arise in Congress every day.”
