What are the major functions of congress are these based in the Term Paper

What are the major functions of congress are these based in the constitution or are they a function of the shifting balance of political power - Term Paper Example The Congress has also the authority to pass the ‘appropriate legislation’ incorporated in the legislative powers of the Constitution. The Constitution further states that ‘Congress shall have the power to provide for the common defense and the general welfare of the United States’ (Palekar, 121). However, the US President has the power to veto a bill passed Congress but this veto power is not absolute. The Congress can override it if the two-third majority of the Congress passes the same bill. From this perspective, we may say that the legislative powers of the US Congress are granted by the Constitution. The role of the Congress and the President shows that the Constitution of the United States ‘provides for a balance of power between the executive and the legislative branches’ (Ethridge and Handelman, 204). In Mexico and Latin America, we had seen the existence of powerful presidents and weak legislatures. The role of the Congress is vital on the amendment procedures of the US Congress. The recommendation for amendment of a particular law or article will not stand valid unless the two-thirds majority of the members of the Congress support it. The US Supreme Court generally does not intervene in the approval or the interpretation of the Congress regarding any bills or laws (Palekar, 122). Therefore, we may conclude that the Congress plays an important role for amending the Supreme law of the nation. A joint session for both the Houses of the Congress is held after every four years to’ Count the electoral votes for the President and the Vice-President’ (Palekar, 122). If no candidate gets a majority of votes for the Presidential role then the House of Representatives has the power to select three candidates with the maximum numbers of notes. In case of the Vice-President, The Senate decides on the issue and makes a choice between the two members with the highest votes. In 1837, the Vice-President was chosen in