CQ Press: Congress

Welcome to the companion website!

This site contains resources from CQ Press titles focused on Congress, including:

• Congress and Its Members 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th edition by Roger H. Davidson, Walter J. Oleszek, Frances E. Lee, and Eric Schickler
• Congress Reconsidered 10^th edition by Lawrence C. Dodd and Bruce I. Oppenheimer
• Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process 9^th and 10^th edition by Walter J. Oleszek.These materials can be used while lecturing, in discussion groups, or assessment.

Congress and Its Members 13e, 14e, and 15e

By Roger H. Davidson, Walter J. Oleszek, Frances E. Lee, and Eric Schickler

Congress and Its Members has been the gold standard for Congress courses for thirty years. Now in its 15th edition, the book offers comprehensive coverage of the U.S. Congress and the legislative process by examining the tension between Congress as a lawmaking institution and as a collection of politicians constantly seeking re-election.

The fifteenth edition considers the 2014 midterm elections and discusses the agenda of the new Congress, White House–Capitol Hill relations, party and committee leadership changes, judicial appointments, and partisan polarization, as well as covering changes to budgeting, campaign finance, lobbying, public attitudes about Congress, reapportionment, rules, and procedures. Always balancing great scholarship with currency, the book features lively case material along with relevant data, charts, exhibits, maps, and photos.

Congress Reconsidered 10e

By Lawrence C. Dodd and Bruce I. Oppenheimer

Since its first edition, Congress Reconsidered was designed to make available the best contemporary work from leading congressional scholars in a form that is both challenging and accessible to undergraduates. For almost four decades, Dodd and Oppenheimer have delivered on this goal. With their tenth edition, this tradition continues, but with the benefit of contributing authors now able to focus on how various aspects of Congress have changed over time. Gary Jacobson not only analyzes congressional elections in the present day, but looks at changes that have occurred in elections since the 1970s. James Thurber places today's struggles over the budget in the context of budget politics since the passage of the Budget and Impoundment Control Act. John Aldrich, Brittany Perry, and David Rohde trace the evolution of the House's most influential committees, while Kathryn Pearson examines the growth (in number and influence) of women members of Congress. Simply put, this volume remains on the cutting edge with key insights into the workings of Congress.

Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process 9e and 10e

By Walter J. Oleszek

As a governing body, Congress continually adapts to changes in process and practice. The tenth edition of Walter Oleszek’s definitive work continues to examine how this procedural context governs every aspect of the House and Senate and affects lawmakers as they make voting decisions, expedite legislation, or defeat a bill. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process reveals how the majority and minority parties use procedural devices to achieve their political goals and offers an assessment of the role of conference committees in reconciling bicameral differences. Not shying away from the complexity of the topic, Oleszek and new co-authors Mark Oleszek, Elizabeth Rybicki, and William Heniff ensure that the machinations of Congress are understandable through an array of interesting examples, topical cases, and anecdotes that they are well-positioned to witness and experience first-hand.