Congressional Debates as a Part of the Political Decision-Making Culture in the United States

In the US Congress the constitutionally established practice gives debate a special position vis-à-vis the interference of the executive branch. The meaning of debate in a presidential system - its place, content, and quality - has often been questioned in the US Congress, as its main duty is to legislate. The paper shows that the debates as a part of the legislative process, provide a way, rhetorically and through legislation, to maintain and reassert the constitutional balance of powers as well as checks and balances, the basic principles of the US Constitution. The paper investigates how the members of Congress themselves consider the political decision-making culture from the debate perspective, i.e. in what way debates are seen as a part of the legislative process and how the possibilities for congressional oversight is provided and the powers between the branches of government interpreted and defined.