Who the Heck is Jon Kyl? An Informal Introduction to Congressional Leadership

Recently, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) announced his plans to retire after the end of his current term. Word quickly spread and discussion began about which Republican Senator would claim his position in the next Congress. This is a huge deal in the political world, and I was all set to write about it for the Quad. And then I realized something; nobody knows who the heck Jon Kyl even is.

So in the interest of providing some much needed insight for you politically un-savvy readers out there, I have composed these little descriptions of the major players in today’s Congress:

The House, the larger body of Congress, is headed by the Speaker of the House. John Boehner (R-Ohio) is the current Speaker. The Speaker is both the head of the entire House of Representatives as well as the party in power. The Speaker is now chosen by election of the House. The Speaker’s job is to preside over the Congress, although he or she may, and usually does, appoint another representative to do so.  Also, the Speaker sets the calendar for legislation. One of the most important jobs of the speaker is setting committee assignments.

The House Majority Leader is second in the line of command behind the Speaker. Chosen by election of the majority party, the Majority Leader does most of the scheduling. The current House Majority Leader is Eric Cantor (R-Virginia).

The House Minority leader is chosen by the minority party through an election. His or her job is to work with the Majority leader on the schedule. The Minority leader, currently Nancy Pelosi (D-California), is the head of the minority party in the House of Representatives. If the majority party changes, the minority leader usually becomes the Speaker of the House.

The next most prominent position for either party is the Whip. The House Majority and House Minority Whips count votes, communicate with party members, and try to persuade representatives to vote the way the party leaders want. They also will report back to the leaders about what the representatives are planning on voting. If they do not have enough votes, it is highly unlikely they will bring the legislation to a vote.  In the House, the Majority Whip is Kevin McCarthy (R-California) and the Minority Whip is Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland). Newly created has been the position of Assistant Democratic Leader, which is now held by James Clyburn (D-South Carolina).

The Senate is the smaller and more intimate body of the Congress. The Senate has similar leadership roles to the House but there are some distinct differences. The president of the Senate is the Vice President. Although this structure may make it seem as though the Vice President mirrors the role of the Speaker, they are not much alike at all. The Vice President has a mostly ceremonial role in the Senate. The one key power the Vice President has, however, is the ability to cast the tie-breaking vote in the event of an even vote on a bill.

Below the Vice President is the President Pro-Tempore. There is no equivalent in the House. The President Pro Tempore is the longest-serving member of the Senate. The current President Pro Tempore, Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), is responsible for giving out the Congressional Medal of Honor. The President Pro Tempore, like the Vice President, is a mostly ceremonial position.

The Senate Majority Leader, next in rank, is the true presiding officer of the Senate.  He or she is the Senate equivalent of the Speaker of the House. The current Senate Majority Leader is Harry Reid (D-Nevada). The Senate Majority Leader sets the schedule of the debate. He or she is also the head of the majority party in the Senate.

The head of the minority party is the Senate Minority Leader, currently Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). He works with the Senate Majority Leader to set the calendar.

Like in the House, the Senate also has whips and they serve essentially the same role. However, the Whip is somewhat more important of a job in the Senate, because with fewer overall members, each vote can make a difference in the outcome of legislation.

The current Senate Majority Whip is Richard Durbin (D-Illinois), and the current Senate Minority Whip is – you guessed it – Jon Kyl (R-Arizona).

So now that you have a little crash course on the Congressional leadership, I hope to hear less of “who is that orange guy thats always on the news?” and more of “I think that Steny Hoyer makes a fine Minority Whip!” Knowledge is power, especially when its knowledge of those who wield it!