In this module we will study changes to the way Congress and the President do business. The Constitution lists specific duties that Congress must attend to; it's a little more vague when assigning tasks to the President. It is up to both of these institutions to determine how best to carry out these tasks. The main theme of this module is change, the addition of offices under the President, and changes to the distribution of power within Congress to better help and sometimes hinder these institutions in fulfilling their duties. The Congress of the 1950s, known as “the textbook” Congress, is a far cry from the Congress of today. Our author notes six legislative styles that were noted by political scientist Donald Matthews, these styles include apprenticeship, legislative work, specialization, courtesy, institutional patriotism, and reciprocity. With the passage of time and a more partisan divide in both the House and Senate, the tradition of apprenticeship has disappeared and institutional patriotism has seriously declined along with comity in both bodies. A large percentage of legislatures in the last generation also have limited acceptance of the concept of reciprocity. “Members of Congress may well reflect declining levels of trust and civility among the general public.” (Loomis, Schiller p.132) Because of these changes in popular customs, past House Speakers have decided to pass major legislation until there is enough support from a single party to pass that legislation, an example of this in 2004 was President Hastert blocking legislation on major intelligence reform, an example from 2010 would be the healthcare reform bill. The change in public opinion on civility and trust, as reflected in the middle of paper... of dollars. These offices were created to provide the President with the information he needs to guide Congress on the legislative agenda, provide economic growth, and ensure the nation's security. The framers of the Constitution listed the responsibilities of Congress and the President; they did not dictate how these responsibilities would be carried out. It was up to both of these institutions to adapt to the times and, in the case of Congress, to decide for themselves how to do their jobs. The Framers realized that things would change and left it to these two institutions to do what was needed to get the job done. Works Cited Loomis, Burdett A. and Schiller, Wendy J., The Contemporary Congress. California: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. Print Pfiffner, James A., The Modern Presidency California: Thomson Wadsworth 2008. Print