The U.S. Senate and federalism policy in the 96th and 97th congresses

Although the Congress of the United States has a major influence on American federalism, there has been little systematic attention given to what factors influence congressional voting on federalism issues. This article is an initial effort to address this question. Drawing on previous literature which has attempted to explain voting decisions of congressmen, senators' "federalism" voting in the 96th and 97th Congresses is considered. The analysis indicates that ideology and party, especially the former, are the major influences on senators' votes. Moreover, the variables found to be most important to senators' federalism votes appear somewhat distinct from those that influence other domestic policies. Some suggestions for further research are also offered.