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The House of Representatives is based on proportional representation according to state populations, (more direct representation than FPTP) and the Senate provides equal representation to all states (the UK Parliament does not have a chamber with equal representation for different regions or nations within the UK).

The senate is a lot more representative than the HOL which is not an elected body, each senator is expected to campaign and gain the support of the people, democratic: government by the people.  Composition of the Senate also changes every 2 years.

Overall, in the 118th congress 133 lawmakers identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian, Alaska Native or multiracial. Together, these lawmakers make up a quarter of Congress, including 28% of the House of Representatives and 12% of the Senate, which is the most diverse in history.  whereas in parliament, 66 or 10% of Members of the House of Commons were from minority ethnic backgrounds.

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Ability to pass legislation:
Congress:
Congress has power of the purse so has to ratify President's budget
--> Encourages Bipartisan compromise if split house - 35 day shutdown under Trump - part of democracy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%932019_United_States_federal_government_shutdown
Hyper-partisan nature of congress only in the last 30 years - and highly exaggerated under Trump
CARES act 2020 and First Step Act 2018 - major pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan support
Parliament:
Legislation entirely dictated by executive as executive and legislative are not separate
Poll tax in 1990 - Riots broke out following its introduction and Thatcher was forced to resign
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poll_tax_(Great_Britain)#:~:text=The%20Community%20Charge%2C%20commonly%20known,England%20and%20Wales%20from%201990.

Where does legislation come from:
Congress:
The majority of bills come from individuals (private members bills), giving more power to elected representatives rather than the executives.
https://matsui.house.gov/legislative-work/legislation/how-bill-becomes-law
Parliament:
All bills come from the executive barring the few numbers of private members bills who have won the ballot (very rare), and they almost never get passed.
https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/bills/private-members/
e.g. Jim McMahon trying to lower voting age to 16
https://www.vuelio.com/uk/blog/private-members-bill-ballot-the-20-successful-backbenchers/

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Congress:
Congress members cant be members of the executive.
This means oversight can be achieved without bias.

Oversight also well achieved through committees which review and monitor activities of the executive branch.
Example:
- One Congressional Committee was the Senate Watergate Committee which checked on the presidents actions that occurred during the watergate scandal. It investigated the Watergate break-in in June 1972 and looked into the cover up which lead to Nixons resignation. The Committee conducted extensive hearings and investigations and the roles within Nixon's administration and the coverup that followed. The committee found tape evidence of cover-up and the committee's work lead to the drafting of articles of impeachment by the House Judiciary Committee.

- Another example is the Committee checking on the President during the Iran-Contra Affair in the 1980's.
The joint House and senate Iran-Contra Committee looked into this. The committee conducted extensive hearings and investigations to uncover details of the affair. They found that Reagan's administration had secretly sold arms to Iran in an attempt to secure the release of American Hostages held in Lebanon. The oversight was essential in uncovering and publicising the covert activities undertaken by Reagan and held the executive accountable for its actions.

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Congress has far more oversight power than Parliament
Congress:
Congress function of oversight includes their ability to impeach and try the president. This is an important tool as ensures the president is held accountable for their actions. It also serves as a deterrence against misconduct. The threat of impeachment prompted Richard Nixon to resign in 1984. Bill Clintons reputation never recovered from his 1998 impeachment, despite his acquittal.
https://www.tutor2u.net/politics/reference/impeachment
https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/impeachment-in-us-history
Parliament: Can trigger an election via a vote of no confidence --> rare
and in the US a president faces far more interference, examination and scrutiny than any government in the UK
Ratification:
the Senates power to ratify treaties is another significant extension of its oversight power than parliament don't have. The senate have rejected many important international treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1999 --> banned the testing of nuclear weapons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEQV6bsrV7M

PMQ's useless - happens for half an hour each week and most questions are not answered

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US Politics: Functions of Congress- Oversight