@SenecaFallsRedux
Nancy Pelosi is the one person in charge of changing US laws. And what does she do?
This is incorrect. Any member of either house can introduce legislation, and depending on the party make-up of each house, and even the personalities of the leadership, often the Majority Leader of the Senate has as much (or more) actual power to influence the progress of legislation.
Traditionally, the Senate is considered the more prestigious of the two branches, and certainly has powers that the House does not, such as confirming appointments of cabinet members and judges.
Yes a Senator can introduce a bill, but they have to get it through the House first and Pelosi controls that entire process. She is higher up than you say.
rantt.com/role-of-the-speaker-of-the-house
What Is The Role Of The Speaker Of The House?
The Speaker of the House, an office currently held by Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), is the highest-ranking member of the Legislative Branch of government and second in the line of succession to the presidency behind the vice president. Elected by a majority of the members, as directed by Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution, the role of Speaker has evolved over time.
The modern-day Speaker acts as leader of the majority party, determining the agenda and priorities for the House while fulfilling parliamentary and administrative functions like:
Presiding over the House and calling it to order
Appointing officers
Recognizing Members to speak on the floor
Referring matters to committees
Bringing matters up to vote
Signing all “acts and joint resolutions, writs, warrants, and subpoenas of (or issued to) the House”
Negotiating with the President as needed
While the Speaker of the House serves as its highest-ranking officer, the Speaker remains a representative of her constituents, doing the work of her district, in addition to her leadership duties. As per current rules, the Speaker can choose whether to vote in legislative matters.
What Makes The Speaker Of The House So Powerful?
In addition to being a vice president away from the presidency, the Speaker determines the agenda and priorities for the House. While any member of the House can introduce legislation, the Speaker determines how that legislation is handled and whether it sees a floor vote. In that way, the tone of the House can change dramatically depending upon the Speaker.
In the modern era, former Republican speaker Newt Gingrich (GA), elected to the position in 1995 and enraged by his Democratic predecessor, Texan Jim Wright, created a tone of antagonistic partisanship, setting the House to work solely on the Republican agenda, and focused his leadership efforts on fundraising and campaigns to keep his party in power. The tradition of fundraising continues, regardless of party; Nancy Pelosi brought in more than $80 million prior to regaining the office of Speaker.
With the power of the Speakership, Pelosi determined whether Donald Trump’s actions warranted an impeachment inquiry; her powers also including bringing the Articles of Impeachment to a full vote of the House. She appointed the seven impeachment managers who would prosecute the case in the Senate: Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Val Demings (D-FL), Jason Crow (D-CO), and Sylvia Garcia (D-TX). While the Constitution puts the sole power of impeachment in the hands of the House, the Speaker determines the how and when.