<P> Presiding officers may vote like other members . They may not, however, vote twice in the event of a tie; rather, a tie vote defeats the motion . </P> <P> The House uses committees and their subcommittees for a variety of purposes, including the review of bills and the oversight of the executive branch . The appointment of committee members is formally made by the whole House, but the choice of members is actually made by the political parties . Generally, each party honors the preferences of individual members, giving priority on the basis of seniority . Historically, membership on committees has been in rough proportion to the party's strength in the House as a whole, with two exceptions: on the Rules Committee, the majority party fills nine of the thirteen seats; and on the Ethics Committee, each party has an equal number of seats . However, when party control in the House is closely divided, extra seats on committees are sometimes allocated to the majority party . In the 109th Congress, for example, the Republicans controlled about 53% of the House as a whole, but had 54% of the Appropriations Committee members, 55% of the members on the Energy and Commerce Committee, 58% of the members on the Judiciary Committee, and 69% of the members on the Rules Committee . </P> <P> The largest committee of the House is the Committee of the Whole, which, as its name suggests, consists of all members of the House . The Committee meets in the House chamber; it may consider and amend bills, but may not grant them final passage . Generally, the debate procedures of the Committee of the Whole are more flexible than those of the House itself . One advantage of the Committee of the Whole is its ability to include otherwise non-voting members of Congress . </P> <P> Most committee work is performed by twenty standing committees, each of which has jurisdiction over a specific set of issues, such as Agriculture or Foreign Affairs . Each standing committee considers, amends, and reports bills that fall under its jurisdiction . Committees have extensive powers with regard to bills; they may block legislation from reaching the floor of the House . Standing committees also oversee the departments and agencies of the executive branch . In discharging their duties, standing committees have the power to hold hearings and to subpoena witnesses and evidence . </P>

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