Triangles Strong as Iron

In simple terms an iron triangle is the alliance of a congressional committee an interest group, and a federal department. The “triangle” formed by these sides creates a policy-making alliance creates the fundamentals that can exist for decades. Within the “triangles” decisions are made that involve collections of political leaders and interest groups that join together for a particular cause and feed off of each other to maintain a certain goal.
Between a strong Congressional authorizing committee, an influential federal department or agency and a set of loyal interest groups an iron triangle can be formed that is “strong as iron.” As long as they hang together, the members of iron triangles can dominate policy-making in their respective specialized areas of concern. These closed, mutually supportive relationships that often prevail in the United States uphold a certain jurisdiction over a particular functional area of government policy. All interconnected sides rely on one another to make their policy or point effective in order to gain more financial support. While Congress can give money to an agency, it can then get campaign money and endorsements from a certain interest group in return because the interest groups will give that money in order to receive special services from the agency. The ongoing cycle continues because by giving special services to the interest group then Congress has to give money to the agency because it is getting endorsed by the interest group. Each side relies on the other, and like in other aspects of government each of the three sides gains a certain profitable value. All in all, Congressmen can count upon friends in the agencies to continue programs important to their local constituencies or even to do special favors for their political supporters. Interest groups through their lobbyists provide useful information to the committees and the agencies, and provide campaign support for the Congressmen. In return, interest groups tend to be consulted and carefully placated when new laws or administrative regulations or important appointments affecting their special interests are being made. These mutually supportive relationships are so politically powerful that representatives of the more general interests of society are usually effectively prevented from interfering with policy-making altogether whenever their concept of the general interest runs counter to the special interests of players in the iron triangle.
The iron triangle is part of the interlocking functions of the United States government. The iron triangle is a continuance of the “balancing game” that is constantly being played out in the U.S. government. The embodiment of iron triangles in the United States government system is part of how the federal administrative system works in coalition to Congress. It is one the many aspects that make the Republic function in its basic form. In a sense, the iron triangle is also how many people can get their opinions through and into congressional view. When one becomes a leader or active member in an interest group the iron triangle provides for an influential basis that an individual can actual make a difference. Interest groups and Congressmen essentially represent constituencies of the common people in the iron triangle and how they are trying to get what the people want. The United States is a government based on checks and balances and is about representing the people as a whole. The iron triangle is one of the many ways that the opinions of the direct people can infiltrated up into the federal administrative system and be heard. It is the use of complicated functions of government that with the help of agencies, interest groups and Congressmen can get what their constituencies want and have their side of government benefit. Iron triangles are a single concept that adds to the thousands that make up how the government functions inorder to get what they want and what the people want.