Chapter 4 in Textbook and AMSCO Vocab Flashcards
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities
Entitlement program
a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income
Mandatory spending
spending required by existing laws that is “locked in” the budget
Discretionary spending
spending for programs and policies at the discretion fo Congress and the president
Budget surplus
the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more than it spends
Budget defficit
the shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends
National debt
the total amount of money owed by the federal government
Delegate role
the idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes
Trustee role
the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgement
Politico role
representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions
Bipartisanship
agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation
Gridlock
a slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship
Divided government
control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress split between the two major parties
Lame duck period
period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees
Seventeenth Amendment
broadened democracy by giving the people of the state the right to elect their senators (instead of being elected by state legislators)
Caucus
a closed meeting of groups of members from the same political party
Speaker of the House
a member of the majority party in the house, responsible for administering the oath of office to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, giving Members permission to speak on the House floor, designating Members to serve as Speaker pro tempore, counting and declaring all votes, appointing Members to committees, sending bills to committees, and signing bills and resolutions that pass in the House
Whip
person in charge of party discipline for both parties in both chambers; works to ensure that their fellow political party legislators attend voting sessions and vote according to their party’s official policy
President of the Senate
vice president, nonvoting, tie-breaking vote, ceremonial job
president pro tempore
in place of VP, presides over the senate, signs legislation, issues the oath of office to new senators (also back up VP)
majority/minority leaders of the House
direct debate from among their party’s members, party spokesperson, first members recognized in debate
standing committees
permanent committees focused on a particular policy area
House Ways and Means Committee
determines tax policy and is the first to outline details when proposals are put forward to raise or lower income taxes
Joint Committees
unite members from both chambers; members do mostly routine management and research
Temporary/Select Committees
formed periodically for some particular and typically short-lived purpose
Conference Committee
When a bill passes both houses on different terms, a this temporary group irons out the differences on the bill
Germane Amendments
amendments related directly to the legislation under consideration
House Rules Committee
can dispose of a bill, define the guidelines for debate, assign bills to the appropriate standing committees, schedule bills for debate, and decide when votes take place
Committee of the Whole
includes but does not require all representatives, House rules are relaxed and debate among fewer people and group vote (rather than roll call) is possible; Non Voting delegates from US territories are able to vote; Only 100 members must be present to act, and once it has finished a bill, it “rises and reports” it to the House to pass the bill
Discharge petition
can force a committee to allow a bill to be publicly discussed through a required number of signatures (simple majority of house)
Filibuster
Senators can try to stall or kill a bill by speaking for an extremely long time to block a nomination or run out of time for a bill voting deadline (the only members of the House who can speak indefinitely are the SOTH and the majority and minority leaders)
Unanimous consent
Agreement on any question or matter before the Senate that sets aside a rule of procedure to expedite proceedings
Hold
allows one or more Senators to prevent a motion from reaching a vote on the Senate floor, as no motion may be brought for consideration on the Senate floor without unanimous consent
Senate Majority Leader
the most powerful member of the senate, as they are the first person the chair recognizes in debate and the leader who sets the legislative calendar and determines which bills reach the floor for debate; works with House Rules Committee to assign bills to committees in their respective chambers
Rule 22/cloture rule
enabled and required a ⅔ supermajority to stop debate on a bill, thus stopping a filibuster and allowing a vote (the number was lowered to a ⅗ majority in 1975)
Bill’s sponsor
bill authors, often staffers with expertise, lobbyists, White House professionals, etc; presents a bill and it is officially numbered in each chamber at the beginning of the congressional year
Omnibus bill
includes multiple areas of law and/or addresses multiple programs
Pork-barrel spending
funds earmarked for specific purposes in a legislator’s district, and congress members will tact on add-ons to “bring home the bacon” (controversial)
Logrolling
when congress members trade votes to gain support for a bill
reconciling the budget
passing changes to either revnue or spending by a simple majority in both houses with only limited time for debate
Individual income taxes
taxes paid by workers on the income they made during the calendar year (different rates depending on their income level)
Corporate taxes
paid by businesses on the profits they made during the year
Social insurance taxes (payroll taxes)
paid by both employees and employers ti fund such programs as Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance
Tariffs and excise taxes
paid on certain imports or products so that US-made goods will be more affordable and competitive
Other sources of revenue
include interest on government holdings or investments and estate taxes paid by people who inherit a large amount of money
Deficit
the difference between spending and revenue
gridlock
the congestion of opposing forces that prevents ideas from moving forward within each chamber and between Congress and the President
Substantive representation
advocates on behalf of certain groups of constituents
Descriptive representation
advocates not only for the views of constituents but also for the factors that make those constituents unique (geography, etc.)
Redistricting
happens with each census, and the majority party in the state legislature often determines the new statewide congressional map, usually benefiting that party
Gerrymandering
when illegal district lines are drawn to give the advantage to one party
safe seats
Districts in which a party consistently wins by more than 55% of the vote
marginal seats/swing districts
Districts with closer elections
Partisan gerrymandering
when districts are carved out to guarantee safe seats and one-party rule
“Getting primaried”
when ideologically more extreme challengers expose an incumbent’s record of compromise or tilt away from party positions in order to defeat them
Racial gerrymandering
the intentional drawing of legislative districts on the basis of race, and has been a topic of controversy (shaw v reno)
