Unit 2 Congress and Branches Flashcards
Constituency
A body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative in a legislative body.
Filibuster
A political procedure in which one or more members of the Senate prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or prevent a decision.
Discretionary Spending
Money formally approved by Congress and the President. Over half is contributed to defense.
Mandatory Spending
AKA Direct Spending: Funding for entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security
Budget Deficit
Government expenses exceed revenue: indicates financial health of country
Pork Barrel Legislation
When a government official uses government spending for their states localized projects.
Logrolling
When legislative members trade voting backing for a member to enact a policy they want.
Logrolling is the trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member.
Gerrymandering
manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.
Redistricting
divide or organize (an area) into new political or school districts.
Reapportionment
Apportionment is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation.
Reapportionment is the redistribution of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives based on changes in population.
Divided Government
A divided government is a type of government in presidential systems, when control of the executive branch and the legislative branch is split between two political parties, respectively, and in semi-presidential systems, when the executive branch itself is split between two parties.
Trustee Model
Constituents “trust” their reps and let them act as they see fit and maybe going against explicit desires.
Delegate Model
The delegate Model is where the representative acts strictly according to beliefs of constituents.
Politico Model
Hybrid of trustee and delegate Model.
Roles of the President
Controls:
Chief of State: Public face and figurehead of country
Chief Diplomat: How diplomats and USA interact with foreign countries, State visits,
Commander in Chief - Branches of the military, requesting declarations of war
Chief Executive: Enforcing the laws of the nation, appointing cabinet members,
Chief of Party: Party campaigning, leading their political party, supporting other political candidates within party
Chief Legislator: Can sign or veto bill
Chief Citizen: Representing citizens and sets example for civic behavior
Chief Administrator: Leading the executive branch and departments
Veto
The president overrides a bill by vetoing, and the bill goes back into the house and Senate.
Executive Order
A presidential directive to an executive agency establishing new policies or indicating how an existing policy is to be carried out. (Has the force of law)
Executive Agreement
An international agreement that does not warrant a treaty or ratification by Senate.
Signing Statement
A written pronouncement by the President added to the signing of a bill into a law.
Bully Pulpit
The president can go on social media or speak out in order to influence policy.
Stare Decisis
A case’s holding that becomes a judicial precedent.
Judicial Activism/Restraint
When the courts either adhere closely to the Constitution in its exact terminology or meld the Constitution through interpretation in order to fit the context of the case.
Iron Triangle
The relationship between Congress, interest groups, and the bureaucracy.
Congressional Oversight
Congress creates hearings and watch over the bureaucracy.
Discretionary and Rule-making Authority
Powers that the executive and legislative give to the bureaucracy in order to enact rules.
Discretionary Authority : The power given to an agency to make decisions about the implementation of existing laws, using its discretion and judgment. Rule-making Authority : The power of an agency to create rules and regulations that govern the behavior of individuals and organizations.
