Unit 2 Vocab Flashcards
Constituency
A body of citizens entitled to elect a representative government
Filibuster
A tactic to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill
Discretionary Spending
approved on an annual basis for defense spending, education, & infrastructure
Mandatory Spending
required by law for entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, & Medicaid
Pork-barrel legislation
funding for a local project in a larger appropriation bill
Logrolling
combining several pieces of legislation into one bill to secure enough votes for passage
Budget Deficit
When government expenses exceed revenue
*discretionary spending opportunities will decrease unless budget deficit increases
Gerrymandering
the practice of drawing boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage
Reapportionment
the assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census
Trustee Model
A representative who will vote on issues based on their own knowledge and judgement
Delegate Model
A representative who will vote on issues based on the interests of their constituents
Politico Model
A representative who votes with the combination of a trustee AND delegate model
Roles of the President
- Vetoes & Pocket Vetoes
- Commander-in-Chief + Executive Agreements
- Bargaining & Persuasion to secure congressional action (*informal power)
- Executive Orders (*informal power)
- Signing Statements (*informal power)
Executive Order
Allows the president to manage fed gov’t
- implied by vested executive power / power delegated by congress
Executive Agreement
President uses w/ foreign policy powers that influence relations w/ foreign nations
