Unit 3: Legislative Branch

Question 1

pork barrel spending

Answer 1

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states

Question 2

logrolling

Answer 2

trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation

Question 3

oversight

Answer 3

efforts by Congress to ensure that the executive branch is acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals

Question 4

constituency

Answer 4

body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator

Question 5

apportionment

Answer 5

process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data

Question 6

redistricting

Answer 6

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

Question 7

gerrymandering

Answer 7

international use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters

Question 7

partisan gerrymandering

Answer 7

drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party

Question 7

majority-minority district

Answer 7

district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within their electoral district

Question 8

malapportionment

Answer 8

uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts

Question 8

incumbency

Answer 8

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time

Question 9

incumbency advantage

Answer 9

institutional advantages held by those already in office

Question 10

political action committee

Answer 10

organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

Question 10

Speaker of the House

Answer 10

leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members

Question 11

house majority leader

Answer 11

person who is the second-in-command in the House of Representatives

Question 12

whip

Answer 12

member of Congress, chosen by their party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline

Question 13

minority leader

Answer 13

head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members

Question 14

Senate majority leader

Answer 14

person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats

Question 15

committee chair

Answer 15

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda

Question 16

discharge petition

Answer 16

motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House for a vote

Question 17

House rules committee

Answer 17

powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor

Question 18

Committee of the Whole

Answer 18

consists of all members of the House and meets in the House Chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation

Question 19

hold

Answer 19

delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill

Question 20

filibuster

Answer 20

tactic in which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action to a piece of legislation

Question 21

cloture

Answer 21

procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action provided 60 senators agree to it

Question 22

veto

Answer 22

power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections

Question 23

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Answer 23

executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities

Question 24

entitlement program

Answer 24

program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income

Question 25

mandatory spending

Answer 25

spending required by existing laws; locked in the budget

Question 26

discretionary spending

Answer 26

spending for programs and policies at the behest of Congress and the president

Question 27

budget surplus

Answer 27

shortfall when a government takes in more money than it spends

Question 28

budget deficit

Answer 28

shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends

Question 29

national debt

Answer 29

total amount of money owed by the federal government

Question 30

delegate role

Answer 30

idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes

Question 31

trustee role

Answer 31

idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgement

Question 32

politico role

Answer 32

representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions

Question 33

bipartisanship

Answer 33

agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation

Question 34

gridlock

Answer 34

slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship

Question 35

divided government

Answer 35

control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress split between the two major parties

Question 36

lame duck period

Answer 36

period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees