Unit 3: Legislative Branch Flashcards
pork barrel spending
legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states
logrolling
trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation
oversight
efforts by Congress to ensure that the executive branch is acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals
constituency
body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator
apportionment
process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data
redistricting
states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census
gerrymandering
international use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters
partisan gerrymandering
drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party
majority-minority district
district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within their electoral district
malapportionment
uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts
incumbency
being already in office as opposed to running for the first time
incumbency advantage
institutional advantages held by those already in office
political action committee
organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns
Speaker of the House
leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members
house majority leader
person who is the second-in-command in the House of Representatives
whip
member of Congress, chosen by their party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline
minority leader
head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members
Senate majority leader
person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats
committee chair
leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda
discharge petition
motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House for a vote
House rules committee
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
Committee of the Whole
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
hold
delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill
filibuster
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
cloture
procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action provided 60 senators agree to it
veto
power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities
entitlement program
program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income
mandatory spending
spending required by existing laws; locked in the budget
discretionary spending
spending for programs and policies at the behest of Congress and the president
budget surplus
shortfall when a government takes in more money than it spends
budget deficit
shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends
national debt
total amount of money owed by the federal government
delegate role
idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes
trustee role
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
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
