Unit 2 AP Gov/Com Poltcs Vocabulary

Pork barrel spending

legislation in appropriations bills that funds projects within districts or states.

Logrolling

combining several different bills into a single bill to get enough votes for the legislation to pass.

Oversight

the power of Congress to review and investigate actions by executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, to ensure that they are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

Constituency

citizens in a district or state who elect a representative or senator.

Appotionment

the process, occurring every 10 years after the census, to determine the number of representatives for each state using census data.

Redistricting

states’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts for the House of Representatives following each census.

Gerrymandering

the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific group, usually a political party.

Partisan gerrymandering

the practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to give one political party an unfair advantage over its rivals.

Majority-minority districts

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

Malapportionment

the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

Incumbency advantage

institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.

Speaker of the House

the leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by members, and from the majority party.

Political action committee

an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns and may donate money directly to a candidate’s campaign, subject to limits.

Whip

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

Discharge petition

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

House Rules Committee

a 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.

Filibuster

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

Cloture

a procedure through which senators can end a filibuster and proceed to a vote, provided sixty senators agree to it.

Veto

Office of Management and Budget

the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States, responsible for assisting the President in developing and executing the federal budget and overseeing the performance of federal agencies.

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 of Congress and the president.

Budget surplus

the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more money than it spends.

Budget deficit

the annual 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 vote according to their constituents’ wishes.

Trustee role

the idea that members of Congress should make decisions based on their knowledge and judgment.

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

when control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress is 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.