AP Gov Vocab

sequestration

automatic budget cuts that concur when Congress fails to meet budget targets

Office of Management and Budget

executive office that helps write the budget proposal for the president

Congressional Budget Office

agency that provides nonpartisan budgetary forecasts to Congress

Government Accountability Office

independent agency that audits federal spending and reports illegitimate use to Congress

budget reconciliation

legislative procedure that revise programs to achieve required savings

authorization bill

legislative act that establishes / continues / changes a discretionary government program / entitlement

appropriations bills

establishes funding for programs described in authorization bills

continuing resolutions

a temporary measure that Congress passes to avoid shutdown after failing to meet budgetary deadlines

omnibus bills

lumps of appropriations bills under one name

tax committees

committees in Congress that oversee tax legislation

Sixteenth Amendment

Amendment that gave Congress the right to levy a national income tax

budget deficit

occurs when expenditures exceed revenues within a fiscal year

national debt

the accumulation of every year’s unpaid deficits and interest on the debt

debt ceiling

a statutory limit on how much the federal government may borrow to meet obligations

fiscal illusion

a political problem illustrated by surveys showing Americans complaining about their tax burden; where voters want low taxes but high levels of government service

military-industrial complex

warned by Eisenhower of the close relationship between defense contractors and armed forces and how it could exert excessive influence over public policy

Medicare

health insurance or coverage for the elderly

Medicaid

health insurance or coverage for low-income

Social Security

retirement benefits to the elderly

incrementalism

the trend of making small increases to the federal budget with every fiscal year

capital gains

profits earned from selling assets for more than their purchase price

horizontal equity

name of the argument used to impose higher tax rates on wealthier groups

vertical equity

name of the argument used to impose progressive tax rates based on ability to pay

balanced budget

a fiscal condition where federal expenditures do not exceed federal revenues

social welfare programs

the general name of government assistance programs aimed at supporting low-income individuals and families

House Ways and Means Committee

the committee in the House of Representatives that has jurisdiction over tax legislation; where most revenue bills originate in the House

Senate Finance Committee

the committee in the Senate that has jurisdiction over tax legislation

GDP = Capital + Investment + Government Spending + (Exports - Imports)

the expenditure method of calculating GDP

budgetary politics

form of politics that refers to the struggle over how much the federal government should tax, spend, and borrow

authorization committees

the standing congressional bodies that determine policy goals and funding ceilings

appropriation committees

the congressional panels that divide discretionary spending

leakages

(in the context of the circular flow of income) savings, taxation, and imports

injections

(in the context of the circular flow of income) investment, government spending, export; adds demand to the economy

bully pulpit

described as the president’s ability to control the media by influencing public opinion and advocating for their agenda

executive agreements

binding agreements based by the president—acting as law—that do not require Senate approval

commander in chief of armed forces

the title of the president’s role that grants the president authority over military operations, national defense, and deployment of troops

War Powers Resolution

the resolution passed in 1973 that forced the president or consult with Congress when using military force over the course of a 60-day period; if not met, troops must be withdrawn

economic sanctions

economic policy tools (trade embargoes, freezing assets, restricting banking or tech) used to coerce / punish / pressure nations or states

electoral mandates

the perception that voters support the president and their policies because the president won the election

executive privilege

the justification used by the president to withhold certain confidential communications from Congress and the courts

political participation

the ways in which people get involved in politics

policy agenda

the list of issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved at a point in time

pluralism

the theory that argues group competition results in a rough approximation of public interest in public policy

elitism

the theory that American society is divided along class lines that allows an upper-class elite to holds power and create policy, regardless of an active or inactive government

hyperpluralism

the theory that argues that having too many groups competing for competition leads to the government attempting to appease all of them and ends in contradicting laws or gridlock

policy gridlock

what occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority, not allowing government to pass a policy

political culture

a set of values widely shared within a society

laissez-faire

the name of the economic policies that stems from the mindset Americans have when it comes to the government’s presence in the market

single-issue groups

groups with a single, narrow interest; often on which their members tend to take on uncompromising stance on

populism

the political philosophy that supports the rights of average citizens in their struggle against privileged elites

politics of scarcity

a form of politics that emphasizes competition over limited resources

party realignment

the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period

traditional democratic theory

the name of the theoretical principles: equal voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, a citizen-controlled agenda, and inclusion

democracy

a system of government where the citizens of the nation select policymakers

policy making system

the way that the government responds to the people’s problems

government

the institutions that make public policy for a society

polarization

an ideology that sets people in one group definitely apart from people in another rival group

inalienable / natural rights

the name given to the rights that are inherent in all human beings and not dependent on government to grant them

writ of habeas corpus

a legal procedure allowing detained individuals to challenge the legality of their confinement; requires the government or prove lawful authority for detention

checks and balances

the name of the feature that allows each branch of government to limit the power of other branches

Article V

the article in the Constitution that describes the process of how amendments can be proposed and ratified

Article VI

the article in the Constitution that establishes federal law as supreme in conflicts between federal law and state law

Tenth Amendment

the amendment in the Constitution that says powers not given to the federal government and not prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved for the states and the people

cooperative federalism

the form of federalism where powers are shared by the federal and the state governments; often compared to a marble-cake

Full Faith and Credit Clause

the name of the clause in the Constitution that ensures that judicial decrees and contracts made in one state are binding and enforceable in another

block grant

the name of a grant that is given to a state by the federal government with only general spending guidelines

Gibbons v. Odgen

the 1824 court case that confirmed Congress has broad authority to regulate commerce

extradition

the practice stating that states are required to return a person charged with a crime in another state for trial or imprisonment

elastic clause

the name of the clause in the Constitution that authorizes Congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out enumerated powers

fiscal federalism

the management of the government’s financial decisions that shows a pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system

mandate

a requirement that states must provide certain services as a condition of receiving funds

formula grant

the type of grant that distributes funds according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations

devolution

the transferring of responsibility for policies from the federal government to state governments

unfunded mandate

the type of mandate that requires a service under the threat of penalties or as a condition of receiving federal grants (but does not couple it with the funds necessary to uphold the service)

demography

the study of statistics such as births, death, income, or the incidence of disease to illustrate trends in human population

socializing agents

the different influences (such as family, school, and media) credited to impacting a person’s mindset and overall ideology

exit polls

public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision

reapportionment

the process of reallocating representatives to reflect each state’s proportion of the population; a process that occurs every ten years with the census

Census

the constitutionally mandated “actual enumeration” of the population that occurs every ten years

unconventional political participation

the form of political participation that involves non-institutionalized and controversial actions taken to influence policy; such as protests

civil disobedience

the public, nonviolent refusal to obey laws or government policies deemed unjust

conventional political participation

the form of political participation that describes the common, legal, and institutionalized actions to influence government and policy within democratic systems; such as voting or running for office or campaigning

mass media

collective forms of communication such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet

trial balloon

an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction it generates

agenda setting

the power of increasing public attention to specific problems in order to set the public’s policy agenda

policy entrepreneurs

people who invest their political capital in an issue

investigative journalism

the use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders

beats

specific, designated locations or institutions from which news frequently emanates (such as the White House, Congress, or the Supreme Court)

selective exposure

the tendency for viewers to seek news that aligns with their existing ideas

public cynicism

the name of generalized distrusts of institutions, leaders, and political processes

narrowcasting

the phenomenon where media outlets will focus on a particular interest and aim at a particular audience

press conferences

meetings between public officials and reporters

chains

the general name of groups of newspapers published by news conglomerates and account for over 80% of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation

sound bites

a short, memorable audio or video clip from a speech or interview that is used by the media to summarize a message; used to capture attention and influence public perception

First Amendment

the amendment in the Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech, the press, religion, assembly, and petition

linkage institution

the connecting channels between citizens and the government

open primary

a primary election in which any registered voter can vote in any party’s primary

closed primary

a primary election where only registered members of a political party can participate in selecting that party’s candidate

national committee

the entity that has ultimate authority over the national party organization