Unit 3

House of Representatives

A chamber of Congress with members based on population; qualifications include minimum age of 25, 7 years of citizenship, and 2-year terms.

Senate

A chamber of Congress with equal representation (2 per state); qualifications include minimum age of 30, 9 years of citizenship, and 6-year terms.

Mandatory Spending

Government spending required by law, such as Social Security and Medicare.

Discretionary Spending

Government spending decided through the appropriations process, including areas like Defense and Education.

Pork Barrel Spending

Government spending on localized projects intended to bring money to a representative's district.

Divided Government

A situation where one party controls the presidency while another controls one or both houses of Congress.

Bipartisanship

Cooperation between the two major political parties that can lead to legislative successes, but may also cause gridlock.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another.

Cracking

Diluting a political party's voting power by splitting their voters across multiple districts.

Packing

Concentrating as many voters of one party into a single district to reduce their influence in surrounding districts.