AP US Government and Politics Terms

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 executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

Constituency

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

Apportionment

The 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

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

Partisan Gerrymandering

Drawing district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

Majority-Minority District

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

Malapportionment

The uneven distribution of the population between legislative districts.

Incumbent

A political official who is currently in office.

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 Representative, chosen by an election of its members.

Political Actions Committee (PAC)

An organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.

House Majority Leader

The person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives.

Whip

A member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.

Minority Leader

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

Senate Majority Leader

The 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

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 a vote.

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.

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

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

Unanimous Consent Agreement

An agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill.

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 action, provided three-fifths of senators agree to it.

Veto

Formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

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

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 difference 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 carry out constituent wishes.

Trustee Role

The idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making 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

A situation that occurs 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.

Formal or Enumerated Powers

Powers of the president expressly granted in the Constitution.

Informal Powers

Powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties.

Treaty

An agreement with a foreign government negotiated by the president and requiring a two-thirds vote in the Senate to ratify.

State of the Union Address

The annual speech from the president to Congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs.

Pocket Veto

An informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session.

Presidential Pardon

Presidential authority to forgive and individual and set aside punishment for a crime.

Executive Privilege

A right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress.

Executive Agreement

An agreement between a president and another nation that does not have the same durability in the American system as a treaty does but does not require Senate ratification.

Signing Statement

Text issued by presidents while signing a bill into law that usually consists of political statements or reasons for signing the bill but may also include a president’s interpretation of the law itself.

Executive Order

Policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval.

War Powers Resolution

A law passed over President Nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than sixty days without congressional authorization.

Impeachment

Charges issued by the House of Representatives against a federal official for committing “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Executive Office of the President

A collection of offices within the White House organization designed mainly to provide information to the president.

Bargaining and Persuasion

An informal tool used by the president to persuade members of Congress to support his or her policy initiatives.

Bully pulpit

Presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies.

Going Public

A tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the American people with the hope that the people will, in turn, put pressure upon their Representatives and senators to press for a president’s policy goal.

Executive Branch

The institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch.

Veto

Formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress.

Federal Judiciary

The branch of the federal government that interprets the laws of the nation.

Supreme Court

The highest level of the federal judiciary, which was established in Article III of the Constitution and serves as the highest court in the nation.

Original Jurisdiction

The authority of a court to hear a case first, which includes the finding of facts in the case.

Appellate Jurisdiction

The authority of a court to hear and review decisions made by lower courts in that system

Federalist No. 78

Argument by Alexander Hamilton that the federal judiciary would be unlikely to infringe upon rights and liberties but would serve as a check on the other two branches.

Judicial Review

The authority of the Supreme Court to strike down a law or executive action if it conflicts with the Constitution.

Criminal Law

A category of law covering actions that harm the community itself.

Civil Law

A category of law covering cases involving private rights and relationships between individuals and groups.

Federal District Courts

The lowest level of the federal judiciary; these courts usually have original jurisdiction in cases that start at the federal level.

Federal Court of Appeals

The middle level of the federal judiciary; these courts review and hear appeals from the federal district courts.

Precedent

A judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases.

Stare Decisis

The practice of letting a previous legal decision stand.

Majority opinion

A binding Supreme Court opinion, which serves as precedent for future cases.

Concurring Opinion

An opinion that agrees with the majority decision, offering different or additional reasoning that does not serve as precedent.

Dissenting Opinion

An opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion and does not serve as precedent.

Judicial Restraint

A philosophy of constitutional interpretation that asserts justices should be cautious in overturning laws.

Judicial Activism

A philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

A Supreme Court decision that established judicial review over federal laws.