Chapter 4 Gov Vocab

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 of 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 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 who are trying to find off challengers in an election

Speaker of the House

the leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members

political action 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 a 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 debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it.

veto

the 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)

the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorites

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 than it spends

budget deficit

the 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 carry out constituents’ wishes

trustee role

the 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

a 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