AP Gov Unit 9-12 Exam

earmarks ("pork barrel spending)

Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.
CE: maybe the most famous one being the Bridge to Nowhere, but earmarks are actually no longer allowed

logrolling

An agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills "I scratch your back, you scratch my back"

oversight

the effort by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies
CE: there is a current argument about whether Congress going after Trump's taxes can be connected to oversight

constituency

the people and interests that an elected official represents
CE: How does Lori Trahan represent the 3rd District?

apportionment

Distribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state
CE: because of Baker v. Carr these districts have to be approximately the same size

redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.
CE: 2020 is a census year so there will be redistricting

gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
CE: this makes the 2020 state legislative races very important and recently the Supreme Court said that partisan gerrymandering can't be remedied by the Supreme Court, but racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional

partisan gerrymandering

redistricting controlled by the majority party in a state's legislature, to increase the number of districts that party can expect to carry

majority-minority districts

In the context of determining representative districts, the process by which a majority of the population is from the minority.
CE: the Voting Rights Act of 1965 encouraged this but Reno v. Shaw said that racial gerrymandering is not allowed

malapportionment

unfair proportional distribution of representatives to a legislative body
CE: some people believe that the Senate has too much malapportionment because small states get the same legislative power as large states

incumbency

holding the political office for which one is running

incumbency advantage

The relative infrequency with which members of Congress are defeated in their attempts for reelection.
CE: the fact that many Republicans retired prior to the 2018 midterm elections helped Democrats regain the House

Speaker of the House

An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.
CE: the current Speaker of the House is Nancy Pelosi

political action committees

committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates

House majority leader

the person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives
CE: Steny Hoyer

Whip

a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking and tries to ensure party unity and discipline especially when voting on legislation
CE: the majority Whip is Jim Clyburn and the minority Whip is Steve Scalise

minority leader

the head of the party with the second highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party's members
CE: the current minority leader is Kevin McCarthy

Senate majority leader

The chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate, who directs the legislative program and party strategy.
CE: it's currently Mitch McConnell

committee chair

The head of a committee appointed by the Speaker of the House (always of the majority party). They have a role in shaping legislation and it's often based on seniority but seniority has meant less in recent years and the Republicans also established term limits but sometimes a person can be punished by their own party and lose positions. The person in the minority party is called the

discharge petition

Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.
CE: discharge petitions are very rare today, however some of the repeal Obamacare bills bypassed committee action

House Rules Committee

Powerful House standing committee that reviews all bills coming from other House committees before they go to the full House (gatekeeper function); sets time limit for debate decides whether amendments can be added (open or closed rule).
CE: unique to the House of Representatives and makes it a more centralized body

Committee of the Whole

A device used in the House of Representatives to expedite the passage of legislation. The quorum is reduced from 218 members to 100, and the Speaker appoints a member of the majority party as chair. Time allotted for debating the bill in question is split equally between its proponents and opponents. The committee cannot itself pass legislation but may debate and propose amendments.

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 an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation
CE: they have become very common and Senators can enact one without talking; in practice they have the Senate into a legislative body that requires 60 votes for most legislation

cloture

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate. It currently requires 60 votes

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Presidential staff agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.
CE: currently leader is Mick Mulvaney

entitlement programs

Government benefits that certain qualified individuals are entitled to by law, regardless of need.
CE: the biggest entitlement programs include social security and medicare

mandatory spending

Federal spending required by law that continues without the need for annual approvals by Congress.
CE: entitlement programs makes up a majority of mandatory spending and this makes up the majority of the federal budget

discretionary spending

Federal spending on programs that are controlled through the regular budget process (outside of mandatory spending)

budget surplus

an excess of tax revenue over government spending
CE: the last budget surplus was in the late 1990s

budget deficit

the shortfall when a national government takes in less money than it spend in a given year
CE: the current budget deficit is over a trillion dollars

national debt

the total amount of money owed by the federal government
CE: it's currently around 22.5 trillion dollars

delegate role

A concept of legislative work as simply voting the desires of one's constituents, regardless of one's own personal views

trustee role

the concept that legislators should vote on the basis of their consciences and the broad interests of the nation, not simply on the views of their constituents

politico role

Role played by elected representatives who act as trustees or as delegates, depending on the issue.

bipartisanship

A policy that emphasizes a united front and cooperation between the major political parties, especially on sensitive foreign policy issues.

gridlock

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government
CE: the rise of more divided government and polarization has led to more gridlock

divided government

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress
CE: we currently have divided government and it leads to more gridlock

political polarization

In the 2000s the political parties became regionally divided. Traditional, religious, and anti-government voters were often in rural and suburban areas and voted Republican. Liberals were commonly found in urban areas and voted Democrat. (p. 679)

lame duck period

The time during which a president who has lost an election or has ended a second term is still in office before the new president serves

Reno v. Shaw (1993)

NO racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority-minority districts.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

"One man, one vote." Ordered state legislative districts to be as near equal as possible in population; Warren Court's judicial activism.

descriptive representation

the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents

substantive representation

Theory of representation that says that anyone can represent any group (ex. a rich white guy can represent the interests of poor black people). Compare to Descriptive Representation.

federal bureaucracy

the department and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation

FEMA

Abbreviation for Federal Emergency Management Agency

bureaucrats

an official employed within a government bureaucracy

political patronage

filling of administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than solely on merit (sometimes this is referred to the spoils system because to the victors goes the spoils)
CE: today a lot of ambassadors are appointed based more on patronage

Pendleton Act

1883 law that created a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons

federal civil service

the merit-based bureaucracy, excluding the armed forces and political appointments, they are suppose to be more apolitcal and are somewhat protected from firings based on politics

merit system

A system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage. Many civil service jobs today require an exam

Cabinet Departments

The fifteen largest and most influential agencies of the federal bureaucracy (e.g., Department of State, Treasury, Justice...) Headed by Secretary or Attorney General (Department of Justice)

independent regulatory agencies

Federal regulatory agencies that are independent, thus not fully under the power of the president. Ex. Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission. They have both quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers. The first one was the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroads

independent executive agencies

governmental units that closely resemble a Cabinet department but have narrower areas of responsibility and perform services rather than regulatory functions
Example: NASA

government corporations

A government organization that, like business corporations, provides a service that could be provided by the private sector and typically charges for its services. The U.S. Postal Service and AMTRAK are examples.

Senior Executive Service

An elite cadre of about 9,000 federal government managers at the top of the civil service system.

General Services

Career civil servants and their job ranking is clearly defined through a system often based on experience, education levels and scores on merit based exams. They are also protected from termination (there must be cause)

iron triangle

A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

issue network

A network that includes policy experts, media pundits, congressional staff members, and interest groups who regularly debate an issue.

Regulatory Capture Theory

Regulatory body is influenced or controlled by industry being regulated

Regulatory capture happens when a regulatory agency, formed to act in the public's interest, eventually acts in ways that benefit the industry it is supposed to be regulating, rather than the public. Appointments are important when it comes to the regulatory capture theory

policy agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.

implementation

The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending.

bureaucratic discretion

bureaucrats' use of their own judgement in interpreting and carrying out the laws of Congress

regulation

the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector

notice and comment

A step in the rule-making process in which proposed rules are published in the Federal Register and made available for debate by the general public.

Federal Register

An official document, published every weekday, which lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies.

quasi-legislative powers

Having a partly legislative character by possession of the right to make rules and regulations having the force of law.

quasi-judicial powers

Actions of an agency, board, or other government entity in which there are hearings, orders, judgments, or other activities similar to those of courts.

bureaucratic adjudication

when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals groups are covered under a regulation or program and may issue fines or other penalties, therefore acting like a court

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

A federal legislative agency that audits (investigates) other agencies of the federal government and reports it's findings to Congress (makes sure they are not spending more money than the government has appropriated for them).

Michigan v. EPA (2015)

the Supreme Court overturned the EPA's limits on mercury, arsenic, and acidic gases emitted by coal-fire power plants, known as mercury and air toxic standards. The Court said the EPA had to consider costs on businesses when implementing a regulation

Fragmentation

Sometimes different bureaucratic agencies have a piece of implementing, overseeing, or fixing a problem

executive branch

the branch of government that carries out laws

Federalist 70 ("The Executive Department Further Considered")

Hamilton argues that an energetic single executive will protect against foreign attacks, provide for the administration of laws, and protect liberty and property

Formal or Enumerated Powers

powers expressly granted in the Constitution (Article 2)
CE: veto laws, sign treaties, accept ambassadors, appointment powers

informal powers

powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties
CE: executive orders, executive agreements, bully pulpit

treaties

formal agreements between nations that are formed by the president and ratified by a 2/3 vote of the Senate

State of the Union Address

A yearly report by the president to Congress describing the nation's condition and recommending programs and policies

veto

Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature, but can be overridden with a 2/3 vote of Congress

pocket veto

A veto taking place when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president, who simply lets it die by neither signing nor vetoing it.
CE: very rare today because Congress is almost always in session

presidential pardon

Power of the executive branch to forgive a person of a crime and prevent the person from being re-tried. It can only be used for federal crimes and there are basically no checks on it besides public disapproval

executive privilege

The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security.
CE: Nixon tried to use this to prevent handing over Oval Office recordings, but the Supreme Court ruled against him

executive agreements

Formal international agreements entered into by the president that do not require the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.
CE: have become more common lately

signing statements

announcements made by the president when signing bills into law, often presenting the president's interpretation of the law

executive orders

Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the federal bureaucracy.
CE: Trump's Travel Ban, Obama's DACA, Truman desegregated the army, internment of Japanese Americans during World War II

War Powers Resolution

A law passed in 1973 spelling out the conditions under which the president can commit troops without congressional approval.

impeachment

Charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives (Simple Majority Vote) then the Senate must convict with a 2/3 vote and that triggers removal
CE: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached, but not convicted/removed and NIxon would have been but resigned first

Vice President

Presides over the Senate but can only vote during a tie and is also first in line for presidential succession
CE: Mike Pence is the current Vice President

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

Ten organizations that advise the President. Includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisors, and National Security Council. Top positions must be confirmed by Senate.
CE: has become more important to the president in recent years and in many ways gaining more power at the expense of the Cabinet

Freed Greenstein's Modern Presidency

1. president now regulation initiates legislation
2. many unilateral powers have been delegated to the presidency by Congress, including greater authority over trade policy and war
3. the president is now the focus of public attention
4. and there is a large staff directly owrking for the president housed in the EOP

bargaining and persuasian

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 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 goals

12th Amendment

Brought about by the Jefferson/Burr tie, stated that presidential and vice-presidential nominees would run on the same party ticket. Before that time, all of the candidates ran against each other, with the winner becoming president and second-place becoming vice-president.

22nd Amendment

Limits the president to two terms or 10 years.

20th Amendment

Congress begins on January 30th; President starts on January 20th
"Lame-duck" Amendment

25th Amendment

(1) Succession of VP if president dies or become incapable to do his job.(2) if there is no VP, president must appoint one, and congress must approve

original jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case. However, there are a few unique circumstances where the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction

appellate jurisdiction

Authority of court to review a decision of a lower court or administrative agency. The Supreme Court usually has appellate jurisdiction