unit 2

Flashcards on Congressional Leadership, Committees, and Powers

Speaker of the House

Typically the most powerful person in all of Congress. Leadership is much more important in the House than it is in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader

The most powerful person in the Senate, not the President Pro Temp.

President of the Senate

The Vice President, their constitutional duty is only important when there is a tie in the Senate.

Standing Committees

Permanent, long-lasting committees that do most of the work in Congress. Members gain expertise and specialization in specific policy areas.

Conference Committees

Made up of both House and Senate members, their sole purpose is to create a compromise version of a bill when the House and Senate pass different versions.

Special or Select Committee

Temporary committees created for investigations, such as into January 6th or COVID origins. Disbanded after filing their report.

Joint Committee

Any committee that includes both representatives and senators; a conference committee is a type of joint committee.

House Rules Committee

Exists only in the House and determines whether there can be debate or amendments added to bills (open or closed rule).

Ways and Means Committee

A House committee in charge of originating all tax revenue bills.

Senate Judiciary Committee

A Senate committee in charge of doing background checks, investigating, and holding confirmation hearings for presidential nominees for judges.

Discharge Petition

If a bill is stuck in committee, a majority of the House members can vote to force the bill out of committee and onto the House floor.

Committee of the Whole

The House forms itself into a committee to rush through the initial process and speed up the process for formalities.

Filibuster

A long speech designed to prevent or delay a bill from being voted on, typically used by the minority party.

Cloture

A three-fifths majority (60 votes) is required to end a filibuster or a hold in the Senate.

Hold

A senator is saying, hang on. I need more time to do some research. So before you vote on this bill or discuss it, I'm gonna place a hold on it so I can come back better informed.

Unanimous Consent Agreements

An agreement where all senators agree to waive debate and expedite the legislative process.

Rider

An amendment to a bill that is non-germane or not relevant to the topic of the bill; allowed in the Senate but not in the House.

Fiscal Policy

Anything involving taxing or government spending; fiscal policy is political and done by Congress and the President.

Monetary Policy

Economic policy focused on controlling the money supply and interest rates, often managed by a central bank (discussed in Unit 4).

Mandatory Spending

Spending that is required by law and occurs outside the regular budget process, like entitlement programs and interest on the debt.

Discretionary Spending

Spending that Congress can adjust annually during the budget process; defense is the largest area of discretionary spending.

Entitlement Programs

A legal obligation to provide payments or benefits to people who satisfy eligibility criteria set by law. (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid)

Pork Barrel Legislation

Legislation that provides money for a specific project or tangible benefit back to a member's home district.

Log Rolling

Vote trading: 'You vote for mine, I vote for yours.' It often goes hand in hand with pork barrel spending.

Omnibus Bill

A major budget bill that includes lots of different legislation and things that are unrelated all into one piece of legislation.

Trustee

A member of Congress who votes based on their own conscience and what they think is best for the long-term interest of the country.

Delegate

A member of Congress who votes how their constituents want, even if they personally disagree.

Politico

When it comes to issues everybody's paying attention to, I'll probably be a delegate. If people aren't really paying attention to it, it's really detailed and wonky, then I'll probably do, I think, as fast as a trustee.

Reapportionment

Every ten years, the census counts the population, and the number of seats that each state has in the House is changed based on population.

Redistricting

When the map was drawn in 27 districts. They gotta redraw the map and do it in 28. And so this is gonna be done by state legislatures.

Gerrymandering

Drawing districts in bizarre shapes, typically to benefit a party; partisan gerrymandering is allowed, but racial gerrymandering is not.

Malapportionment

Having districts of very unequal size (population) compared to another; disallowed to ensure districts are relatively equally populated.

Impeachment

The House holds the power of impeachment (simple majority), and the Senate holds the trial to convict and remove a president or federal official (two-thirds vote).

Veto

When congress passes a bill, they send it to the president. He has ten days, and he can veto that.

Pocket Veto

when the president when congress passes a bill, They can sign it into legislation or he can do nothing. If he does nothing, it becomes a law unless it's the last ten days of congress session

Commander in Chief

He is the head of the military and the armed forces. They report to him, makes treaties, nominates federal judges

Executive Orders

They don't require congressional action, but they have the power of law

Bully Pulpit

The president, when a president talks about something, people pay attention.

Signing Statements

When the president is signing a bill into law and so they essentially instruct the the executive branch to ignore it

Executive Agreement

executive agreements are just like treaties. But instead of a treaty which needs to be ratified by the senate, a an executive agreement a president can do unilaterally.

Congressional Oversight

Congressional hearings and investigation into an agency's activities.

Bureaucracy

the day to day workers. They're the ones who actually enforce laws and policies

Merit System

Promotes professionalism, specialization

Spoil System, aka the Patronage Systems

Where you would just hire your friends, the people who voted for you

Cabinet Departments

They have the broadest area of responsibility

Independent regulatory commissions

It needs to be for cause. Like, they have to commit a crime. They cannot be removed because the president doesn't like their policy.

Executive agencies

They perform some kind of public service

Government Corporations

They are doing a job that normally would be done by a private company

Administrative Discretion, Discretionary Authority

Essentially, it means that they get to choose how to implement the law. They get to choose the specific details

Judicial Review

Courts ruling on the constitutionality of things

Marbury versus Madison

The most important Supreme Court case in US history

Federalist seventy eight

Basically, he's saying, constitution is just piece of paper, and a piece of paper doesn't actually stop anybody. You need judges to enforce the law to protect the constitution.

The rule of four

If four justices wanna hear a case, then the court will hear the case

Past ruling that affects future rulings

Stare decisis Let the decision stand.What that means in practical terms is to follow precedent. The court does not need to rule on the same issue over and over and over and over again.

Precedent

Means let the decision stand The court does not need to rule on the same issue over and over and over and over again

Restraint

It's like, hey. If what Trump is doing is wrong, strike it down.

Digital Activism

Means let the decision stand The court does not need to rule on the same issue over and over and over and over again