AP government-unit 2

delegate model

Model of representation in which a member of Congress directly reflects the will of the people

trustee model

a model of representation in which a member of the House or Senate follows his or her own opinions in the best interest of the people

politico model

A model where the legislature will balance the voices of the constituents and their own opinions depending on what it is.

conscience model

model where the legislature will follow the will of the people until their conscience pulls them away

pork barrel spending

legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states. The main goal is to please local voters and win their support or votes in the next election.

logrolling

trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation

earmark

a line written into a law that forces the government to spend money on one specific local project chosen by a politician. the government agencies are legally required to send the money to that exact project.

Bureaucracy

the massive system of offices, rules, and unelected officials that handles the daily business of running a government.

bureau

an official government office or department staffed by hired experts who do the day-to-day work of carrying out and enforcing the laws.

impeach

To accuse government officials of misconduct in office (needs majority house votes)

gridlock

A slowdown or halt in Congress's ability to legislate.

What often causes gridlock in Congress?

Divisions based on partisanship. (loyalty to a political party)

divided government

When one political party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

bipartianship

agreement between the political parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation

constituency

the people and interests that an elected official represents (usually members of Congress)

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

Descriptive Representation

hen a politician looks like their constituents by sharing the same background, race, gender, or previous career.

Substantive Representation

is when a politician acts for their constituents by voting for the laws and policies they want, even if they don't share the same background.

credit claiming

is an election strategy where a member of Congress takes personal credit for getting something positive done for their district or state.

advice and consent

The power of the Senate to consult and approve/deny the presidents treaties and appointments.

entitlement program

a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income

mandatory spending

Government spending that happens automatically by law every year for programs like Social Security. This expense is locked in

discretionary spending

is government spending that Congress must debate and vote on every single year, like the military and education budgets.

standing comittee

a comittee that will always existin Congress to address specific areas of legislation, such as finance or foreign relations.

incumbancy (in Congress)

the holding of an office or the period during which a person is in a position of authority, especially in Congress, often providing advantages for re-election.

gery mandering

the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another, often leading to unequal representation.

franking advantage

the benefit that incumbency members get to send mail to constituents for free

open, swing, and safe house districts

A safe district is a voting region where one political party holds a dominant, reliable majority and consistently wins elections by large margins. In contrast, a swing district is highly competitive because voters are closely divided, meaning the seat can easily shift from one party to another between election cycles. Finally, an open district (or open seat) is one where the incumbent politician is not running for reelection, leaving the field open to new candidates from any party.

oversight

Congress's power to review, monitor, and supervise the executive branch and federal bureaucratic agencies

partianship

a fierce loyalty to ones political party

bill

a proposed law

markup session

the overall committee meeting where lawmakers debate and revise a bill

pigeonhole

when a bill gets killed by congress by a congress committee chairperson by ignoring it

rules committee

sets the rules for the debates including time limits, time, ammendments

which chamber of Congress is the rules committee in

the house

fillbuster

a senate member speaking for or against a bill usually to delay or block a vote

cloture

ends a filibuster- requiring 3/5 votes from congress

ammendments

formal changes, deletions, or additions made to a piece of legislation

hold

when a senate member informally signals an objection to a bill; prevents unanimous consent.

veto

a presidential check that rejects a bill