AP Gov Unit 2 Vocab

Pork Barrel Spending

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 earmarks passed into legislation.

Oversight

Efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

Constituencies

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 Districts

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.

Incumbency

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 Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

An organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns.

House Majority Leader

The person who is 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 party members.

Senate Majority Leader

The person who has the most power in the Senate, head of the party with the most seats.

Committee Chairs

Leaders of congressional committees who have 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 debate lasts, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor.

Committee of the Whole

Consists of all members of the House, meets in the House chamber but governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex legislation.

Hold

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

Unanimous Consent Agreements

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 ⅗ of senators agree to it.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

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

Entitlement programs

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

Trustees

The idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their own 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’ ability to legislate and overcome divisions, 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

Executive branch

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

Formal/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

Treaties

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 branch on the state of national affairs

Pocket veto

an informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within 10 days, during a time when congress as adjourned at the end of a session

presidential pardon

presidential authority to forgive an 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, especially of congress

executive agreements

an agreement between a president and another nation, doesn’t have same durability in american system as treaty, does not require senate ratification

signing statements

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

executive orders

policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval

war powers resolution (1973)

a law passed over president nixon’s veto, restricts power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days without congressional authorization

impeachment

the process of removing a president from office, with articles of impeachment issued by a majority vote in house of rep., followed by trial in senate, 2/3 vote necessary to convict and remove

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

informal tool used by president to persuade members of congress to support his policy initiatives

Bully pulpit

presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his policies

Going public

a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the american people with the hope that people will put pressure upon their representatives and senators to press for a president’s policy goals

federal judiciary

the branch of the federal government that interprets and applies to the laws of the nation

Supreme court

the highest level of the federal judiciary, established in Article 3 of Constitution, serves as the highest court in the nation

original jurisdiction

the authority of a court to act as the first court to hear a case, including the finding of facts in the case

appellate juridstiction

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

Federalist No. 78

argument by 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

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

a Supreme Court decision that established judicial review over federal laws

Judicial review

the authority of the supreme court to strike down a law or executive action, if in conflict with constitution

Criminal law

a category of law covering actions determined to harm the community

Civil law

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

federal district courts

the lowest levels of the federal judiciary, have original jurisdiction in cases that start at federal level

federal courts of appeals

the middle level of federal judiciary, review and hear appeals from federal district courts

precedent

a judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases

stare decisis

letting a previous decision stand

majority opinion

binding supreme court opinions, serve as precedent for future cases

concurring opinion

an opinion that agrees with majority decision, offering different or additional reasoning, does not serve as a 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 justices should be cautious in overturning laws

judicial activism

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

Federal bureaucracy

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

bureaucrat

an official employed within a government bureaucracy

political patronage

filling of administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than solely on merit

Pendleton Act

an act of Congress, created first US civil service commision, draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promoting, and tenure of office within civil service, civil service reform act of 1883

federal civil service

the merit-based bureaucracy, excluding armed forces and political appointments

merit system

a system of hiring and promotion based on competitive test results + other qualifications rather than politics and personal connections

Iron triangle

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals

issue network

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates

Implementation

the bureaucracy’s role in putting into action the laws that congress has passed

bureaucratic discretion

power to decide how a law is implemented, what congress meant when it passed the law

regulation

process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law, to carry out laws passed by congress

bureaucratic adjudication

when federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program