AP Gov: Congress

Exam 2

pork barrel

the use of government funds for projects designed to please voters or legislators and win votes.

casework

lame duck

A "lame-duck president" is an outgoing president in the final period of their term, after a successor has been chosen

When the president is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection

The president loses the election but remains in office until the new president is inaugurated.

The president chooses not to seek another term in office, as President Joe Biden did before the 2024 election. 

Who becomes president when the President and Vice President have been killed, impeach/removed, or resigned

speaker of the house/ house majority leader

What is the minimum number of house representatives that a state has?

1

Do house or senate members have more contact with their constituents?

house members, more reps, based off of population

What do house members represent?

a district

What do senators represent?

a state

What is casework?

Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals by getting them stuff they need

What is reapportionment?

After a census, the number of House members in a state changes

redistricting

When states redraw lines to address their new numbers of House members

Partisan gerrymandering

When lines are redrawn to guarantee more House members of a particular party

Racial gerrymandering

When lines are redrawn to guarantee House members of certain races are elected

What is considered mandatory spending as required by the law?

all expenditures not covered by the annual appropriations process, primarily funding entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as net interest payments on the national debt

What is considered discretionary spending according to the law?

money for federal programs and agencies that must be formally approved by Congress and the President through an annual appropriations process

What is a packing?

means putting as many members of one party into one district to limit the amount of seats they win overall.

What is cracking?

means splitting members of the opposing party into two different districts.

The salary for members of Congress (as of 2024)

174K

What is a trustee?

When members vote according to their own best judgment, and that’s ok with the people

What is a delegate?

When members vote based on what the will of the people is that they represent

What is a politico?

Sometimes they vote based on their own judgment, sometimes they vote based on what their voters want

How are speaker/majority members chosen?

by members

Who assigns bills to committees in the House and assigns membership within committees

speaker

What is descriptive representation?

Congress members who represent constituents (people) by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics

What is proportionate representation?

a political party's share of legislative seats is proportional to its share of the total vote

What is substantive representation?

Congress members who represent constituents (people)’s interests which they themselves are not members

How many terms can senators serve for?

unlimited

Where do revenue raising bills start:

house only

What is a cloture?

a vote to stop a filibuster

how many votes are needed to stop a filibuster?

60%

How old do house members need to be?

25

The filibuster is used in

Senate

how many terms can house members serve for?

unlimited

What part of gov convicts and removes presidents and federal judges?

Senate

How many house of representatives are there?

435

How many years are in a senate term?

6

How many senators are there?

100

How can congress members claim credit?

casework, pork barrel

What is an incumbent and advantages do they have in elections?

incumbent: the holder of an office or post.

advantages: credit claiming, party ID, campaign spending, advertising, weak opponents

What is legislative oversight?

Congress’s monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its administration of law policy, performed mainly through committee hearings. 

How old do senators need to be?

30

How many votes are required to impeach?

1/2

How long is a house members term?

2 years

president pro tempore

presides over the Senate when the President of the Senate is unavailable

How does a bill become a law?

step 1: bill is introduced

step 2: committee review/vote

step 3: rules committee

step 4-ish: floor debate/vote (H&S)

step 5-ish: conference committee

step 6 (if required): revote on revised bill (H&S)

step 7: presidential approval

Which races tend to draw more skilled and visible challengers

senate

What is a deficit?

The money borrowed when the government spends more money than it takes in during a single year

standing committees

Which races tend to draw more skilled and visible challengers

subcommittees

smaller units of a committee

joint committees

Exist in a few policy areas and has members from Senate and House

conference committees

Formed between House and Senate to hammer out differences in different versions of same bill

select committees

Temporary or permanent: has a specific focus

Whip

keeps party discipline/walk party lines

speaker

person who presides over the house of representatives

majority leader

In charge of committee assignments for the Senate; sets legislative agenda

president pro tempore

Longest serving person in the Senate in the Majority party

minority leader

figure head for the party not in charge

house member

person in congress who most closely - represents you and your interests

If a Senator leaves office before the term is up, who selects the replacement in 37 states?

governor

Which group of people is the most proportionately underrepresented in Congress?

women

political polarization

when liberals and conservatives in congress engage in gridlock, refusing to negotiate compromise with each other to get things done

logrolling

A congress member votes for a bill so others will vote for their own bill

house member millbrae/san bruno

kevin mulling

1st US senator for california

alex padilla

interim US senator for california

laphonza butler

speaker of the house

mike johnson

senate majority leader

chuck schumer

senate minority leader

mitch mcconnell

president of the senate

kamala Harris

What is debt?

the total amount the U.S.A. owes to creditors

Impeaches presidents and federal judges:

house

what is unanimous consent

when all voting members of the senate agree to limit debate to ensure a vote

What is a hold in the senate?

when a senator votes against unanimous consent

What is a rider?

something extra added to a bill that usually has nothing to do with the main bill

Who is responsible for redrawing district lines?

states

What powers does the house have?

1. has more centralized stronger leadership

2. more influence on budget

3. more likely to get reelected

4. limited debate

Decides which bills will go to debate with the full House

House Rules Committee

Includes all 435 representations; 100 needed for a quorum

Committee of the Whole

Used to force a bill out of committee for debate and voting among the full House

Discharge Petition

filibuster

unlimited debate to prevent a vote on a bill

The President of the Senate’s main job:

In the event of a tie, they cast the deciding vote

caucus

Group of members of Congress hearing some interest or characteristic.  Many member are composed of members from both parties and from both House and Senate.