AP Gov Unit 2 Study Guide - Vocabulary

Filibuster

• unlimited/informal debate

• used to prolong debate and delay/prevent a vote (Senate)

Cloture

motion that can end a debate (filibuster) w/ 60% vote (Senate)

Coalition

• Alliance among Senators (can be across party lines) to achieve specific legislative goals 

• more likely to form in Senate due to longer terms 

Power of Purse

(Congress) Control over money/economics/finances

Pork Barrel Legislation

Funding a local project that is slipped into a larger appropriation bill

Logrolling

Combining several pieces of legislation into one bill to secure enough votes for passage

Impeachment

(House does impeachment) act of bringing formal charges against a gov official

Removal

(Senate does removal) actual trial

Discharge Petition

(House of Rep) Majority vote to get a bill out of committees to the floor

Unanimous Consent

• (Senate) Agreement from all to get work done faster (no filibuster)

• the most common way to bring a bill to the floor

Holds

(Senate) Request by senators to prevent bill from going on the floor to vote

Congressional Committees

• Both chambers refer bills to committees

• conduct hearings and debate

• markup bills w/ revisions and additions

Mandatory Spending

• Must be spent by law, entitlement spending 

• 2/3 of Fed budget 

• Ex: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid 

Discretionary Spending

• Leftover money that is fiercely debated over and approved yearly 

• 1/3 of fed budget 

• Ex: defense, education, infrastructure 

Mandatory/discretionary spending trend

mandatory goes up, discretionary goes down

Redistricting

Process of drawing electoral district boundaries

Gerrymandering

Redistricting to manipulate electoral district boundaries with the intent of creating a political advantage

Ideological Divisions in Congress

• Partisan Voting 

• Trustee 

• Delegate 

• Politico 

Partisan Voting

When members of Congress vote based on their political party affiliation

Trustee

Voting based on own knowledge and independent judgement

Delegate

• Sees themselves as an agent of those who elected them

• will vote on issues based on the interest of their own constituents

Politico

Combination of trustee and delegate

Polarization

• When political attitudes move toward ideological extremes, causing gridlock

• (situation in which no congressional action on legislation can be taken due to lack of consensus)

Lame Duck President

• Outgoing president who successor has already been chosen 

• If outgoing president loses: 2-month period between winner of the election winning and their inauguration. The president is then often seen as having less power, as officials know that they will not be in power for much longer. 

Disappearing middle 

In recent years, less moderates and more radicals

• “less middle ground”

• less shared beliefs

• everyone is either right or left

Racial Gerrymandering

drawing of districts based on race (illegal, established in Shaw v. Reno)

Partisan gerrymandering:  

drawing districts based on party lines—keeping Democratic areas together and Republican areas together; deemed legal by Supreme Court

Veto

• (enumerated power of President)

• Enables the President to check Congress by rejecting or refusing a bill from becoming a law 

• Can be overridden by 2/3 vote in both houses 

Pocket Veto

• (Enumerated power of President)

• When a president does not sign a bill for 10 days and Congress is not in session, resulting in a veto. 

• Cannot be overridden 

Signing Statement

• Implied Power

• informs Congress and the public of the President’s interpretation of laws passed and how they plan to carry them out

Role as Commander of Chief

• (Enumerated power of President) Foreign policy power

• giving the President superior power over all of America’s military and treaties

• national emergency response (National Guard and Fed Troops)

Executive Order

• (Implied power) Rule or order issued by the President with the force of law

• requires NO approval from Congress

Executive Agreement

• (Implied power)

• Acts as a treaty between the President and another (foreign) head of state

• does NOT need approval from Congress—unlike formal treaties which require 2/3 approval from Senate

Bargaining and Persuasion

• Implied Power

• Pressuring or Persuading Congress members to post legislation

• Enables President to secure congressional action

War Powers Resolution  

• designed to ensure that the president cannot engage in prolonged military conflict without congressional approval

• armed forces can only be deployed for 60 days + 30-day withdrawal period without a declaration of war or specific authorization from Congress

First 100 Days of Presidency

this is when a president is historically the most impactful

Bully pulpit:  

• president’s ability to use their position and visibility to speak directly to the public and influence opinions, set national agenda, or pressure Congress and leaders to act on important issues

• aided by the rise of technology (live television & social media)

22nd Amendment

Establishes Presidental term limits 

Stare Decisis

• “Let the decision stand” refers to precedents

• ‘holds that courts and judges should honor “precedent”—or the decisions, rulings, and opinions from prior cases)

Precedent

A decided case creating basis for determining later similar cases (can be overturned but is rare)

Judicial Activism

• Courts can and should go beyond to establish policy and make social change (seen in negative light)

• overturn current Constitutional and case precedent to invalidate legislative/executive acts

Judicial Restraint

• Favors “stare decisis.”

• Only strike down cases when the Constitution is violated (serious)

Bureaucracy

• Cabinet

• agencies

• departments

• groups

• carry out the responsibilities of the federal government and implement policy.

• They write and enforce regulations, issue fines, and testify in Congress

How are the Bureaucracies held accountable?

• Congressional oversight to ensure legislation is implemented as intended: 

• Review, monitoring, and supervision of bureaucracies 

• Investigation and committee hearings of bureaucratic activities 

• Power of Purse – Congress can appropriate/withhold fund

Delegated Discretionary Authority

Powers delegated to bureaucracies by the Executive and Legislative branches

Rule Making Authority

• An agency’s ability to make rules (regulations) that force compliance + have power of law.
  They enforce their regulations

Iron Triangles

• Policy making relationship between bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups.

• They are prominent in specific policy areas.

Issue Networks

Temporary coalitions of various interest groups and individuals who unite to promote a common issue or agenda

Compliance Monitoring

• Ensures that funds are being used properly, and regulations are being followed

• It can pose a threat to policy implementation