AP Gov Unit 2 Vocab

Pork Barrel Spending

Allocation of monies to projects within districts or states.

Logrolling

Members of Congress trade votes to get their earmarks passed (a way of achieving pork barrel spending)

Constituency

Bodies of voters in an area who elect a representative for a legislative body.

Apportionment

Process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.

Redistricting

States redrawing the boundaries of the electoral districts, the party in power controls this process.

Gerrymandering

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

Partisan Gerrymandering

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific political party.

Majority-Minority Districts

Majority of voters of minority ethnicity within a district.

Speaker of the House

The presiding leader of the House of Representatives that is the most powerful member who controls house agenda (only house leadership position described in the Constitution Article I section II) The House of Rep. shale chuse their Speaker and other Officers.

House Majority Leader

Second-in-command, assists the speaker, sets agenda for majority party.

Whip (majority and minority)

Collects information about how individual members are planning to vote, corralling their support on key votes and setting party strategy in Congress Assists the majority leader.

Minority Leader

Leader of the party with the second-highest number of seats (House of Representatives). Leader of the opposition party in Senate (Senate Leadership).

Senate Majority Leader

Head of the party with the most seats and is the most powerful person in the Senate, but not as powerful as the Speaker of the House. Responsible for sharping the legislative agenda.

Filibuster

Using unlimited debate with the intention of talking a Bill to death (only happens in the Senate).

Cloture

60 Senators vote to end filibuster and proceed to action (moving on from deliberation).

Office of Management & Budget

Federal Government covers expenses for fiscal year (October-September). -Recent budgets have been trillions of dollars

Entitlement Program

Program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income.

Mandatory Spending

Federal money required by law to spend that is included in the budget set by Congress.

Discretionary Spending

Spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president.

Budget Surplus

Government Spending less than Government Revenue.

Budget Deficit

Annual government spending that is more than its revenue that year.

National Debt

Multiple deficits on a national scale over time equals national debt.

Politico Role

Emphasizes that Congress is a politicized body; members of Congress balance their choices with the interest of constituents and parties.

Executive Branch

Charged with putting the nation's laws into effect.

Formal/Enumerated Powers

Powers given to the federal government by the US Constitution.

Informal Power

Necessary power given to the president.

Treaty

Making Power (the agreement between two or more countries).

Pocket Veto

Informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of session.

Executive Privilege

A right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress.

Signing Statement

Written comments issued by presidents while signing a bill into law that usually consist of political statements or reasons for signing the bill but that may also include a president’s interpretation of the law itself.

Executive Order

Policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval.

Impeachment

Removing a president form office, or a charge of misconduct issued by majority of the house of representatives vote. Followed by a trial in senate, with two-thirds vote necessary to convict and remove.

Bully Pulpit

Appeal to the public to pressure other branches of government to support their policies.

Executive Office of the President

An organization of the federal government directly supporting the president.

Federal Judiciary

Branch of the federal government whose role is to interpret and apply the laws of the nation.

Supreme Court

Highest Court of the U.S. Appeals courts from other Appellate courts.

Original Jurisdiction

When the court has the authority to hear the case first, where the issue originates.

Appellate Jurisdiction

Court has authority to review the decision of a lower court, and overturn or revise that decision.

Federalist No. 78

Hamilton discussing how members of Congress would stand apart from politics (impartial decision) and no power of the purse and sword—meaning the branches of government—were reliant on other branches for enforcement. The federal judiciary can only judge, therefore there would be no threat to liberty.

Marbury v. Madison

Marbury did not receive his commission to serve on the federal bench. He filed a lawsuit asking the Court to issue a writ of mandamus to force Madison to deliver his commission. Marbury was entitled to his commission, but the Court did not have the authority to issue a writ of mandamus to force its delivery. This is the first time the court exercised judicial review.

Judicial Restraint

Philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should be cautious in overturning laws.

Judicial Activism

An interpretation of the constitution that states that Supreme Court justices should be able to execute judicial review.

Federal Bureaucracy

The departments and agencies within the executive branch that write rules and procedure that implement laws passed by Congress.

Regulation (in relation to bureaucracy)

Process through which the federal bureaucracy fills in critical details of law.

Bureaucrat

Officials employed within government agencies that make up bureaucracy (creates regulations to achieve policy goals crated by the president or Congress) that influences daily lives all the time.

Iron Triangle

Consists of three parts— each of which works with the other two to achieve their shared policy goals (bureaucracy, specific Committees of congress, and interest groups); shows the linking of the benefits that each member gives the others.

Bureaucratic Discretion

Bureaucrats have some power to decide how a law or rule is implemented.

Bureaucratic Adjudication

Bureaucracy acts as a court to settle disputes between parties.