Party Leaders Past
This Speaker managed a 5-vote majority and was able to pass two major infrastructure bills.
Nancy Pelosi
When the Speaker prevents a divisive bill from ever reaching the floor to protect the party's brand.
Negative Agenda Control
This type of House rule prohibits any amendments from being offered to a bill on the floor.
Closed Rule
This occurs when the president doesn't sign or return a bill within ten days and Congress has adjourned.
Pocket Veto
Broockman and Skovron (2018) found that political elites systematically perceive their constituents as more __________ than they actually are.
Conservative
This Senate leader blocked Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination for 11 months using scheduling power alone. No hearing, no vote.
Mitch McConnell
The committee theory that says members seek assignments matching their constituents' interests — farmers on Agriculture, defense districts on Armed Services.
Distributive Theory
You need this many votes to invoke cloture and end a Senate filibuster.
60
These presidential statements accompany signed bills and sometimes signal the president's intent not to enforce certain provisions.
Signing Statements
Anzia and Berry (2011) named their theory after this baseball player, arguing that discrimination means only the most talented women win elections.
Jackie Robinson
This Speaker earned the nickname "Czar" for counting silent members as present, ending the disappearing quorum.
Thomas Brackett Reed
The Senate maneuver where the Majority Leader uses first right of recognition to fill all available amendment slots, blocking unwanted proposals.
Amendment Tree-Filling
This 1939 law restricts federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity in their official capacity.
Hatch Act
The strategy where a president appeals directly to the public to pressure Congress, sometimes called the "rhetorical presidency."
Going Public
Wilson and Young (1997) identified three cosponsorship signals: bandwagon, ideological, and this third type, where having a committee chair as cosponsor signals quality.
Expertise Signal
This progressive Republican from Nebraska led the 1910 revolt against Speaker Cannon by offering a privileged resolution to strip the Speaker from the Rules Committee.
George Norris
The theory that says leaders are only as powerful as their caucuses allow them to be, based on ideological unity and desire for majority status.
Conditional Party Government
This procedure allows the House to force a bill out of committee if a majority of members sign it.
Discharge Petition
To prevent presidential recess appointments, the Senate uses these — convening for just a few seconds to technically remain "in session."
Pro Forma Sessions
Krutz (2001) identified three explanations for omnibus legislating: politics, efficiency, and this third one — where bundling helps forge deals by combining unrelated provisions members each want.
Logrolling
This House Majority Leader held the 2003 Medicare vote open for nearly 3 hours and was later admonished by the Ethics Committee.
Tom Delay
Kingdon's framework where a policy window opens when the problem, policy, and politics streams converge.
This House rule automatically adopts changes to a bill when the rule itself is adopted. No separate vote required.
Self-Executing Rule
The 1998 Supreme Court case that struck down the Line Item Veto Act for violating the Presentment Clause.
Clinton v. City of New York
In Cameron's veto bargaining model, vetoes should never happen under this condition — but they do because Congress doesn't know the president's true preferences.
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