Gov't Potluck
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the embattled leader of a major U.S. agency, announced this week that she was stepping down. Which agency is it?
Department of Labor
Kevin Warsh, President Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve, faced questions about his independence during confirmation hearings this week. In one pointed exchange, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana asked Warsh if he would be what?
Trump's "sock puppet"
This type of congressional committee is primarily responsible for overseeing bureaucratic agencies and ensuring they implement laws as intended.
What is a standing committee?
A senator from an agricultural state amending a bill to establish a potato research institute in his or her state would be an example of this type of legislation.
Pork-barrel legislation
The Pentagon will stop requiring that troops get a vaccine against which disease?
The flu
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the annual flu vaccine will no longer be required for troops. He called the policy an “absurd, overreaching” mandate.
In this required Supreme Court case, the Court upheld broad congressional authority under the Commerce Clause, which has often justified expansion of federal regulatory agencies.
What is McCulloch v. Maryland?
This amendment expanded the franchise by prohibiting the use of poll taxes.
The 24th Amendment
Voters in Virginia narrowly passed a referendum to redraw the state’s congressional map. Which party does the new map benefit, and what is the maximum number of House seats it is expected to flip?
Democrats, +4
This clause has been used to justify the creation of federal bureaucratic agencies not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause?
A member of Congress that votes to close a popular tax loophole based on their belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt is an example of this model of representation?
The trustee model.
The Justice Department this week charged a civil rights group with financial crimes. Which group was it?
The Southern Poverty Law Center
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces a policy that is challenged in court for violating constitutional rights. The Court strikes it down, demonstrating this foundational principle from Federalist No. 51.
What is checks and balances?
After extensive polling, a member of the House of Representatives learns that her constituents favor environmental policies that conserve land use. Based on this information, the representative votes in favor of an environmental conservation bill, although she personally opposes the provision. In doing so, she is modeling this type of Congressional representation.
Delegate model of representation
This week, Swedish researchers published a study documenting the impact of environmental toxins on salmon. As part of their research, which drug did they give the fish?
Cocaine !
As it turns out, fish do get high: After being given capsules of the drug equivalent to what they would be exposed to living in a polluted waterway, the coked-up salmon swam faster and traveled farther than their sober counterparts.
A president issues an order directing a federal agency to change how it enforces immigration law without new legislation. This action reflects the argument for energetic executive authority found in this document.
What is Federalist No. 70?