Spending
What is mandatory spending?
Entitlement programs or Interest on debt that the government is required to fund.
What is a filibuster?
A tactic used in the senate, when a senator uses unlimited debate to delay action on legislation
Congress's monitoring of the executive branches actions/ processes
What are earmarks?
The allocation of money to specific processes in states or congressional districts
What are constiteuncies?
bodies of voters in an area who elect a representative or senator
What is discretionary spending?
Leftover funds allocated to programs annually by congress and the president through the budget process
How is a filibuster ended?
With a successful vote of cloture, which requires 3/5's of senators
What is the impeachment process?
The house of reps issues the articles of impeachment, and a trial takes place in the senate with 2/3 majority needed to convict.
What is logrolling?
Legislatures trading votes on legislation to get their earmarks passed
What is partisan gerrymandering?
Drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party
What is pork barrel spending?
legislation that directs specific funds to projects within states or districts "bringing home the bacon"
What is a hold?
A delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill
What is incumbency advantage?
Advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fed off challengers in an election
What is gerrymandering?
the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters
Ensure party unity and discipline
What are some examples of what discretionary spending is spent on?
Defense, education, transportation, law enforcement, and healthcare
What is a discharge petition?
A motion filed by a member of congress to force a bill onto the floor of the House for a vote.
What are some incumbency advantages?
They have more recognition (due to their time in office), franking privilege, credit claiming, and usually they have more money to get more media time
What is redistricting?
states redrawing boundaries of electoral districts following each census
What is the rules committee?
a committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the house floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor
What is budget surplus and budget deficit?
Budget surplus is when the government takes in more money than they spend (meaning they have leftover money)
Budget deficit is when the government takes in less money than they spend (meaning they are forced to borrow money)
What are all the different types of committees?
Standing committees: permanent committees with legislative jurisdiction
Select committees: temporary, created for a specific purpose
Joint committees: Permanent or temporary committees with both house and senate members
Conference committees: Temporary and used to resolve differences between legislation
How can congress check the bureaucracy?
They can conduct congressional hearings and investigations into the federal bureaucracy's actions
What is apportionment?
The process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.
What is bipartisanship and what is the trend relating to it?
Bipartisanship is the agreement between the parties to work together in congress to pass legislation
Trend: House and Senate tend to move away from bipartisanship, meaning they tend to become more polarized and less willing to work together