Powers of Congress
This congressional power allows the Senate to approve treaties and presidential appointments.
What is advice and consent?
This compromise led to the creation of a two-house legislature balancing representation between small and large states.
What is the Great Compromise?
This model of representation encourages lawmakers to act based on their constituents' desires.
What is the delegate model?
This Senate procedure can be used to extend debate indefinitely unless ended by a cloture vote.
What is a filibuster?
This case established the principle of “one person, one vote” to ensure equal representation in legislative districts.
What is Baker v. Carr (1962)?
This clause in the Constitution gives Congress the authority to create laws necessary for executing its enumerated powers.
What is the necessary and proper clause?
Members of this chamber serve two-year terms and represent districts based on population.
What is the House of Representatives?
This model combines responsiveness to constituents with independent decision-making by lawmakers.
What is the politico model?
This rule allows the Senate to end a filibuster with a three-fifths majority vote.
What is the cloture rule?
This case ruled that racially gerrymandered districts violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
What is Shaw v. Reno (1993)?
This term refers to the ability of Congress to tax and allocate federal funds.
What is the power of the purse?
Members of this chamber serve six-year terms and represent entire states.
What is the Senate?
This term refers to the strategic trading of votes between legislators.
What is logrolling?
This type of spending is determined by annual appropriation bills and includes funding for defense and education.
What is discretionary spending?
This term describes the redrawing of congressional districts to favor a specific political party.
What is gerrymandering?
Congress can raise armies, declare war, and regulate interstate commerce under this set of powers.
What are enumerated powers?
This amendment, ratified in 1913, allowed for the direct election of Senators by the people.
What is the Seventeenth Amendment?
This phenomenon occurs when partisanship prevents Congress from passing legislation.
What is gridlock?
This type of spending is legally required for programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
What is mandatory spending?
This term refers to the time when a president has limited power, often after a successor has been elected.
What is a "lame duck" president?
This term describes funds earmarked for specific local projects, often criticized as wasteful.
What is pork-barrel spending?
This term describes the system of a two-house legislature in the United States Congress.
What is bicameralism?
This model encourages lawmakers to use their own judgment, even if it opposes constituents' opinions.
What is the trustee model?
This House committee controls the flow of legislation and schedules bills for debate.
What is the Rules Committee?
This process involves reshaping congressional districts after each census to reflect population changes.
What is redistricting?