Chapter 4 in Textbook and AMSCO Vocab

Question 1

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Answer 1

the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities

Question 2

Entitlement program

Answer 2

a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income

Question 3

Mandatory spending

Answer 3

spending required by existing laws that is “locked in” the budget

Question 4

Discretionary spending

Answer 4

spending for programs and policies at the discretion fo Congress and the president

Question 5

Budget surplus

Answer 5

the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more than it spends

Question 6

Budget defficit

Answer 6

the shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends

Question 7

National debt

Answer 7

the total amount of money owed by the federal government

Question 8

Delegate role

Answer 8

the idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes

Question 9

Trustee role

Answer 9

the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgement

Question 10

Politico role

Answer 10

representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions

Question 11

Bipartisanship

Answer 11

agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation

Question 12

Gridlock

Answer 12

a slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate and overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship

Question 13

Divided government

Answer 13

control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress split between the two major parties

Question 14

Lame duck period

Answer 14

period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees

Question 15

Seventeenth Amendment

Answer 15

broadened democracy by giving the people of the state the right to elect their senators (instead of being elected by state legislators)

Question 16

Caucus

Answer 16

a closed meeting of groups of members from the same political party

Question 17

Speaker of the House

Answer 17

a member of the majority party in the house, responsible for administering the oath of office to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, giving Members permission to speak on the House floor, designating Members to serve as Speaker pro tempore, counting and declaring all votes, appointing Members to committees, sending bills to committees, and signing bills and resolutions that pass in the House

Question 18

Whip

Answer 18

person in charge of party discipline for both parties in both chambers; works to ensure that their fellow political party legislators attend voting sessions and vote according to their party’s official policy

Question 19

President of the Senate

Answer 19

vice president, nonvoting, tie-breaking vote, ceremonial job

Question 20

president pro tempore

Answer 20

in place of VP, presides over the senate, signs legislation, issues the oath of office to new senators (also back up VP)

Question 21

majority/minority leaders of the House

Answer 21

direct debate from among their party’s members, party spokesperson, first members recognized in debate

Question 22

standing committees

Answer 22

permanent committees focused on a particular policy area

Question 23

House Ways and Means Committee

Answer 23

determines tax policy and is the first to outline details when proposals are put forward to raise or lower income taxes

Question 24

Joint Committees

Answer 24

unite members from both chambers; members do mostly routine management and research

Question 25

Temporary/Select Committees

Answer 25

formed periodically for some particular and typically short-lived purpose

Question 26

Conference Committee

Answer 26

When a bill passes both houses on different terms, a this temporary group irons out the differences on the bill

Question 27

Germane Amendments

Answer 27

amendments related directly to the legislation under consideration

Question 28

House Rules Committee

Answer 28

can dispose of a bill, define the guidelines for debate, assign bills to the appropriate standing committees, schedule bills for debate, and decide when votes take place

Question 29

Committee of the Whole

Answer 29

includes but does not require all representatives, House rules are relaxed and debate among fewer people and group vote (rather than roll call) is possible; Non Voting delegates from US territories are able to vote; Only 100 members must be present to act, and once it has finished a bill, it “rises and reports” it to the House to pass the bill

Question 30

Discharge petition

Answer 30

can force a committee to allow a bill to be publicly discussed through a required number of signatures (simple majority of house)

Question 31

Filibuster

Answer 31

Senators can try to stall or kill a bill by speaking for an extremely long time to block a nomination or run out of time for a bill voting deadline (the only members of the House who can speak indefinitely are the SOTH and the majority and minority leaders)

Question 32

Unanimous consent

Answer 32

Agreement on any question or matter before the Senate that sets aside a rule of procedure to expedite proceedings

Question 33

Hold

Answer 33

allows one or more Senators to prevent a motion from reaching a vote on the Senate floor, as no motion may be brought for consideration on the Senate floor without unanimous consent

Question 34

Senate Majority Leader

Answer 34

the most powerful member of the senate, as they are the first person the chair recognizes in debate and the leader who sets the legislative calendar and determines which bills reach the floor for debate; works with House Rules Committee to assign bills to committees in their respective chambers

Question 35

Rule 22/cloture rule

Answer 35

enabled and required a ⅔ supermajority to stop debate on a bill, thus stopping a filibuster and allowing a vote (the number was lowered to a ⅗ majority in 1975)

Question 36

Bill’s sponsor

Answer 36

bill authors, often staffers with expertise, lobbyists, White House professionals, etc; presents a bill and it is officially numbered in each chamber at the beginning of the congressional year

Question 37

Omnibus bill

Answer 37

includes multiple areas of law and/or addresses multiple programs

Question 38

Pork-barrel spending

Answer 38

funds earmarked for specific purposes in a legislator’s district, and congress members will tact on add-ons to “bring home the bacon” (controversial)

Question 39

Logrolling

Answer 39

when congress members trade votes to gain support for a bill

Question 40

reconciling the budget

Answer 40

passing changes to either revnue or spending by a simple majority in both houses with only limited time for debate

Question 41

Individual income taxes

Answer 41

taxes paid by workers on the income they made during the calendar year (different rates depending on their income level)

Question 42

Corporate taxes

Answer 42

paid by businesses on the profits they made during the year

Question 43

Social insurance taxes (payroll taxes)

Answer 43

paid by both employees and employers ti fund such programs as Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance

Question 44

Tariffs and excise taxes

Answer 44

paid on certain imports or products so that US-made goods will be more affordable and competitive

Question 45

Other sources of revenue

Answer 45

include interest on government holdings or investments and estate taxes paid by people who inherit a large amount of money

Question 46

Deficit

Answer 46

the difference between spending and revenue

Question 47

gridlock

Answer 47

the congestion of opposing forces that prevents ideas from moving forward within each chamber and between Congress and the President

Question 48

Substantive representation

Answer 48

advocates on behalf of certain groups of constituents

Question 49

Descriptive representation

Answer 49

advocates not only for the views of constituents but also for the factors that make those constituents unique (geography, etc.)

Question 50

Redistricting

Answer 50

happens with each census, and the majority party in the state legislature often determines the new statewide congressional map, usually benefiting that party

Question 51

Gerrymandering

Answer 51

when illegal district lines are drawn to give the advantage to one party

Question 52

safe seats

Answer 52

Districts in which a party consistently wins by more than 55% of the vote

Question 53

marginal seats/swing districts

Answer 53

Districts with closer elections

Question 54

Partisan gerrymandering

Answer 54

when districts are carved out to guarantee safe seats and one-party rule

Question 55

“Getting primaried”

Answer 55

when ideologically more extreme challengers expose an incumbent’s record of compromise or tilt away from party positions in order to defeat them

Question 56

Racial gerrymandering

Answer 56

the intentional drawing of legislative districts on the basis of race, and has been a topic of controversy (shaw v reno)