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AP Government > Congress > Flashcards

Congress Flashcards

1
Q

bicameral

A

two house legislature to represent the states in the federal government

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2
Q

House of Representatives

A
  • the most “representative” of the people
  • 435 members
  • 2 year terms
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3
Q

Senate

A
  • more “experienced” group
  • 100 members
  • 6 year terms
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4
Q

power of the purse

A

“raising revenue”
- taxing
- budgeting
- appropriating (spending)

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5
Q

name powers of congress

A
  • power of the purse
  • regulating commerce (foreign and interstate trade)
  • foreign & military affairs
  • implied
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6
Q

foreign & military powers

A
  • raise armies
  • impose a draft/conscription
  • military spending
  • declare war
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7
Q

implied powers

A

elastic clause – those that are not generated, but are “necessary and proper”

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8
Q

name the different powers for the house and the senate

A

house:
- proposes revenue bills
- impeaches a president
- selects a president when no electoral majority is reached

senate:
- “advice and consent” suggesting or rejecting presidential appointments
- approve foreign treaties
- convict a president

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9
Q

house leaders

A
  • speaker of the house
  • majority and minority leaders
  • whip
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10
Q

senate leaders

A
  • president of the senate
  • senate majority leader
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11
Q

speaker of the house

A
  • leader of the majority party of the house
  • organizes meetings, committees, and debate speakers
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12
Q

house majority & minority leaders

A
  • first members recognized in debate
  • spokesperson for their party
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13
Q

house whip

A

deputy leaders (below majority leaders) who manage party discipline

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14
Q

president of the senate

A
  • the vice president of the united states
  • breaks tie votes
  • president pro tempore (steps in if the VP is unavaliable)
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15
Q

senate majority leader

A
  • chief legislator
  • wields more power in the senate that the VP
  • sets the calendar
  • determines which bills are debated on the floor
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16
Q

types of committees

A
  • standing committees
  • joint committees
  • select committees
  • conference committees
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17
Q

standing committees

A
  • permanent committees focused on a particular area
  • chairperson: senior member of the majority party
  • ranking member: senior member from the minority party
    Ex.
  • House Judiciary (identifies bad behaviors & punishments)
  • Ways & Means (determines tax policy)
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18
Q

joint committees

A
  • unites member from the house and senate for routine management and research
    Ex.
  • library of congress joint committee
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19
Q

select committees

A
  • temporary committees to perform a particular study or investigation
    Ex.
  • Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
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20
Q

conference committee

A
  • temporary committees to iron out differences in a bill passed by both houses
  • done before receiving the president’s signature
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21
Q

unique house rules

A
  • follows “robert’s rules of order”
  • members can only speak for one hour
  • legislators can only offer germane amendments
  • only the presiding officer (speaker) can be addressed
  • formal language is used
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22
Q

unique rules in the senate

A
  • anyone who stands to speak must be recognized
  • speech must be directed at the presiding officer with no time limits
  • can propose nongermane amendments
  • have more tools and abilities to stall or speed up a bill during debate (like a hold)
23
Q

germane amendments

A

those directly related to the bill

24
Q

rules committee

A

determines which issues or billls that the house will vote on and how

25
Q

committee of the whole

A

an informal discussion on a bill before the formal vote

26
Q

filibuster

A

speaking for so long that the deadline to approve a bill or appointment expires

27
Q

cloture rule (rule 22)

A
  • a 3/5 supermajority vote can stop debate on a bill (ending a filibuster)
28
Q

riders

A

the addition of nongermane amendments to benefit a member’s agenda

29
Q

omnibus bill

A
  • “christmas tree bill”
  • a bill where multiple riders have been added, making the bill look completely different that it origin
30
Q

pork-belly spending

A
  • a last minute rider added-on by an influential legislator where federal funds only benefit their district
  • “bring home the bacon”
31
Q

assigning to committee

A
  • senate majority leader and house rules committee assign bills to appropriate committees
32
Q

3 stages

A

hearings
- research and SIG testimony
markup
- amendments
report out
- gets debated and voted on the floor

33
Q

pigeonhole

A

a committee chair can decide not to move a bill forward for debate

34
Q

voting on bills

A
  • legislators get opinions on their constituents (townhall meetings, opinion polls, mail)
  • a simple majority passes the bill
35
Q

logrolling

A

trading vote to gain support on a bill

36
Q

office of management & budget (OMB)

A
  • the president’s budgeting arm
  • headed by a director (more like an accountant)
37
Q

sources of revenue

A
  • individual income taxes
  • corporate taxes
  • social insurance taxes (social security, medicaid, unemployment)
  • tariffs and excise taxes (on imported goods and non-essentials)
  • other sources (interest on government investments, estate taxes)
38
Q

mandatory spending

A
  • payment required by law for certain programs that have eligibility requirements for people in temporary need
  • programs include social security, medicare, medicaid, unemployment
39
Q

how does a deficit occur?

A

a deficit occurs when the needed amount exceeds the expected revenue

40
Q

discretionary spending

A
  • pays for everything else not required under mandatory spending
  • includes defense, human resources, physical resources, and interest on debt
  • more federal spending = more taxpayer money
41
Q

influences on congress

A
  • partisanship & polarization
  • voting models
  • redistricting
42
Q

partisanship

A
  • a lack of political cooperation between opposing parties
43
Q

voting models

A
  • delegate
  • trustee
  • politico
44
Q

delegate voting model

A
  • reflecting the will of their constituents (the people who voted for them)
45
Q

trustee voting model

A
  • they are entrusted to use their best judgement
46
Q

politico voting model

A
  • blending of a “delegate” and “trustee” process
47
Q

redistricting

A
  • re-drawning congressional districts based on shifts in population
  • state legislatures draw congressional districts, usually in an attempt to benefit the majority party
48
Q

gerrymandering

A

illogical lines drawn to give one party the advantage
- the process for doing this varies by state and can be challenged in the courts

49
Q

swing districts

A
  • districts where a party does not always have the expectation to win
  • “marginal seats”
50
Q

gerrymandered districts

A
  • create “safe seats” for a party, which means less competition and fewer moderate options
  • this has led to more extreme candidates of that party forcing out imcumbents through primary elections
51
Q

racial gerrymandering

A
  • the intention of drawing legislative districts based on race
52
Q

divided government

A
  • when the president is from one party and the House and/or Senate is dominated by another

impacts:
- it fuels partisan gridlock, especially with judicial nominations

53
Q

lame-duck president

A
  • a president who has not won re-election or is ending their second term

AP Government (6 decks)

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