AP Govt Terms Review

Allows members of Congress to send mail under their signature without postage.

The current holder(s) of an office or post.

Government projects that benefit a particular area of the country, that often seem wasteful from outsiders

A legislature with only one house.

A legislature with two houses.

The chief officer in the House of Representatives, elected by a majority party. Runs the procedure of voting and debating in the House.

The committee that establishes the rules governing the proceedings of the House, typically presided over by a majority of representatives from the majority party in the House overall.

A delaying tactic used in the U.S Senate. Under Senate rules, once a Senator is granted permission to speak by the presiding officer, he/she may speak for as long he/she wants

Proposed in 1912 and ratified in 1913, it called for the popular election of Senators by the citizens of the States.

Under Senate Rule 22, a motion to end debate, takes 60 votes

Political districts in which House representatives win in close elections.

Districts in which House representatives tend to win by wide margins.

The redistribution of representation within a legislative body to the states based on population shifts

The act of redrawing electoral districts.

Districts where one group has much more representation than another, thanks to strategies like gerrymandering.

When electoral districts are redrawn to create a political advantage.

Gerrymandered districts that actually give ethnic and racial minorities more of a say in elections.

The increase in votes a congressional candidate receives when running for re-election.

The acting leader of the Senate in the absence of the VP of the United States

The leader of the majority and minority parties in the legislature.

An official who ensures party discipline in Congress. Majority and Minority Party have one.

The divergence of political attitudes to ideological extremes.

An organization representing African American members of Congress in the United States.

A caucus of conservative Democrats.

A type of Congressional committee, given expressed powers and limits. They are usually permanent.

A small committee appointed to deal with a problem or issue, usually temporary.

A committee with appointees from both the House and the Senate.

When each house of Congress has passed a different version of the same bill, a Conference Committee creates a compromise version of the bill.

Also known as the Government Accountability Office, it performs audit, investigation and evaluation services for the President and helps with the budget.

The agency that provides budgeting information and economic statistic for Congress.

Resolution that requires approval from both chambers of Congress, but don't need Presidential approval.

A special kind of legislative measure. They require approval by both houses of Congress, and usually by the President, to become law.

A petition that allows a bill to advance past the committee step and go directly to the floor for debate. The petition requires a signature by a majority of representatives, and is designed to keep a bill from being bogged down in the committee process.

A rule prohibiting amendments to a bill on the floor, unless the amendment is recommended by a committee related to the bill.

A rule that allows for any member to offer an amendment to the bill, as long the amendment complies with the House and the Budget Act.

The minimum number of representatives needed to conduct business.

A parliamentary device, borrowed by the House of Representatives, in which the entire House is one large Congressional Committee.

Lines added to a piece of legislation. They can direct funds to a project, or exempt the funds from certain taxes or fees.

When two legislators agree to vote for each other's bills.

An amendment adding new, sometime irrelevant, subject matter to a bill.

Committee leaders, chosen by the Majority Party Leader.

The system of granting privilege and important positions to members of Congress who have served longer.

An organization of Congressmen who meet to push similar legislative objectives.

A proposed law under consideration by a legislature.

When one party controls the White House and another party controls Congress.

When the same party controls both the White House and Congress.

A body composed of 538 electors, out of which a majority of 270 is required to win the Presidency. The states select their electors.

An elector who does not vote for the candidate they pledged to vote for.

An White House organizational structure that resembles a pyramid with a clear chain of command.

White House organization structure where all members of the system are balanced, with equal access to the President

When voters vote for Congressional candidates in the President's party because they support the President.

A small group of political advisors and position holders, tasked with advising the President on policy.

The immediate staff who report directly to the President.

The largest office within the Executive Office of the United States, they oversee the President's budget, programs and policies.

The main group used by the President for national security information and decision making.

A section of a department, loosely linked but with different management and its own budget.

An agreement between the President and another world leader.

A presidential order implementing or interpreting a statute, Constitutional provision or treaty, which carries the rule of law.

A term used to refer to the modern presidency, with all its increased powers.

The right of the President to withhold subpoenaed information from Congress in certain circumstances.

The amendment limiting the President to two terms, max of 10 years.

The amendment laying out the line of succession if the President can no longer discharge his duties as executive.

A process in which Congress can try the President for unlawful and unconstitutional actions.

The President's ability to give orders and enforce them.

The person who has supreme command of the nation's military forces.

A bill that moved the beginning of the fiscal year from July 1 to October 1 and created standing budget committees.

Congressional attempt to limit Presidential power by requiring notification of military actions and requiring Congressional approval within 60 days

Representatives do not necessarily support what their constituents want; instead, they support what they think would be good for their constituents, as well as the nation.

Representatives push for what their constituents want.

Representatives vote and act along party lines.

A politician approaching the end of their tenure, particularly one whose successor has already been elected.

The most recent of several Presidential Succession Acts, the law revised the order of the line of succession to the Presidency.

The President using their exposure to push Congress or other elements of the government to get what they want.

Powers not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, but assumed to exist. Also known as "inherent powers."

An office organization system characterized by standardized procedures, strict division of responsibility, and hierarchy.

A system in which a politician rewards their supporters with government jobs, money, etc., in exchange for their support.

An act outlawing the patronage system, replacing it with a merit-based system.

An essay which defended the unitary executive theory. The essay argued that the theory allowed a) more accountability in government, b) made it easier for the president to defend encroachments on his power, and c) ensured "energy" in the Executive Branch.

The president's power to kill a bill when it reaches his desk.

When the President does not sign a bill within ten days of Congress adjourning.

The President's ability to veto particular items in a bill without vetoing the entire bill. It was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Excessive regulation and formal rules that tie up efficiency in a government agency.

A law prohibiting federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.

A Commission established by Congress to regulate a particular industry. Like the Federal Reserve Board

An independent regulatory commission in charge of the nations money supply and monetary policy.

The agency that oversees labor relations in the United States.

The regulatory commission that controls radio, television, and internet.

A commercial enterprise owned by the national government. Amtrak, NPR, The US Postal Service, and Freddie Mac are all examples.

Government agencies that fall under the regulation of the executive branch but that are not represented in the Cabinet.

The sub-set of a bureaucracy which carries out and enforces the actions of the government.

A rule proposed by an agency.

When agencies remove rules.

When a rule is made, but not directly in legislation. Instead, it will be tied to incentives. For example, you might receive federal funding for your highways only if you set your drinking age to 21.

The policy-making relationship among Interest Groups, the Bureaucracy and Congress.

An alliance of interest groups that team up to promote a particular issue.

Allows Congress to levy an income tax.

A federal law protecting whistle blowers. It prevents agencies from threatening employees if they disclose information.

A law requiring agencies to release any information that is requested, and that gives the public the right to see that information.

The population's beliefs about politics and policy issues.

An "actual enumeration" of the population taken every 10 years.