Key Concepts in U.S. Government and Politics Part 2
This deck covers essential terms and concepts related to the U.S. government and politics, focusing on the legislative branch, fiscal and monetary policy, and the policy-making process.
Speaker of the House
office mandated by the Constitution; Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant
Key Terms
Speaker of the House
office mandated by the Constitution; Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to s...
Majority Leader
principal position ally of the Speaker of the House or the party's wheel horse in the Senate; responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committ...
Whip
party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favore...
Voter Revolution of 1994
Republican Party success in 1994; US midterm elections--> a net gain of 54 seats in the House and 8 seats in the Senate (led by Newt Gingrich)
Rules Committee
determines the rules of debate for bills in the House
plurality
largest # of votes to be received by any candidate (not necessarily more than half the votes, just most of them.)
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Speaker of the House | office mandated by the Constitution; Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant |
Majority Leader | principal position ally of the Speaker of the House or the party's wheel horse in the Senate; responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes on behalf of the party's legislative positions |
Whip | party leaders who work with the majority or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party |
Voter Revolution of 1994 | Republican Party success in 1994; US midterm elections--> a net gain of 54 seats in the House and 8 seats in the Senate (led by Newt Gingrich) |
Rules Committee | determines the rules of debate for bills in the House |
plurality | largest # of votes to be received by any candidate (not necessarily more than half the votes, just most of them.) |
fiscal policy | policy that describes the impact of the federal budget- taxes, spending, and borrowing- on the economy; determined by Congress and president |
monetary policy | based on monetarism, it is the manipulation of the supply of money in private hands by which the government can control the economy |
Riders (on a bill) | an addition or amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but that may not pass on its own merits |
10th Amendment | powers not delegated to the US by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people |
informal/inherent powers | powers that exist for the national govt. because the govt. is sovereign |
President | person who holds office of head of state of the US government |
The SEC |
|
Social Security | any government system that provides monetary assistance to people with inadequate or no income; provides benefits |
Iron Triangle | entities composed of bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees, which have dominated some areas of domestic policy making; have mutual dependency, in which each element provides key services, info, or policy for the others |
Policy networks | explain differences in policy making and power in different policy sectors |
What is a Conference Committee? | A Conference Committee is a congressional committee formed when the Senate and House pass a bill in different forms to reconcile the differences and create a unified version. |
joint committee | congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses |
select committee | congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose (ex. Watergate investigation) |
Conference Committee | congressional committees formed when Senate and House pass a bill in different forms; party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a compromise bill |
Conference Committee | congressional committees formed when Senate and House pass a bill in different forms; party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a compromise bill |