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GOV Unit 2
Unit 2 Test
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| House of Representatives | 2 year terms, age 25, strict rules, strong leadership control |
| Senate | 6 year terms, age 30, fewer rules, more individual power |
| Why does mandatory spending limit Congress’s flexibility | It is required by law and not voted on yearly |
| Delegate role | Voting based on constituents’ preferences |
| Trustee role | Voting based on personal judgment and conscience |
| Politico role | Combination of delegate and trustee roles |
| Apportionment | Dividing House seats among states based on population |
| Redistricting | Redrawing congressional district boundaries every 10 years |
| Gerrymandering | Drawing district lines to favor one political party |
| Majority | minority district |
| Incumbency advantage | Benefits of holding office including name recognition, fundraising, and experience |
| Divided government | When different parties control different branches of government |
| How can divided government cause gridlock | Conflicting party goals slow or block legislation |
| Where do most bills die | In committee |
| House Rules Committee | Sets rules for debate in the House |
| Filibuster | A Senate tactic used to delay or block a vote |
| Cloture | Procedure requiring 60 votes to end a filibuster |
| Why does the Senate allow filibusters | To protect minority rights and encourage debate |
| Mandatory spending | Spending required by law such as Social Security and Medicare |
| Discretionary spending | Spending approved annually by Congress |
| Deficit | When government spending exceeds revenue |
| Surplus | When government revenue exceeds spending |
| Declaration of Independence | Document asserting natural rights and social contract theory |
| Articles of Confederation | First U.S. government with a weak national structure |
| U.S. Constitution | Established a strong federal government with separation of powers |
| Marbury v. Madison (1803) | Established judicial review |
| McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) | Confirmed implied powers and federal supremacy |
| Baker v. Carr (1962) | Established one person one vote principle |
| Shaw v. Reno (1993) | Ruled racial gerrymandering unconstitutional |
| United States v. Lopez (1995) | Limited Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause |
| Federal bureaucracy | Executive departments and agencies that carry out laws |
| Implementation | Bureaucracy putting laws passed by Congress into action |
| Bureaucratic discretion | Agency power to interpret and apply laws |
| Regulation | Bureaucratic rules that have the force of law |
| Bureaucratic adjudication | Agency process for settling disputes and applying regulations |
| Hatch Act | Limits political activities of federal employees |
| Pendleton Act (1883) | Created a merit |
| Merit system | Hiring based on qualifications instead of political connections |
| Political patronage | Giving government jobs as rewards for political support |
| Agency capture | When agencies serve regulated industries instead of the public |
| President’s check on bureaucracy | Appoints and removes top officials |
| Congress’s check on bureaucracy | Confirms appointments and controls funding |
| Courts’ check on bureaucracy | Review and limit agency actions |
| Iron triangle | Close relationship between bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups |
| Issue network | Loose web of policymakers, interest groups, and experts |
| Why can iron triangles hurt the common good | They prioritize special interests over public interest |
| Expressed powers | Powers explicitly listed in the Constitution |
| Implied powers | Powers not written but inferred from the elastic clause |
| Elastic clause | Allows Congress to pass laws necessary and proper to carry out its powers |
| Commerce Clause | Gives Congress power to regulate interstate commerce |
| Exclusive powers | Powers held only by the federal government |
| Concurrent powers | Powers shared by federal and state governments |
| Reserved powers | Powers held by the states under the 10th Amendment |
| Supremacy Clause | Establishes that federal law overrides state law |
| Federalism | System that divides power between national and state governments |
| Unitary system | System where all power is held by the national government |
| Confederal system | System where states hold most of the power |
| Cooperative federalism | State and federal governments share responsibilities |
| Dual federalism | Clear division of power between state and federal governments |
| Categorical grants | Federal funds given with strict conditions |
| Block grants | Federal funds given with broad state discretion |
| Mandates | Federal rules states must follow, often without funding |
| Unfunded mandates | Federal requirements imposed on states without financial support |
| Checks and balances | System where each branch limits the power of the others |
| Separation of powers | Division of government power among three branches |
| Bicameral legislature | Legislative body with two chambers |
| Great Compromise | Created a bicameral legislature with equal Senate and population |
| Judicial review | Power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional |
| Original jurisdiction | Cases the Supreme Court hears first |
| Appellate jurisdiction | Cases the Supreme Court reviews from lower courts |
| Stare decisis | Principle of following precedent |
| Judicial activism | Belief courts should interpret the Constitution broadly |
| Judicial restraint | Belief courts should defer to elected branches |
| Formal powers of president | Powers explicitly stated in the Constitution |
| Informal powers of president | Powers derived from tradition and public support |
| Executive order | Directive issued by the president with force of law |
| Executive agreement | Agreement between president and foreign leader without Senate approval |
| Executive privilege | President’s right to withhold information |
| Veto | President’s power to reject legislation |
| Signing statement | President’s interpretation of a law when signing it |
| War Powers Resolution | Limits president’s ability to deploy troops without Congress |
| Oversight | Congressional monitoring of the executive branch |
| Filibuster impact | Increases minority power in the Senate |
| Cloture significance | Prevents endless debate and allows Senate to vote |
| Civil service system | Merit |
| Street | level bureaucrats |
| Rulemaking process | How agencies create regulations to implement laws |
| Notice | and |
| Iron triangle example | Defense contractors, Pentagon, and defense committees |
| Issue network example | Environmental groups, scientists, agencies, lawmakers |
| How issue networks differ from iron triangles | Issue networks are broader and less rigid |
| Why agency capture occurs | Industries have expertise and influence over regulators |
| How bureaucracy gains power | Congress delegates authority through vague laws |
| Why bureaucracy can threaten democracy | Unelected officials make policy decisions |
| How civil service legitimizes bureaucracy | Merit hiring connects bureaucracy to public interest |
| Common good vs special interests | Iron triangles often prioritize narrow benefits over society |
| Presidential enumerated powers | Commander-in-Chief, making treaties (Senate approval), appointing officials (Senate consent), granting pardons, vetoing legislation, receiving ambassadors, and faithfully executing laws |
| Congress' enumerated powers | tax, borrow money, regulate commerce, coin money, declare war, raise armies, establish post offices, and make laws "necessary and proper" for executing these duties |
| Judicial branch's enumerated powers | jurisdiction over cases involving the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties; cases affecting ambassadors; and controversies between states or between states and citizens of other states |
Created by:
katdolan