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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the the role of committees?
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-regularly hold hearings and investigate
-to oversee the executive branch -control the congressional agenda and guide legislation from introduction to the president |
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What is the minority leader?
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the principal leader of the minority party in the house
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what are whips?
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party leaders who work with the majority and minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party
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What is the role of the House Majority Leader?
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-principal partisan ally of the Speaker
-responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments and rounding up votes on behalf of party's legislative positions |
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What/Who is the Speaker of the House?
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-only legislative office mandated by the constitution
-chosen by the majority party -2nd in line to succeed the presidency JOHN BOEHNER |
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What are the responsibilities of the Speaker of the House?
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-presides over the House of Representatives
-major role in making committee assignments -appoints or plays key role is appointing party's leadership staff & legislative leaders |
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What is a filibuster?
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-ONLY IN SENATE
-opponents of a piece of legislation try to "talk it to death" -the minority can defeat the majority, powerful tool to defend interests |
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What is cloture?
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Cloture can halt a filibuster with a 3/5th vote (60 members)
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What are the specific powers of the House of Representatives?
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-Initiate all revenues
-Impeach officials |
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What are the specific powers of the Senate?
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-ratify all treaties
-confirm presidential nominees -try impeached officials |
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What distinguishes the House from the Senate?
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-the house is 4 times larger than the senate, 435 members
-more institutionalized, centralized, hierarchical -loyalty to party is less common -1st term members have less power |
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What are incumbents?
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An individual that already holds office
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What are the benefits of the incumbency?
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-more that 90% of incumbents seeking reelection win w/ more than 60% of the vote
-credit claiming (recognition) -position taking -campaign spending |
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What is Congress?
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-central policymaking branch
-principal representative branch -bicameral senate 100 house 435 total 535 |
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Characteristics of the members of congress?
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-over 40% are millionaires
-business and law are the dominant prior occupations -predominantly white, upper-middle class, middle-aged, protestant men |
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legislative oversight
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congressional monitoring of the bureaucracy and it's administration of policy...performed mainly through hearings
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congressional caucus
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-group of members of both houses sharing interests or characteristics
-purpose is to promote interests -there are about 300 caucuses in congress |
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joint committees
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committees with membership from both houses
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house rules committee
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-reviews all bills (except revenue, budget and appropriations)
-schedules the bill, allots time "traffic cop of congress" |
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conference committees
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temporarily formed when both houses pass the same bill in different forms. they iron out the differences and bring back a single bill
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select committees
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appointed for a specific purpose, such as watergate
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committee chairs
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**most important influencers on the congressional agenda
-dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, and appointing subcommittees -manage bill when it comes before the house |
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standing committees
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Regular, permanent committees of the House and Senate established by the rules of each house to consider legislation and perform certain legislative actions.
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subcommittees
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a subset of committee members organized for a specific purpose
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rules committee
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ONLY IN THE HOUSE
In charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor, how many amendments are allowed, when, etc. |
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What are the 5 functions of congress?
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1. Representation
2. Lawmaking 3. Confirmation 4. Oversight 5. Proposing Constitutional Amendment |
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types of representation
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substantive (disciplined)- reflect public opinion
virtual/descriptive (undisciplined)- rep. does what he/she believes |
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lawmaking
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-tax and spending (each cabinet has its own budget)
-borrow/print money, set interest rates -regulate interstate commerce -establish post offices and postal roads -declare war/ raise and support armies -create federal court system **ALL POWERS NECESSARY AND PROPER TO CARRY OUT IT'S FUNCTIONS** |
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proposing Constitutional amendment
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2/3rds of both house and senate
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oversight/impeachment
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congress can investigate anything
impeachment- charge(indict)-House 50%+1 convict(remove)-Senate trial 2/3rds vote |
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confirmation
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incoming presidents have 2-3,000 appointments to make. SENATE confirms ore rejects
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when a bill gets to the president...
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-sign it = law
-not sign for more than 10 days = law -pocket veto -veto (with signing statement) **a veto can be overridden with 2/3rds vote by house and senate |
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Powers of the president
National Security |
commander and chief of armed forces
makes treaties with other nations nominate ambassadors receives ambassadors |
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powers of the president
legislative powers |
state of the union address to congress
recommend legislation to congress convene both house and senate in extreme situations adjourn congress veto legislation |
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powers of the president
administrative powers |
nominate officials
request written opinion from officials fill administrative vaccancies during congressional recess |
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powers of the president
judicial powers |
grant reprieves and pardons
nominate federal judges (who are confirmed by senate) |
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cabinet
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group of presidential advisors not mentioned in the constitution although every president has had one
-composed of 14 secretaries, the attorney general and others designated by the president |
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National Security Council NSC
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-created in 1947
-coordinates president's foreign and military advisors -it's formal members are the pres, vp, secretary of state and secretary of defense -it is managed by the president's national security advisor |
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Council of Economic Advisors
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3-member body appointed by the president to advise on economic policy
prepare an annual "Report of the presidency" perform data analysis of current/future economic trends |
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C. diphtheriae causes what?
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pharyngitis (pseudomembranous--grayish white membrane that may obstruct airways), that causes a painful throat. C. diphtheriae elaborates toxins that causes necrosis in cardiac and CNS tissue.
lymphadenopathy |
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budget
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a policy document allocating burdens(taxes) and benefits(expenditures)
"goals with a pricetag attached) |
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deficit
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when expenditures exceed revenue in a fiscal year
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revenue
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-only a small share of revenue come from excise taxes(tax levied on manufacture, transportation, sale/consumption of a good)
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3 major sources of federal revenue
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personal/corporate income tax
social security taxes borrowing |
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income tax
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1913- the 16th amendment was added to the constitution, explicitly permitting congress to levy an income tax
In 2008, corporate taxes yielded about 13 cents of every federal dollar, individual 48 cents the 10% of taxpayers w/ the highest taxable incomes pay 2/3 of all federal income taxes in the country |
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federal debt
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all the money borrowed over the years that is still outstanding
nearing 11 trillion 9% of all federal expenditures go to paying interest on the debt |
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federal expenditures
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the two condition associated with government growth and spending are the rise of the national security state and the rise of the social security state
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the national security state
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in the 50s and early 60s, spending for past and present wars amounted to more than 1/2 the federal budget
payrolls and pensions for the more that 7 million people who work for the pentagon, serve in reserves, receive military retirement pay, disability comp constitute a lare component of the defense budget |
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spending discrepancies
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if Social security/medicare spending wasn't included, the department of defense would be responsible for 31% of spending as opposed to 20% with.
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social security state
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1935 F. Roosevelt and Congress passed the social security act
1965 medicare was added about 55 million americans receive SS every month |
