Congress And The Presidency

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Constituents

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The residents of a congressional district or state.

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Reapportionment

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The assigning by Congress of congressional seats after each census. State legislatures reapportion state legislative districts.

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Redistricting

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The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

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Gerrymandering

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The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.

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Incumbent

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The current holder of the elected office.

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Speaker

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The presiding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party.

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Party caucus

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A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy.

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Majority leader

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The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line.

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Minority leader

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the legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition.

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Whip

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Party leader who is the liaison between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature.

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Closed rule

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A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments.

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Open rule

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A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that permits floor amendments within the overall time allocated to the bill.

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President pro tempore

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Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

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Hold

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A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator temporarily blocks the consideration of the bill or nomination.

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Filibuster

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A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

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Cloture

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A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.

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Senatorial courtesy

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Presidential custom of submitting the names of perspective appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are to work.

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Standing committees

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A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area.

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Select committees

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A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation

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Joint committees

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A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.

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Earmarks

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Special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents.

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Seniority rule

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A legislative practice that assigns the chair of the committee or subcommittee to the member of the majority party with the longest continuous service on the committee

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Conference committee

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Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.

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Delegate

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An official who is expected to represent the views of his or her constituents even when personally holding different views; one interpretation of the role of legislator.

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Trustee

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An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.

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Logrolling

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Mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.

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Discharge petition

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Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives’ members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.

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Rider

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A provision attached to a bill – to which it may or may not be related – in order to secure its passage or defeat.

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Pocket veto

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A veto exercised by the president after Congress has adjourned; if the president takes no action for 10 days, the bill does not become law and does not return to Congress for possible override.

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Executive agreement

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A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval.

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Take care clause

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The constitutional requirement (in Article II, Section 3) that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws.

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Executive office of the President

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The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units

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Office of management and budget (OMB)

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Presidential staff the agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies

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Cabinet

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Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.

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Rally point

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A rising public approval of the president that follows a crisis as Americans “rally ’round the flag” and the chief executive.