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: an assembly of party representatives who choose a government and discuss major national issues. |
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| : a law making body made up of two chambers or parts; (House of Representatives & the Senate). |
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| : an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill. |
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| : political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55% of the vote. |
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| : districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55% or more. |
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| : an alliance between Republicans and conservative Democrats. |
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| : the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or the Senate. |
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| : the legislative leader elected by pary members holding a minority of seats in the House or the Senate. |
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| : a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what pary members are thinking. |
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| : a vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators. |
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| : an association of Congress members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest. |
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| : permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area. |
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| : congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose. |
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| : committees on which both senators and representatives serve. |
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| : a joint committee appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill. |
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| : a legislative bill that deals with matters of general concern. |
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| : a legislative bill that deals only with specific, private, personal, or local matters. |
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| : an expression of opinion either in the House or Senate to settle procedural matters in either body. |
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| : an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, but not the president. |
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| : a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of Congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president. |
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| : one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress. |
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| : the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress. |
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| : "Hidden" congressional provisions that direct the federal government to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups from paying specific fedral taxes or fees. |
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| : a congressional process whereby a bill may be referred to several important committees. |
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| : a congressional process by which a Speaker may send a bill to a second committee after the first is finished acting. |
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| : a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor. |
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| : an order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor. |
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| : an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor. |
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| : an order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made into a bill on the floor. |
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| : the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress. |
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| : a roll call in either house of Congress to see whether the minimum number of representatives required to conduct business is present. |
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| : a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate. |
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| : a procedure to keep the Senate going during a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the Senate can get on with other business. |
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| : a congressional voting procedure in which members shout "yea" in approval or "nay" in disapproval, permitting members to vote quickly or anonymously on bills. |
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| : a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted. |
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| : a congressional voting procedure in which members pass between two tellers, the "yeas" first and the "nays" second. |
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| : a congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering "yea" or "nay" to their names. |
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| : legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return. |
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| : the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage. |
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| : the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government. |
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| : the people chosen to cast each states votes in a presidential election. Each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has. The District of Columbia has three electoral votes, even though it cannot elect a representative or senator. |
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| : a president's subordinates report to him through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff. |
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| : several of the president's assistants report directly to him. |
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| : several subordinates, cabinet officers, and committees report directly to the president on different matters. |
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| : the heads of the 15 executive branch departments of the federal government. |
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| : the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public. |
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| : a message from the president to Congress stating that he will not sign a bill it has passed. Must be produced within 10 days of the bills passage. |
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| : a bill fails to become law because the president did not sign within 10 days before Congress adjourns. |
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| : an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislative. |
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| : a presidential document that reveals what the president thinks of a new law and how it ought to be enforced. |
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| : the authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court has held that Congress does not have this power. |
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| : charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives. |
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| : a person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection. |
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