Congressional Rules and Procedures Quiz

Congressional Rules and Procedures

• Open and closed rules (House): Closed rules limit debate and amendments; open rules allow amendments from the floor.
• Congressional staff: Employees of Congress or individual members.
• Fiscal policy: Congress's decisions on taxation and spending.
• Monetary policy: Managing the money supply through adjustments.
• Incumbency: Holding an office or the period of holding an office.
• Congressional committees: Examine bills, issues, and oversee government agencies.
• Congressional campaign spending: Details not provided.
• Filibuster: A tactic to delay or block legislation by extended debate.
• Cloture: Procedure to end a filibuster (requires a majority vote). Limits debate to 30 hours.
• Partisanship: Bias, or favoring one side in politics.
• Demand-side theory: Focuses on consumer demand.
• Supply-side theory: Focuses on production in supply and demand.
• Whig Theory: 19th-century theory – limited presidential power.
• Presidential veto: The president can reject a law passed by Congress.
• War Powers Act: Requires presidential consultation and notification to Congress regarding military actions; presidential veto can be overridden by Congress.

Presidential Powers and Politics

• Two presidencies theory: Presidents might prioritize foreign policy over domestic policy due to different authorities.
• Impeachment: Process to remove a president from office for "Treason, Bribes, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
• Bully pulpit: A platform for influencing national agendas (a term coined by Theodore Roosevelt).
• Congressional members' description: Mostly lawyers, few working class, predominantly white & male.
• Presidential leadership styles: Three types – Achievement, Consolidation and Preparation (as described by Hargrove and Nelson).
• Federal bureaucracy: Organized with hierarchical structure, job specialization, and formal rules.
• The middle class: A social class in the middle of the social hierarchy.
• Policy implementation: Congress, president, and courts carry out policy decisions.
• Neutral competence: Government employees should be unbiased and competent.
• NATO membership requirements: Requirements for new members of NATO, including economic and military standards.
• Social insurance programs: Based on the principle of paying for eligibility.
• Unilateralism: A nation acting independently.

Supreme Court and Law

• Multilateralism: Nations acting together to address problems.
• Containment: Restricting the expansion of a nation's power.
• Power in the Supreme Court: The nation's highest court's role and authority.
• Court opinions: Legal basis for court decisions.
• Federal court system: Composed of district courts, courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court.
• Amicus briefs: Supporting documents filed by non-parties to a case to present additional information and arguments for the court's consideration.

Test your knowledge on the various rules and procedures that govern the U.S. Congress. This quiz covers topics like open and closed rules, parliamentary tactics like filibusters, and key fiscal and monetary policies. Explore the functions of congressional committees and the dynamics of partisan politics.