The U.S. Congress
Across
- 5. A member of the House or Senate who is elected by his or her party to help party leaders coordinate party members' actions, including enforcing party discipline.
- 7. A method for determining an election's winner in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins.
- 10. A current officeholder who runs for reelection and has an advantage over his or her challenger.
- 11. representatives who make decisions using their own judgment about what is best for their constituents.
- 12. Drawing strangely shaped district boundaries to gain political advantage.
- 13. A legislator directly helping a constituent in dealing with government bureaucracy.
Down
- 1. Instances in which senators, once recognized to speak on the floor, talk for an extended period in an attempt to block the rest off the Senate from voting on a bill.
- 2. In a legislature, a group of legislators that unites to promote an agenda not pursued within the parties or the legislative committees.
- 3. A type of committee, a group of legislators given permanent jurisdiction over a particular issue area or type of policy.
- 4. Representatives who listen carefully to what their constituents want and make decisions based on feedback from constituents.
- 6. A veto that occurs automatically if a president does not sign a bill for 10 days after passage in Congress and Congress has adjourned during the 10-day period.
- 8. A rule that limits debate on a bill to a specific number of hours. Senate rules require 60 senators to support such a motion to end the debate and proceed to a vote.
- 9. Government spending that benefits a narrow constituency in return for electoral or some other kind of political support.
- 14. A type of committee, a meeting of legislators from the House and Senate to reconcile two bills passed on the same topic.