Tag: Senate

The “aisle” refers to the space which divides the majority side from the minority on the House and Senate floor.

A “hopper” refers to a physical box or an electronic system where proposed bills or resolutions are submitted in a legislative body.

In politics, cloakrooms are spaces adjacent to the chambers of the Senate and the House where politicians from both parties can gather to discuss Congressional business privately.

A pro forma session is a brief meeting of a legislative body, typically lasting only a few minutes, during which no formal business is conducted.

The “yeas and nays” is a recorded roll call vote of members of the House or Senate.

Populists on both the left and the right sides of the political spectrum share an imagined geography of the U.S. based on the Capital Beltway, the highway that loops around…

A caucus is an informal meeting of local party members to discuss candidates and choose delegates to their party’s convention.

A “codel,” or congressional delegation, is a group of members of the United States Congress who travel together on official business.

Impeachment is the process by which a public official, such as the President of the United States, can be removed from office for committing “treason, bribery, or other high crimes…

The term “ex officio” comes from the Latin phrase “from the office,” and in politics it refers to someone who is part of a political body just by virtue of…

“Riddick’s Senate Procedure” is a comprehensive reference work that serves as the definitive guide to the rules, practices, and precedents governing the United States Senate.

The term “sine die” is a Latin phrase that literally means “without a day” or “without setting a day.”

A “live pair” refers to a situation where two lawmakers have agreed to not vote on a particular matter.

A bill is a proposed law introduced in either the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate.

A “filibuster” is a tactic used in the United States Senate to block or delay action on a piece of legislation.

“Cloture” is legislative term referring to a motion or process by which debate is brought to a quick end.

A “maiden speech” is the first speech that an elected official makes in front of a legislature.

The Byrd rule is a parliamentary tripwire that prevents tangential material from being included in a budget reconciliation bill in the Senate.

A quorum call is a procedure used in both houses of Congress to bring to the floor the number of members who must be present for the legislative body to…

A “one-house bill” is a bill introduced by a lawmaker for the purpose of grandstanding or to demonstrate their effort to fulfill political promises without the ability to actually pass…

A tag-team hold is when two or more senators agree to circumvent a 2011 resolution limiting secret senate holds to two days.

The “nuclear option” is a metaphorical term that refers to a parliamentary procedure in the U.S. Senate allowing for a significant change to the rules by a simple majority vote,…

A “Mae West hold” is a type of Senate hold nicknamed because of the senator’s implied desire to make a deal, rather than block a legislative action entirely.

“Ping pong” refers to reconciling the differences between a House-passed bill and a Senate-passed bill by amendments between the chambers, rather than forming a conference committee.

A “Senate hold” is how a U.S. senator informally signals his objection to a bill or presidential nomination.

Blue-slipping is a term that originates from the United States Congress and refers to a procedural action taken by the House of Representatives to assert its constitutional prerogative on matters…

The term “germane” is used to describe the requirement that proposed amendments or provisions introduced during the legislative process must be relevant and directly related to the subject matter of…

“Filling the tree” is a procedure used by the Senate Majority Leader to offer a sufficient number of amendments on legislation to “fill the tree” so that no other senator…

The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate each have a sergeant-at-arms, whose job it is to maintain order in the legislative chamber.

A “Cherokee Strip” is the seating area in the U.S. Senate chamber when some members of the majority party mist sit on the side of the minority party.

“Smell of jet fuel” is a reference to the impatience that sets in when Members of Congress are ready to leave Washington, D.C. to return to their districts for the…

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress.

Franking privileges allow lawmakers to send mail to constituents without having to pay postage.

The term “vote-a-rama” is used to refer to a marathon session of voting in the United States Senate.

The mark-up is the committee meeting held to review the text of a bill before reporting it to the floor.

“Advice and Consent” is a critical phrase in the United States Constitution that outlines a key aspect of the checks and balances among the three branches of government — Executive,…

Leader time is the ten minute time allotted to Senate leaders at the start of the daily session.

Soon after he entered the Senate, the former Hollywood actor began stocking his desk with candy to gratify his sweet tooth. A few years later, Murphy moved to an aisle…

Hideaways are personal, unmarked offices in the Capitol originally assigned to senior senators. They are often conveniently located near the Senate floor.

The Committee of the Whole is a procedural device used to expedite debates in the U.S. House of Representatives.