Bosnia

An itty-bitty country in the Balkans (north of Greece) that was embroiled in civil war for three and a half years during the Clinton presidency. Negotiating a peace treaty in Bosnia that helped end ethnic cleansing remains one of Clinton's signature foreign policy accomplishments.

Welfare

A catchall term for various government programs designed to provide financial relief to people of low income, those struggling with unemployment, retired seniors, and other groups facing economic insecurity.

Social Security

The federal government's retirement program. After a certain age, citizens receive a check in the mail from Uncle Sam to help ensure that they can provide for their basic needs. Although, nothing's stopping them from buying everyone mimosas at the bingo parlor.

Medicare

An insurance program created under President Lyndon Johnson that provides health coverage to retirement-age seniors. Catchy name, too.

Medicaid

Sort of like Medicare, except it provides health coverage to people of low income, who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford insurance. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are the Big Three of the welfare state, but unlike the real Big Three, they never played for the Miami Heat.

1994 Crime Bill

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement act of 1994, one of the biggest law-enforcement laws ever passed. It expanded policing, instituted a ban on certain types of guns (assault weapons), and expanded the death penalty (usually not favored by Democrats), among other things.

Brady Bill

A 1994 law that mandated background checks for purchasers of firearms. During the Clinton presidency and beyond, gun control became a divisive issue in American politics. And…it still is.

Big Government

In 20th-century American politics, the phrase "big government" refers, usually sarcastically or snarkily, to social programs or policies that give the government a bigger role in the economy, especially welfare and bureaucracy.

Information Superhighway

A '90s term for the internet. Lol.

Seriously, though, the Internet was just getting momentum during Bill Clinton's first term, and everyone from the government was trying to figure out how to use this nifty new tool. The Age of Information had begun.

Line Item Veto

A hypothetical legal proposal that would give the president power to cross out individual items from the national budget. The Constitution technically says that only Congress has the power to spend. Bill Clinton believed that the special veto would help him reduce wasteful government spending, but critics of the idea said it would give the president too much power. Think of it as the Elder Wand from The Deathly Hallows, only for money.

Government Shutdown

When Congress and the president can't agree on a federal budget, the government can't fund its own operations, and is forced to actually close its doors. This happened twice during the Clinton presidency. Everyone made sure to grab their drinks out of the fridge before the power went off.

Debt Limit

A cap on how much money the government can borrow, instituted by Congress. It's like a credit card limit, only in the trillions. Conservatives and Republicans tend to favor the government borrowing and spending less money, and argue to keep the debt ceiling low, or to have a balanced budget.