POL reading response

I need an explanation for this Political Science question to help me study.

Please respond briefly to each question and number your responses.

1. What is the difference between discretionary and mandatory spending, and why does the distinction matter? Please cite an example of a program that falls into each category.
2. What is the difference between budget deficits and the national debt? What main factors are contributing to higher budget deficits?
3. What factors determine whether a federal court nominee gets confirmed by the Senate?
4. Why was the failed nomination of Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court so important?
5. How have Senate confirmations of SCOTUS nominees changed since the 1980s and 1990s?

Your response to this paper should be roughly 400-500 words. You may upload a response as either a Word document or PDF.

Reading materials:

Textbook, Chapter 5: Parties and Leaders

Reader, Chapter 15: “Setting the Agenda” (by Cox & McCubbins)

Hetherington, M. J. (2009). Review article: Putting polarization in perspective. British Journal of Political Science, 39(2), 413–448.

Malone, Clare. “The Republican Choice.” June 24, 2020. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the–republican–choice/

Textbook, Chapter 12: Congress and Budget Politics

Reader, Chapter 38: “Appropriation in the Republican Era” (by Evans)

Textbook, Chapter 10: Congress and the Courts

Reader, Chapter 34: “Senate Voting on Supreme Court Nominees” (by Cameron, Cover, & Segal)