noun, plural subsidies. 1. a direct pecuniary aid furnished by a government to a private industrial undertaking, a charity organization, or the like. 2. a sum paid, often in accordance with a treaty, by one government to another to secure some service in return. 3. a grant or contribution of money.
Brady Postma, No expertise, just good arguments. The Speaker of the House is clearly the most powerful position in the US House of Representatives. The Senate Majority Leader is, in most senses, the most powerful person in the US Senate.
Even though political parties do not play as big a role in elections as they once did, they still provide the basic organization of leadership in Congress. After each legislative election the party that wins the most representatives is designated the majority in each house, and the other party is called the minority. These designations are significant because the majority party holds the most significant leadership positions, such as Speaker of the House.