Executive Branch

Question 1

bureacrat

Answer 1

an official employed within a government bureaucracy

Question 2

political patronage

Answer 2

fulling of administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than solely on merit

Question 3

pendleton Act, what did it create?

Answer 3

first US civil service commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure within civil service. It was meant to end political patronage in the hiring of people in the bureaucracy.

The act established the United States Civil Service Commission as a nonpartisan agency to oversee the hiring of federal civil servants.

Question 4

federal civil service

Answer 4

merit based bureaucracy, besides the armed forces political appointments

Question 5

Bureaucratic Adjudication

Answer 5

when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation

Question 6

iron triangle

Answer 6

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals

Question 7

issue network

Answer 7

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates

Question 8

Cabinet

Answer 8

15 department heads of important bureaucratic agencies

Question 9

Executive Office of the President

Answer 9

a collection of offices within the white house organization designed mainly to provide information to the president

Question 10

executive privilege

Answer 10

a right the president has to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, mainly from congress

Question 11

executive order

Answer 11

policy directives that the president issues that does not have to be approved by congress

Question 12

formal/enumerated powers

Answer 12

powers directly stated in the constitution

Question 13

informal powers

Answer 13

powers not laid out in constitution but are still used to carry out presidential duties

Question 14

Impeachment

Answer 14

process of removing a president from office

Question 15

How can a president be impeached?

Answer 15

majority vote in HOR + trial in the Senate with a 2/3 vote

Question 16

25th Amendment

Answer 16

When there is no vice president, the president should nominate a vice president who will take office if confirmed by the majority vote by congress

If there is no president, the vice president will become the president.

Question 17

22nd Amendment

Answer 17

nobody can be president more than twice

Question 18

implementation

Answer 18

the bureaucracy’s role in putting into action the laws that congress passed

Question 19

bureaucratic discretion

Answer 19

the power to decide how a law is implemented and to decide what congress meant when it passed a law

Question 20

regulation

Answer 20

the process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law, to carry out the laws passed in congress.

Question 21

Veto

Answer 21

formal rejection by the president of a bill that has been passed by both HOR and senate

Question 22

pocket veto

Answer 22

an informal veto caused when the president doesn’t sign a bill within then days, during a time when congress isn’t in session

Question 23

Independent executive agencies

Answer 23

an agency that is similar to cabinet departments but do not have the cabinet structure and have a narrower focus of mission. It is not part of the cabinet, but reports to the president (CIA, NASA)

Question 24

Independent regulatory agency

Answer 24

an organization that exists outside of the major cabinet departments whose job it is to monitor and regulate specific areas of the economy.

Question 25

how can a presidential veto be overturned?

Answer 25

2/3 vote in congress

Question 26

war powers resolutions

Answer 26

restricts the president’s power to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days without congressional approval

Question 27

What are the conditions for the president to introduce armed forces into conflict or likely conflict?

Answer 27

The congress must declare war, and there must be specific statutory authorization by congress or a national emergency

Question 28

merit system

Answer 28

a system of hiring and promotion based on qualifications rather than politics and personal connections

Question 29

regulation

Answer 29

the process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law, to carry out the laws passed by congress

Question 30

hatch act

Answer 30

restricts federal employees from engaging in politics

Question 31

Us v Nixon

Answer 31

Nixon refused to hand over audio recordings that had to do with the watergate scandal, as well as other documents because of his executive privilege. The supreme court affirmed the power of executive privilege because the president should be able to explore the policy making process in private, but ruled the president should hand over the recordings .

Question 32

state of union adress

Answer 32

an annual speech the president gives updating congress on national affairs. The US population, the supreme court, and the military all see this speech.

Question 33

presidential pardon

Answer 33

presidential authority to release people convicted of crimes from legal consequences.

Question 34

signing statements

Answer 34

written comments issued by presidents while signing a bill into law that consists of political statements/reasons for signing a bill. May include the president’s interpretation of the law.
Informs nation how the law will be implamented

Question 35

What are the 2 purposes of signing statements?

Answer 35

1) A statement can be used to offer general commentary on a bill as a rhetorical or public relations tool
2) A statement can be used as a strategic tool to identify provisions of legislation that may concern the president.

Question 36

Clinton v. city of New York

Answer 36

President Clinton issued a Line Item Veto Act. The act was challenged and ruled ruled unconstitutional.

Question 37

Imperial presidency

Answer 37

When the president exercises more power than any other branch, causing the government to be imbalanced, leading to a monarchical structure.

Question 38

When do Imperial presidencies normally develop?

Answer 38

During wartime/ times of despair

Question 39

Presidential succession #2

Answer 39

Speaker of House

Question 40

Presidential succession #3

Answer 40

President pro tempore

Question 41

Presidential succession #4

Answer 41

Secretary of State

Question 42

Presidential succession #5

Answer 42

Secretary of Treasury

Question 43

Presidential succession #6

Answer 43

Secretary of Defence

Question 44

bully pulpit

Answer 44

pres can easily communicate to the masses

Question 45

commission

Answer 45

independent groups that fall under the executive branch, but act independently

Question 46

government corporations

Answer 46

a highlight of a business and a gov’t. gov’t wants to offer a public good, but the free market is the best way to do that

Question 47

delegated discretionary authority

Answer 47

the authority given to bureaucratic agencies by congress that allows them to implement rules

Question 48

iron triangle: interest groups

Answer 48

support congressmen, get friendly legislation and oversight

Question 49

iron triangle: Congress

Answer 49

gives funding and political support to bureaucratic agencies, gets execution of policies from bureaucrats

Question 50

iron triangle: bureaucratic agencies

Answer 50

gives low regulation to interest groups , gets special favors, gets lobbing support from interest groups