AP Gov

EOP

Executive office of the president. It contains the president’s closest advisors

OMB

Office of Management and Budget. They help the president create a budget and budget priorities

National Security Council

Responsible for coordination of foreign policy

Council of Economic Advisors

Serve the economy to ensure stable economic growth

Bargaining and Persuasion

Setting priorities for Congress and attempting to get enough people’s support for the president’s agenda

Going Public

A strategy where the president reaches out directly to the American people for support

Balance the Ticket

Balance the presidency with respect to geographical representation, experience, or connections to important blocs of voters - used to get more voters

CIA

Central Intelligence Agency - Collects + evaluates information to safeguard against foreign threats/security

BIA

Bureau of Indian Affairs - Protects + improves trust + living conditions of Native Americans

FCC

Federal Communications Commission - Regulates interstate + international communications through cable, TV, satellite, etc.

HUD

Department of House + Urban Development - Creates national policies + programs that address America’s housing needs + improve communities

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act - Prohibits discriminations against people with disabilities. Part of the EEOC

IRS

Internal Revenue Service - Helps citizens meet their tax responsibilities and enforces the law

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency - Protects people + the environment against health risks + enforces environmental regulations

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Responsible for developing + researching science + technology related to air + space

FEMA

Federal Emergency Management Agency - Emergency personnel to build, sustain, + improve the nations capability to prepare for hazards

NIH

National Institute of Health - Enhance health, lengthen life, + reduce illness and disability

NLRB

National Labor Relations Board - Enforce U.S. labor law in relation to collected bargaining + unfair labor practices

DOT

Department of Transportation - Keeps public transportation safe, plans + coordinates federal transportation projects

FAA

Federal Aviation Administration - Regulates all civil aviation in the country + surrounding international waters

ATF+E

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and more - Protect public from illegal uses of firearms, alcohol, firearms

NTSB

National Transportation Safety Board - Investigate different modes of transportation

FEC

Federal Election Commission - Enforce campaign finance laws + rules

OSHA

Occupational Safety + Health Administration - Ensure safe + healthy working conditions for workers

FDA

Food + Drug Administration - Protect public health by regulating the country’s food supply, drugs, + medical devices

NIMH

National Institute of Mental Health - Research + understand mental illnesses + how to treat them

FWS

Fish + Wildlife Service - Conserve + protect fish, wildlife, + plants + their natural habitats

SSA

Social Security Administration - Administer social programs covering disability, retirement, + survivor benefits

VA

Department of Veterans Affairs - Provides life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans

DOD

Department of Defense - Coordinate + supervise agencies + functions related to national security + defense

DHS

Department of Homeland Security - Secure the nation from threats + protect our country

FHA

Federal Housing Administration - Provide mortgage insurance on loans

DOJ

Department of Justice - Enforce the law, protect the country, + protect civil rights

NOAA

National Oceanic + Atmospheric Administration - Predict changes in the climate, report changes to other agencies, + conservation of the climate

FDIC

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporations - Insures deposits supervises financial institutions, + manages receiverships

SEC

U.S. Securities + Exchange commissions - Protect personal investors

EEOC

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Enforce federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate in jobs

HHS

Health + Human Services - Provides effective health + human services by developing advances in medical + social services

FTC

Federal Trade Commission - Protect citizens from unfair business practices

FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Protect + defend against intelligence threats + enforce criminal laws

Formal Powers

Powers given explicitly by the Constitution

Informal Powers

Powers not laid out in the Constitution, but necessary to carrying out the expressed powers

President’s Cabinet

Heads of the 15 major executive departments, the VP, and the heads of other agencies that the president wishes to assign to cabinet-level status

Bully Pulpit

President appealing to the public to pressure or bully other branches of government to support their policies

State of the Union Address

A formal statement of what the president wants to get done and what congress has already gotten done. Encourages/pressures congress into acting and following what the president says during address

Veto

Stopping legislation

Pocket Veto

When a president does not sign a piece of legislation within 10 days. If congress is in session: LAW, if congress is not in session: NO LAW

President’s Jobs

Chief ExecutiveChief DiplomatChief LegislatorCommander in Chief

Presidential Pardon

Release individuals convicted of federal crimes from all legal consequences and restore their benefits of citizenships

Executive Privilege

Purposefully withholding information from congress, the judiciary, and the public

Executive Agreements

Like a treaty, but not binding onto future presidents. They don’t require ratification

Signing Statements

Signing a bill into law with comments that convey instructions for implementation

Executive Orders

Policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval

22nd Amendment

Prohibits presidents from being elected more than twice

War Powers Resolution

An act that set rules around when it’s acceptable to send armed troops. The rules are: Declaration of warCongress authorizationState of emergency due to being attacked

Honeymoon Period

At the start of the president’s term where optimism is high, approval ratings are high, and efficiency is high.

Merit System

Awarding people jobs and raises based off of how well they are doing and what they’ve accomplished/how qualified they are.

Bureaucrats

Officials employed by government agencies

Political Patronage

Giving out administrative positions as a reward for support

Pendleton Act

Act that created the first Civil Service Commission that is responsible for enforcing hiring and promotion rules

Federal Civil Service

The civilian workforce of the federal government

Street-Level Bureaucrats

Bureaucrats/civil servants with direct access to the public

Implementing

Putting into place + deciding how it will be enforced

Bureaucratic Discretion

Bureaucrats have some power to decide how a law is implemented and, at times, what Congress meant when it passed a certain law

Regulation

The process through which the federal bureaucracy fills in critical details of a law

Notice and Comment

A process in which agencies must first announce a proposed ret of rules and callow interested in parties to weigh in

Bureaucratic Adjudication

A role that bureaucracies have that allows them to settle disputes, determine which individuals are covered under a regulation or law, and issue fines or other penalties for violation. It allows the bureaucracy to act as its own court.

Nuclear Football

A briefcase that has traditionally included communications equipment and strategic plans and codes to launch nuclear missiles

Plenary Authority

Absolute, unchecked power

AUMF

Authorization for Use of Military Force Act passed in the wake of 9/11

5th Amendment

Don’t need to self-incriminate

13th Amendment

Abolition of slavery

12th Amendment

Electors must cast 2 different votes for the president and vice president

15th Amendment

African American men can vote!

25th Amendment

Vice president can take over for president in the case of death, resignation, impeachment, or congress otherwise determining the president unable to properly govern the U.S.

EOP

Executive office of the president. It contains the president’s closest advisors

OMB

Office of Management and Budget. They help the president create a budget and budget priorities

National Security Council

Responsible for the coordination of foreign policy

Council of Economic Advisors

Serve the economy to ensure stable economic growth

Bargaining and Persuasion

Setting priorities for Congress and attempting to get enough people’s support for the president’s agenda

Going Public

A strategy where the president reaches out directly to the American people for support

Balance the Ticket

Balance the presidency with respect to geographical representation, experience, or connections to important blocs of voters - used to get more voters

Regulatory Capture

When a regulator has ties to an industry, causing them to look the other way and not enforce rules in order to benefit their connections - could be due to previous work or work prospects

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A court order requiring the government to describe and produce the evidence against someone charged with a crime

political efficacy

a person’s belief that they can make effective political change

political mobilization

efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote

registration requirements

the set of rules that govern who can vote, how, and where they can vote

absentee ballot

voting completed and submitted by a voter before election day w/o going to the polls

rational choice voting

voting based on the citizens best interest

retrospective voting

voting based on an assessment of an incumbent’s past performance

prospective voting

voting based on a candidates promises to enact policies (favored by the voter) in the future

party-line voting

voting for candidates that belong to one political party for all offices

electoral college

a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election

winner-take-all system

a system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state's votes in the Electoral College

battleground state

a state where the polls show a close contest between rep. and dem. candidates in the presidential election

swing state

a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and often swing back and forth between rep. and dem.

get out the vote (GOTV)

efforts to mobilize supporters

get on TV (GOTV)

efforts to mobilize supporters by getting on tv to promote your campaign or diminish the other

super PAC

an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign, as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign.

political party

an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office