Gov. Chapter 13 Vocabulary

chief executive

chief executive

The president is the national government’s __________________, the top elected official in charge of enforcing laws and carrying out government policy. State and local governments also have __________________.

runoff election

In other states and cities, however, the candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to win. If that does not happen, the top two candidates must compete in a __________________, which is designed to produce a clear winner.

line of succession

The _______________________ for the presidency begins with the vice president. If the vice president cannot serve, the next successor is the speaker of the House, followed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, and then by the secretary of state. Other cabinet members continue the _____________________ in a specific order.

reprieves

The president also has the power to grant _____________ and pardons. A ____________________ is a postponement of punishment, whereas a pardon is a release from punishment.

A postponement of punishment for a crime. A person convicted of a capital crime, for example, may receive a __________ from execution.

pardons

The president also has the power to grant reprieves and _____________. A reprieve is a postponement of punishment, whereas a ____________ is a release from punishment.

A decree that frees a person from punishment for a crime. A ____________ is often granted when a criminal sentence is considered unjust.

amnesty

Presidents may also grant ______________, or a blanket pardon, to people facing prosecution. President Jimmy Carter, for example, granted _________________ to young men who had fled the country to avoid the military draft during the Vietnam War.

cabinet

Washington established the model for how the executive branch should be run. He appointed the first department heads and brought them together to create the first ______________.

The heads of the executive departments. The president appoints members of the _____________.

martial law

He declared ____________________ in Maryland and other states, placing the people there under military rule.

executive order

On January 1, 1863, he released the proclamation as an _____________________, a rule issued by the president that has the force of law.

A rule or regulation issued by a president or governor that has the force of law.

bureaucracy

In this role, the president presides over the federal ___________________, or the various agencies and organizations that carry on the daily business of government. To keep that _________________ running, the president is responsible for appointing close to 2,000 federal officials.

A large, complex organization that functions under uniform rules and procedures. The many workers in a government __________________ carry out the daily business of that government.

pocket veto

The president is required to sign or veto a bill within ten days of receiving it from Congress. If the president fails to act within that time, the bill automatically becomes law. However, the president only needs to veto the bill if Congress is in session. If Congress adjourns during those ten days, the president can do nothing and simply let the bill die. This is known as a _______________.

The automatic killing of a bill by refusing to either sign it or veto it. A _________________ can occur only in the final days of a congressional session, as a president must normally act on a bill within ten days or it becomes law.

chief of staff

The most powerful staff member is the ____________________, who is considered the president’s most loyal aide.

The ___________________ also serves as a “gatekeeper,” controlling who gets to talk to the president and who does not.

administration

Presidents can also add new agencies to the Executive Office of the President to carry out specific goals of their _________________.

The president, along with his or her personal staff and advisers. The term can also refer to a president’s time in office.

executive departments

The _______________________ make up a third group of organizations in the executive branch. The departments carry out the work of government in broad areas of public policy, such as agriculture, commerce, and labor.

independent agencies

The executive branch also includes dozens of _____________________ that help implement federal policy. These groups are considered independent because they do not fall within executive departments, though they answer directly to the president. These groups go by various names, including agency, commission, administration, authority, and corporation.

civil servants

Bureaucracies are run by ___________________, or civilian employees working in government agencies. In popular culture, ________________ are often portrayed as mindless paper pushers who insist on following petty rules and creating mounds of paperwork, all while ignoring human needs.

whistle-blowers

To help weed out corruption, Congress has also passed laws to protect ___________________, or employees who expose wrongdoing.

An employee or former employee who exposes wrongdoing within an organization in the hope of stopping it.

privatization

This shrinking of the federal bureaucracy has been made possible by ______________________, or the practice of contracting private companies to do jobs once by civil servants.

chief executive

As the country’s ______________________________, the president acts much like the head of a large corporation.

chief of state

The president also acts as ______________________________, the ceremonial leader of the government. As chief of state, the president represents the United States at official functions, both at home and abroad.

commander in chief

The job of ______________________________ is one of the president’s most challenging roles. As head of the armed forces, the president is responsible for the operations of the U.S. military and the overall security of the nation.

chief diplomat

Another key role for the president is that of the nation’s ______________________________. In this role, the president oversees U.S. foreign policy, holds talks with foreign leaders, and negotiates treaties.

chief policymaker

Since Franklin Roosevelt’s administration, the president has served as ______________________________ for the nation. Although Congress makes the laws, the president has significant influence over the legislative process.

chief manager of the economy

______________________________The President has no formal power over the economy. However, the president does work with Congress to write a federal budget and set tax policy.

chief of party

______________________________The president is the leader of his or her political party. Presidents tend to have deep loyalty to their party and exert great influence over party members in Congress.

chief citizen

The president is also the nation’s ______________________________. In that role, the president strives to embody American ideals and to serve the nation by acting in its best interest.

presidential power

The _____ has certain ____ under the Constitution. Over time, however, _________ has expnaded as a result of custom and practice. Today the _______ enjoys ______ beyong those listed in the Constitution.

presidential roles

The ______ plays many ____ as head of the executive branch. Among these are chief executive, commander in cheif, chief diplomat, and chief policymaker.