AP Gov Unit 4 All vocab combined set

Main Role

Main Role

The executive branch enforces laws through the Presidency and other organizations. Their power comes from Article 2 of the Constitution.

Eligibility Requirements — President or Vice President

35 years old, a native-born citizen of the US, and a resident of the US for at least 14 years.

Responsibilities — Vice President

Presides over the Senate and breaks ties as needed. Diplomatic and Public relations. Advise the President and support their platform. Take over the Presidency in the case of death or disability.

22nd Amendment

Amendment that limited the President to two terms (can be non-consecutive terms).

12th Amendment

Amendment that changed the way the Vice President is elected — it used to be that that the Vice President was the runner-up of the Presidential election, but this changed it so that the Vice President is elected on the same ballot at the President.

Formal Powers

Enumerated powers given to the President in Article 2 of the Constitution (Article 2 — the Executive branch). Ex. Veto & Sign Bills.

Informal Powers

Powers are not laid out in the Constitution that are necessary to carry out Presidential duties (kind of like Implied Powers). Ex. Negotiating with members of Congress.

Chief Executive

The President carries out the laws of the nation and oversees a large and complex system of agencies and bureaucracies.

Cabinet

Consists of the heads of 15 major executive branch departments, the Vice President and the head of other agencies that the President wishes to assign this level status. Most have the title “Secretary.“ Their job is to advise the President. The members are appointed by the Senate.

Chief Diplomat

The President is authorized to make Treaties — An agreement with foreign governments negotiated by the President and requiring 2/3 votes in the Senate to ratify.

The President can also appoint Ambassadors — Official representatives to foreign counties.

*The Senate still has authority to approve all Treaties and Ambassadors.

Commander-In-Chief

The President is the leader of the armed forces. Congress and the President share war powers — Congress declares war, but only the President can commit troops, and they still must notify Congress.

Chief Legislator

Presidents have Legislative Agendas — bills they want to see passed in Congress like tax cuts, healthcare reform, etc. — that they promote to the people.

State of the Union Address

An annual live televised speech given before Congress, members of the Supreme Court, the military, and the entire nation where the President speaks and tries to influence Congress to pass key pieces of his or her agenda (trying to promote their Legislative Agenda).

Pocket Veto

If the President does nothing with a Bill and Congress is not in session, the bill is automatically vetoed after 10 days and cannot be overridden by Congress.

Options of the President with Bills

1) Sign a Bill

2) Veto a Bill (Bill goes back to Congress where it must achieve 2/3 approval in BOTH the House and the Senate to override the President’s veto).

3) Do nothing with a Bill

• If Congress IS in session, the bill automatically becomes a law after 10 days.

• If Congress IS NOT in session, the bill automatically gets vetoed after 10 days and Congress cannot do anything about it.

Head of State

The President is the living symbol of the Nation — greets visiting kings, prime ministers, etc.

Economic Leader

People expect the President to care for the country/s economic prosperity.

Party Leader

The President is generally considered the leader of their political party. Party members work hard to get a President elected and then they gives speeches to support their party and raise money.

Executive Order

A rule or command having the force of the law. Allows the President to bypass Congress; but is could get declared unconstitutional by Congress.

Unilateral Presidential Action

Presidents attempt to influence domestic and foreign policy with few or no constraints by Congress or the Judicial branch.

Pardon

Declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment. Usually Presidents do this RIGHT before they leave office because they might cause controversy.

Reprieve

Order to delay a punishment.

Amnesty

Pardon toward a group of people.

Executive Privilege

A right claimed by Presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts form outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress. Presidents can keep things secret!

Executive Agreements

An agreement between the President and another nation that does not have the same durability as a Treaty but DOES NOT require Senate ratification (like a Treaty — but only last until the end of the President’s term).

Signing Statements

Written comments by the President while signing a bill into law that usually consists of political statements or reasons for signing the bill but may also include the President’s interpretation of the law itself.

War Powers Resolution

Congress passed this to say that the President must notify Congress within 48 hours of sending troops and they must be brought home after 60 days if they did not receive Congress’ approval.

Bully Pulpit

The president uses their position as president to speak to the American public. 

Fireside Chats

Effectively using the radio to communicate with the people.

Bureaucrats

Officials employed with government agencies. This includes the President, Vice President, Cabinet, etc.

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

Works in the West wing of the White House; the President's closest advisers.

Chief of Staff

The most powerful political adviser; controls the President’s schedule and ALWAYS has access to the President. The President rely’s on them more than they rely on the Vice President.

White House Office

Some 500 people; screens the flow of information to the President (includes the Appointment Secretary, the Press Secretary, and the White House Council [President’s lawyer]).

Office of Management Budget & Cabinet.

*Also part of the Executive Office of President (EOP)!

National Security Council

Helps the President coordinate US military and foreign policy; also oversees the C.I.A.

Council of Economic Advisors

Gives the President advice about complex economic matters such as employment, tax policy, inflation, and foreign trade.

Independent Agencies

Responsible for dealing with a certain specialized area within the government (ex. NASA is responsible for the space program).

Government Corporations

Run like private businesses except the government and not private citizens run them. Ex. the Corporations for Public Broadcasting - PBS.

Regulatory Agencies

Created to protect the public by making and enforcing certain rules. Ex. the Environmental Protection Agency - EPA.

Bureaucracy

the vast hierarchical organization of the executive branch

Civil Service Commission

oversees the process of federal job appointments and stopped officials from having a requirement of contributing to political campaigns to be a federal employee

Civil Service Reform Act (1978)

changed stuff about the bureaucracy and the process, such as changing the way someone is dismissed, limited preferences for veterans, and gave the power to appoint upper level appointments back to the president

compliance monitoring

making sure that companies follow the requirements and standards

iron triangle

the relationship between an agency, committee, and interest group

issue networks

network of staff of committees, academics, advocates, leaders of think tanks, interest groups, and the media

merit system

tests required for many federal job applications

National Performance Review

a 6 month long review of the government to identify problems and to hopefully fix them

Office of Personnel Management

runs the merit system and hiring process for federal employees

Patronage

giving good party leaders federal jobs as a reward

Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)

prevented patronage

Spoils system

the way patronage ended up being with congress members having an influence with the advice and consent power and presidents appointing people to federal jobs

Administrative Procedures Act (1946)

helps agencies to make their regulations and makes sure the people affected can have a say

Code of Federal Regulations

holds all of the regulations and stuff about them

Department of Education

deals with education related laws and regulations

delegated discretionary authority

executive branch departments/agencies can interpret laws and make rules based on them

Department of Homeland Security

deals with immigration and customs

Department of Transportation

helps keep the transportation up to date and make sure it is as good or better than other countries

Environmental Protection Agency

protect the environment and human health related to the environment

Federal Election Commission

deals with campaign finance law(like from citizens united scotus case)

Federal Register

prints info about how regulations came to be and other stuff about them

independent regulatory agencies

can create policies within a specific industry or area of expertise

notice-and-comment opportunity

the public can offer comments about policies

Department of Veterans Affairs

helping veterans and honoring them in different ways

Securities and Exchange Commission

deals with small businesses and the market

17th Amendment

Gave power to the people of each state to elect senators.

Pork-Barrel Spending

Members of congress allocate and direct monies to projects or groups within their districts or states.

Logrolling

Approving money for another state so that you can get money approved for what you need in your district.

Oversight

Congress can monitor the executive branch’s agencies, bureaus, cabinet officials, and their officials.

Mandatory Spending

Spending that is mandated by law and cannot be changed. This includes Social Security and Medicare (entitlement programs) which make up the bulk of yearly spending.

Discretionary Spending

Spending for programs and politics at the discretion of congress and the president (optional, the number one example is the military).

Budget Surplus

The amount of money left over after spending is uncommon; a budget deficit where the government owes more than it raises is the norm. This creates national debt.

*The government raises more taxes in a specific period of time than they end up spending.

Budget Deficit

Results when federal expenditures exceed federal revenues for a one-year period. When the federal government spends more money than it takes in from taxes.

Constituency

A body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator (district or state).

House Majority Leader

Second in command in the House. They serve as the leader for the Majority party in Congress.

Whip

A member of Congress whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.

Minority Leader

Leader of the party that holds the minority in each house of Congress.

Senate Majority Leader

The person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats in the Senate.

Committee Chair

Leader of a congressional committee who have authority over the committee’s agenda. Members of congress try to get appointed to committees that deal with issues of interest to their constituents, or the people they represent.

Joint Committee

Committee which contains members of both the House and of the Senate. Conduct studies and coordinate between the two Houses.

Conference Committee

Temporary Joint Committee. Resolves differences between the House and Senate version of a bill.

Rules Committee

A specific committee of the House, determines when the bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will be, and whether changes to the bill will be allowed on the House floor. Sets extra rules in the House that aren’t present in the Senate.

Filibuster

The power of an individual senator to talk and talk to delay a motion or vote on the floor.

Cloture

Only a vote of 60 senators can shut down a debate and end a filibuster.

Apportionment

The process of determining the number of representatives per state among districts using the census.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing a state’s district boundaries after a 10 year census.

Gerrymandering

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

Partisan Gerrymandering

Drawing boundaries to benefit a political party. The Supreme Court can’t do anything about it.

Packing

Drawing electoral districts to consolidate the population of a community or constituency into a smaller number of districts.

Cracking

Drawing electoral districts that divide the population of a community or constituency across several districts.

Majority-Minority Districts

Districts in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority in a district.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Supreme Court Case…

Tennessee had not changed their districts in 60 years, so some districts had 10 times the population of other districts (malapportionment).

Case Holding (Decision) = The Supreme Court ruled they DO have authority to review state redistricting plans.

Reasoning = The equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment requires districts to be drawn with similar numbers of constituents (“one person, one vote“).

“One person, one vote“

Citizen’s votes are equal, and one person’s vote is not more important than another person’s vote.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Supreme Court Case…

Attorney General Janet Reno ordered NC to add another Majority-Minority District to comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ruth Shaw and a group of white voters sued stating the redistricting violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

Case Holding (Decision) = The Supreme Court ruled that the proposed shape for the district of NC could not be explained as anything else than an attempt to segregate voters based on race.

Reasoning = This does violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, and race cannot be the primary consideration when redistricting.

14th Amendment

Places several limits on state actions. Provides all people born in the US as citizens. Includes the equal protection clause and the due process clause.

Equal Protection Clause

Under the 14th Amendment, states may not deny persons equal protection under the law.

Due Process Clause

Under the 14th Amendment, prevents states from denying persons due process under the law.

Due Process = Legal matters are resolved according to established rules and principles and individuals be treated fairly.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Prevents systematic and widespread voter discrimination experienced by people of color. Prohibits drawing districts that diminish the voting power of racial minorities. Led to the establishment of Majority-Minority districts.

Malapportionment

Population is not evenly distributed when determining congressional districts.

Racial/Ethnic Gerrymandering

Drawing congressional districts that dilute the voting power of a race or ethnicity. The Supreme Court can do something about this…it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Delegate Role

The idea that the main duty of a member of congress is to carry out constituents wishes.