Administrative Discretion
Authority given by Congress to the Federal Bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws
Bureaucracy
a form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules and procedures
Bureaucrat
a career government employee
cabinet
advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president
Central Clearance
Review of all executive branch testimony, reports, an draft legislation by the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that each communication to Congress is in accordance with the presidentās program
Chief of Staff
The head of the White House staff
Congressional-executive agreement
a formal agreement between a US president and the leaders of other nations that acquires approval by both houses of Congress
Cycle of Decreasing Influence
the tendency of presidents to lose support overtime
Cycle of Increasing Effectiveness
The tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their jobs over time
Department
Usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission; also the highest rank in the Federal hierarchy
Entitlement Programs
programs such as unemployment insurance, disability relief, or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens
executive agreement
a formal agreement between the US president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval
Executive Office of the President
the cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisors, and several other units
executive orders
formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the Federal bureaucracy
Executive privilege
the right to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to National Security
Federal Register
An official document, published every weekday, which lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies
Government corporation
a government agency that operates like a business corporation created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program
Hatch Act
Federal statue barring Federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics and protecting them from being fired on partisan grounds
Impeachment
formal accusation against a president or other public official, the first step in removal from office
implementation
the process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules of spending
Impoundment
a decision by the president not to spend mone appropriated by Congress, now prohibited under Federal Law
Impoundment
Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated
independent agency
a government entity that is independent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
Independent regulatory commission
a government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress
Indexing
Providing automatic increases to compensate for inflation
inherent powers
powers that grow out of the very existence of governement
Line item veto
Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
Mandate
a presidentās claim of broad public support
Merit System
a system of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Presidential staff that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
agency that administers civil service laws, rules, and regulations
oversight
legislative or executive review of a particular government program or organization. Can be in response to a crisis of some kind kind or part of routine review
Parliament System
a system of government in which the legislative selects the prime minister or president
Patronage
The dispensing of government jobs to persons who belong to the winning political party
pocket veto
a formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress after it adjourns - if Congress adjourns during the ten days that the president is allowed in order to sign or veto law, the president can reject the law by taking no action at all
presidential ticket
the joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot required by the 12th Amendment
rally point
a rising public approval of the president that follows a crisis as Americans ārally āround the flagā and the chief executive
regulations
the formal instructions that the government issues for implementing laws
Rule-making process
the formal process by making regulations
Senior Executive Service
Established by Congress in 1978 as a flexible, mobile corps of senior career executives who worked closely with presidential appointees to manage government
Spoils System
a system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends
State of the Union Address
the presidentās annual statement to Congress and the nation
Take care clause
the constitutional requirement (in Article II, Section 3) that presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws
Treaty
a formal, public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two thirds of the Senate
Uncontrollable Spending
the portion of the Federal budget that is spent on programs, such as Social Security, that the president and Congress are unwilling to cut
Veto
A formal decision to reject the bill passed by Congress