Unit 4 Vocabulary (Ch 8-9)

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 president’s 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 president’s 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 “rally ‘round the flag” 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 president’s 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