AP GOVPOL Mr. Lee Vocab 151

Ambassadors

Official diplomatic representatives of countries

Bully pulpit

Brightly lit stage to pitch ideas to the American people

Cabinet

Principal officers in each of the executive departments

Chief of staff

President's gatekeeper and is responsible for the smooth operation of the White House

Commander in chief

Executive is given control over the military

Executive agreement

An agreement between two heads of state and resembles a treaty but does not need the Senate's 2/3 majority

Executive Office of the President

Office that coordinates several independent agencies and carries out constitutional duties that handle the budget, economy, and staffing

Executive order

Empowers the president to carry out the law or to administer the governmentthrough directives or regulations that have the force of law.

Executive privilege

The president's right to withhold information or their decision-making process from another branch

Honeymoon period

First 100 days of a president's first term where a president lays out plans, appoints his Cabinet, and first family decorates the White House

Impeachment

Accusation from the House and trial in front of the Senate

Imperial presidency

Powerful executive position guided by a weaker Congress

Inherent powers

May not be explicitly listed in the Constitution but are within the jurisdiction of the executive

Lame duck period

Time after the nation has elected a new president and before the exit of the old president

Line-item veto

A measure that empowers an executive to eliminate a line of spending from an appropriations bill allowing a partial rejection of a bill

National Security Council

Group that regularly informs the president to the dangers that America may face

Pocket veto

When a president receives a bill in the final 10 days of a congressional session and does nothing to a bill, it dies

Presidential Succession Act

Establishes 18 positions beyond the president in case of illness, impeachment, or death of the president

Recess appointments

President can temporarily create replacements for Senate until the Senate reconvenes and is able to vote

Signing statements

A president's interpretation of a bill and how to carry it out

State of the Union

Yearly address/speech to Congress to give the administration's views of the nation and plans for legislation

Stewardship theory

President should exercise as much authority as possible to take care of the American people

Veto

Rejection of congressional bills accompanied with the president's objections

White House Staff

President's immediate staff of specialists that run the White House Office