Unit 2: Vocabulary (Executive Branch)

Twenty-Second Amendment

limits president’s tenure to 2 terms or 10 years, ratified by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1951 in response to his unprecedented four terms in office

formal (enumerated) powers

powers expressly granted in the Constitution

informal (implied) powers (SENTENCE)

powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties

treaty

an agreement with a foreign government negotiated by the president and requiring a 2/3 vote in the Senate to ratify

State of the Union

the annual speech from the president to Congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs, addresses are used to gain public support and pressure Congress to act

veto (SENTENCE)

formal rejection by the rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress

pocket veto

an informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within 10 days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session

pardon (SENTENCE)

presidential authority to release individuals convicted of a crime from legal consequences and set aside punishment for a crime

reprieve

temporary release due to extenuating circumstances, ex. a medical necessity

executive privilege (SENTENCE)

a right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress

executive agreement (SENTENCE)

an agreement between a president and another nation that does not have the same durability as a treaty but does not require Senate ratification, way to shape foreign policy without Senate role of advice and consent

signing statement (SENTENCE)

written comments issued by presidents while signing a bill into law that usually consists of political statements/reasons for signing the bill but that may also include a president’s interpretation of the law itself

executive order (SENTENCE)

policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval

War Powers Resolution

a law passed over President Nixon’s veto that restricts the power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days without congressional authorization

impeachment

the process of removing a president from office, with articles of impeachment issued by a majority vote in the House followed by a trial in the Senate, with a 2/3 vote necessary to convict and remove

Twenty-Fifth Amendment (SENTENCE)

presidential vacancy and disability (succession), Vice President may assume the role of acting president

Executive Office of the President

a collection of offices within the White House organization designed mainly to provide information to the president

roles of the President

Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Chief Legislator, Commander in Chief, Party Leader

Chief Executive

enforced laws, oversees bureaucracy, appoints Cabinet members/heads of agencies, prepares budget

Chief Diplomat

U.S. foreign policy, treaties, exec. agreements, appointing & receiving ambassadors

Chief Legislator

State of the Union Address, approve/veto/pocket veto legislation

Commander in Chief

“nuclear football” limits by War Powers Resolution

Party Leader

gives pardons/reprieves, judicial appointments, bargaining/persuasion, speeches, helping get other elected

Twelfth Amendment

electors vote for President and Vice President (placed as a team running together)

Twentieth Amendment

change in inauguration (from March to January)

Twenty-Third Amendment

electors to the DC (residents of DC can vote for President, 3 electoral votes)

bargaining and persuasion

an informal tool used by the president to persuade members of Congress to support his or her policy initiatives

bully pulpit

presidentials appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies

bureaucracy/bureaucrat

an official employed within a government bureaucracy

political patronage

filling of administrative positions as a reward for support rather than merit

Pendleton Act

an act of Congress that created the first United States Civil Service Commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office within the civil service (also known as Civil Service Reform Act of 1883)

federal civil service

the merit-based bureaucracy, excluding the armed forces and political appointments

merit system

a system of hiring and promotion based on competitive testing results, education, and other qualifications rather than politics and personal connections

Cabinet

headed by cabinet secretaries, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate, consists of the heads of executive departments who advise the President and help run the government

iron triangle

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals

issues network

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates

bureaucratic discretion

the power to decide how a law is implemented and to decide what Congress meant when it passed a law

regulation

the process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law, to carry out the laws passed by Congress

bureaucratic adjudication

when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program