Prez and executive dept voab

Treaty

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

Veto

formal 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 ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session

Presidential pardon

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

Executive privilege

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

Executive agreement

an agreement between a president and another nation that does not have the same durability in the American system as a treaty does not require Senate ratification

Signing statement

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

Executive order

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 presidents 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 HOR, followed by a trial in the Senate with 2/3rds vote necessary to convict and remove

Bully pulpit

presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her polices

Going public

a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the American people with he hope that the people will in turn put pressure upon their representatives and senators to press for a president's policy goal

Lame duck

In politics, a lame duck or outgoing politician is an elected official whose successor has already been elected or will be soon

Federal bureaucracy

the departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation

Political patronage

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

Pendleton Act

an act of Congress in 1883 that created the 1st US Civil Service Commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office, within the civil service

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

Iron triangle

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

Issue 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

Isolationism

a foreign policy theory in which a country does not get involved in other countries matters

Foreign policy

How we interact and develop policies with other countries

Disengagement

the belief that the US was harmed by its war in Vietnam and so should avoid supposedly similar events

Deterrence

the US defense policy that uses the threat of military attack to discourage an enemy attack