Executive branch vocab

AP Comp gov vocab quiz

Cabinet

A group of the heads of the 15 executive departments who advice the president on issues related to their departments and help carry out executive policies.

Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)

A group of economic experts that advises the president about economic conditions and helps develop economic policy

Executive agreement

An agreement between the president and a foreign government that does not require Senate approval, unlike a treaty.

Executive privilege

The president’s power to withhold certain information from Congress, the courts, or the public, usually when the president claims confidentiality is necessary.

Impeachment

The process in which the house of Representatives formally charges a federal official with wrongdoing; the Senate holds the trial and can remove the official from office if convicted.

line-item veto

The power to reject individual spending provisions in a bill while approving the rest of the bill. The U.S president does not currently have this power.

National Security Council (NSC)

A group of advisers and officials that helps the president coordinate national security and foreign policy decisions.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

A presidential office that helps the president prepare the federal budget, review agency requests, and oversee how executive agencies use government funds.

Pocket veto

A veto that occurs when the president takes no action on a bill for 10 days and Congress adjourns, preventing the president from returning the bill to Congress; the bill therefore does not become law.

bully pulpit

The president’s use of the visibility and influence of the presidency to persuade the public, Congress, or other government officials to support policies.

Twenty-fifth Amendment

Establishes rules for presidential succession and presidential disability including what happens if the president dies, resigns, is removed, or is temporarily unable to perform their duties.

Twenty-second Amendment

Limits a president to being elected to the presidency no more than two times.

War Powers Resolution/ Act

A law designed to limit the president’s ability to use military focus without congressional approval and requires the president to notify Congress when U.S forces are sent into hostilities.

Watergate

A political scandal involving the Nixon administration, including the attempted cover-up of the 1972 Democratic National Committee break-in, which ultimately led to President Nixon’s resignation.

Bureaucracy

A system of government agencies and officials that implements and administers the laws and policies created by Congress and the president.

Administrative discretion

The freedom bureaucrats have to make decisions about how to interpret and implement laws and policies within the limits set by Congress.

Command and control policy

A government policy that uses specific rules, regulations, or standards to tell individuals or businesses exactly what they must do.

Deregulation

The process of reducing or removing government regulations on businesses or industries in order to give them more freedom.

Executive orders

Official directives issued by the president to executive branch agencies that manage how the federal government operates and implements existing laws.

Governmental corporations

Government-owned organizations that provide public services while operating somewhat like private businesses, often charging fees for their services.

Hatch Act

A law that limits the political activities of federal government employees particularly partisan political activity while acting in their official roles.

Independent Executive Agencies

government agencies that are outside the 15 cabinet departments but are still part of the executive branch and perform specialized government functions.

Independent regulatory agency

a government agency that regulates a specific industry or area and has some independence from presidential control to help prevent political interference.

Iron Triangle/ Subgovernment

A close relationship among bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups that work together to influence government policy in a particular area.

Patronage

The practice of giving government jobs, contracts, or other benefits to political supporters in exchange for their loyalty or support.

Pendleton Civil Service Act

A law that created a merit-based federal civil service system, using qualifications and competitive exams for government jobs and reducing the patronage/spoils system.