AP GOV Vocab Unit 5

Executive branch

The branch of government charged with putting the nation's laws into effect.

Formal powers

Powers expressly granted in the Constitution.

Informal powers

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 two-thirds vote in the Senate to ratify.

State of the Union Address

The annual speech from the president to Congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs.

Veto

Formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses.

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 from a crime and forgive them, setting aside punishment.

Executive privilege

A right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny.

Executive agreement

An agreement between a president and another nation that does not require Senate ratification.

Signing statement

Written comments issued by presidents while signing a bill into law, often consisting of political statements or interpretations.

Executive order

Policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval.

War powers resolution

A law that restricts the president's power to maintain troops in combat for more than sixty days without congressional authorization.

Impeachment

The process of removing a president from office, involving articles of impeachment and a trial in the Senate.

Executive Office of the President

A collection of offices within the White House designed to provide information to the president.

Bargaining and persuasion

Informal tools used by the president to persuade Congress to support policy initiatives.

Bully pulpit

Presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government.

Going public

A tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the American people to put pressure on representatives.

Federal bureaucracy

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

Bureaucrat

An official employed within a government bureaucracy.

Political patronage

Filling of administrative positions as a reward for support rather than solely on merit.

Pendleton Act

An act that created the first United States Civil Service Commission to enforce hiring rules.

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 and qualifications.

Iron triangle

Coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups.

Issue network

Webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and advocates.

Implementation

The bureaucracy's role in putting into action the laws Congress has passed.

Bureaucratic discretion

The power to decide how a law is implemented and what Congress meant.

Regulation

The process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law.

Bureaucratic adjudication

When the federal bureaucracy settles disputes over the implementation of federal laws.