Unit 2 AP Gov Review

Brief review of the main unit 2 topic: The three branches & ther interactions

Department of Education

Department of Education

Oversees states & their implementation of federal education standards

Bureaucracy

• Hierarchical organization that is characterized by standardized procedures, formalized rules, and a clear division of labor

• Designed to efficiently manage large and complex tasks, but can be criticized for being slow, inflexible, and impersonal

Judicial Activism

The Court acts to establish policy and considers more than just the Constitution of a decision, consider the decisions broader effects on society

Legislative Branch

Law making branch

Bicameral

Two-house legislature, how the United States Congress operates

HOR Term Length

2 years

House of Representatives

• Apportioned by state

• Know their constituency better

• Limited debate

• 435 members

Senate

• Equal representation for each state

• More constitutional responsibilities

• Unlimited debate

• 100 members

Coalitions

An alliance for combined action, especially a temporary alliance of political parties forming a government or of states. The durability of the working relationships are affected by term length differences

Enumerated Powers

Powers listed in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution

Congressional Enumerated Powers

• Federal funding

• Foreign policy

• Military legislation

• Raise revenue through taxation

• Coin money for a uniform currency throughout the nation

• Pass a federal budget

Congressional funding powers

• Power to declare war

• Pass draft laws

• Direct funding to the armed forces

Congressional foreign policy & military legislation powers

Implied Powers

Political powers granted to the United States government that aren't explicitly stated in the Constitution. Congress can pass any law that is required by the enumerated powers

Necessary & Proper Clause

• Article 1, Section 8

• Provides justification for implied powers

Speaker of the House

• House of Representatives leader

• Chosen by House members

• Will always be majority party member

Majority & Minority Leaders

• Next House leadership tier after the Speaker of the House

• Help to direct debates

• Guide party members in policy making issues

Whips

• Next House leadership tier after the majority & minority leaders

• Also exist in Senate

• One for each party

• Render party discipline

• Keep party members in line

• Make sure party member goals align with party goals

Vice President

• Leader of the Senate

• Helps break ties

President Pro Tempore

• Senate leader after vice president

• Most senior member of the majority party

Senate Majority Leader

• Next in tier for Senate leadership after President Pro Tempore'

• Sets the legislative agenda

Standing Committees

• Where new legislation begins

• Endure for a long time

Joint Committees

Committee that hosts members from the House & Senate

Select Committees

• Temporary committees created for a specific purpose

• Generally serve goals of majority party

Conference Committees

• Committee formed to reconcile bill differences

House Rules Committee

Decide which bills make it to the floor for House debate

Committee of the Whole

A parliamentary procedure where all members of a legislative body become members of a single committee to discuss and amend proposed legislation

Discharge Petition

Used to force a bill out of committee for debate & voting

Filibuster

Attempt to stall or kill a bill by talking for a very long time

Cloture Rule

3/5ths vote to end a filibuster

Unanimous Consent

Unanimous agreeal to limit debate

Step 1 in a bill becoming a law

Member introduces bill

Step 2 in a bill becoming a law

Bill is assigned to a committee

Rider

Non-relevant additions added to a bill to benefit representative’s agenda or as helpful guidance

Pork Barrel Spending

Funds earmarked for special projects in a representative’s district

Logrolling

Agreeing to vote for a bill if yours is voted for in return

Mandatory Spending

• Payments required by law

• Entitlement spending

• Ex: Medicare

Discretionary Spending

• Funds remaining after mandatory spending

• Mainly used to pay federal employees

Ways to increase the discretional budget

Raise taxes & increase deficit spending

Deficit

The gap between the projected budget & actual funds available

Divided Government

The president is from one party while both party houses are from another

Lame Duck

Presidents on their way out of office

Trustee

Politicians who vote according to their best judgement

Delegate

Voting with the will of the people, even if it is against your better judgement

Politico

Voting patterns and choices depend on the situation

Redistricting

The redrawing of boundaries

Gerrymandering

Manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or group

Policy Agenda

The goals a president sets when entering office

Pocket Veto

Waiting 10 days for a bill to die / expire

Congress, President

_____ declares war, while the ______ can deploy troops

Executive Order

Direct order from the president with the force of federal law, though it isn’t actually a law. Usually direct the federal bureaucracy or military

Signing Statement

The president can add their interpretations / planned executions of laws to a bill

Cabinet

Presidential team of advisors who lead each of the executive agencies, appointed by the president

Federalist 70

By Hamilton, encourages implementing a single executive

Anti-federalists

The _________ feared the power of the president expanding, which they widely have

Andrew Jackson

The first president to severely alter how much power the executive branch has

Bully pulpit

A platform or position of authority that provides a powerful and influential voice to advocate for change or address social issues

State of the Union

Yearly address of how the nation is doing

U.S. District Courts

• 94 courts

• Bottom courts of the judicial branch

• Have original jurisdiction (right to hear a case for the first time)

U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

• 12 courts

• Appellate jurisdiction (hear from the lower court)

Supreme Court

• 1 court

• Appellate & original jurisdiction

• Only court written in the Constitution

Federalist 78

Where Hamilton argued for lifetime appointments for Supreme Court judges & judicial review

Precedent

Setting a binding template for future decisions

Stare Decisis

• ‘Let the decision stand’

• The SCOTUS often sticks to previously made decisions

Judicial Restraint

Believing / acting as if a law should only be struck down if it violates the actual written word of the Constitution

Cabinet Secretaries

• Top of the bureaucracy

• Leaders of the 15 executive departments

Commissions

Regulatory groups who operate independently of the president’s authority, but are still under executive authority

Government Corporations

Hybrid of a business & government agency

Iron Triangle

A mutually beneficial relationship between congressional committees, interest groups, and executive agencies. They work together to create policies that benefit all parties involved

Department of Homeland Security

Protect the US from terrorism & maintains and controls the nation’s borders

Department of Transportation

Manages all kinds of transportation

Department of Veterans Affairs

Manages veterans hospitals and the general welfare of America’s veterans

Environmental Protection Agency

Works to protect the environment & human health through industrial relationships

Federal Elections Commission

Administers & enforces campaign finance laws

Securities & Exchange Commission

Regulates the stock market & prevents fraud

Senate powers

Confirm judicial nominations & ratify treaties