AP US Government & Politics Unit 4: Institutions of Government

appropriation bills

bills that distribute money to run the government, carry out public policies, and fund programs
-can only be made after authorization
-written by Appropriations Committee (considered most powerful committees of Congress)
--both House and Senate

authorization bill

bill that must be passed to create a program
-legislative process that authorizes expenditure of money for specific programs

markup

line by line examination of a bill
-approve/alter/amend/rewrite/block

bicameral

two chambers

multiple referral

a bill being referred to multiple committees at the same time

caucus

members meet in local spaces and discuss candidates
-take a public/informal vote

president pro-tempore

most senior member of the Senate majority party
-fills seat when vice president isn't the President of the Senate
-fourth in line for president

cloture

⅗ vote in the Senate to end a filibuster

seniority

holding a position or rank the longest

delegate

a person appointed or elected to represent others

discharge petition

bill will leave committee to the floor for a vote
-218 votes

sponsor

organises the discussion of a bill

filibuster

talking a bill to death
-only in the Senate

logrolling

congressional members trade votes to get earmarks passed into legislation
-"you vote this for me, I vote this for you"

casework

when a congressional member helps an individual constituent

House Rules Committee

sets the rules for consideration of a bill
-closed rule \= puts a time limit on debate and restricts amendments
-open rule \= permits amendments from the floor
-restrictive rule \= permits only some amendments
can ignore a bill, let a bill die, or kill a bill by a majority vote

incumbents

a person in office seeking reelection

legislative oversight

Congress looking over bills, agencies, agencies, etc..
-serves as a check of executive authorization and appropriation

Speaker of the House

the presiding officer of the House of Representatives
-top representative in Congress; most powerful
-second in line for president
-decides which bills are advanced (assigns bills to committees and appoints committee chairpersons)
-controls floor debate
-elected

Majority Leader

most powerful position in the Senate
-leader of the majority party in the Senate and in the House
-decide which bills are or aren't voted on
-elected
-House majority leader is second in command to the Speaker

Minority Leader

leads the minority party in the House or Senate

Whips

know what the party members are thinking/feeling
-"whip up" the votes

committee chairs

the people who determine if a bill gets talked about in term of bill making
-what bills will we listen to, which will we not
-usually of the majority party

conference committee

try to edit a bill to make a compromise if one chamber adds amendments to a bill that the other as already approved (resolve differences)
-produce a version of the bill that both the House and the Senate usually accept
--both chambers represented
--both parties represented

joint committees

committees joint of House and Senate members

select committees

temporary committee that is formed for a specific purpose
-most are formed to investigate a particular issue, incident, or scandal
--study whatever we study then goes away
-do not continue from one session to another
-also known as ad hoc

standing committees

-permanent committee (maintained from session to session - always exists)
-deal with a specific subject area
ex: House Rules Committee

Pros of a Committee System

allows legislation to be written by the members with greatest expertise

Cons of a Committee System

relatively small group of people control legislation

pork barrel

specific money for projects within states
-congressional

honeymoon

the period at the beginning of a president's new term

beltway insider

the political people who work in government in Washington DC

impeachment

charging a public official (president, federal judge, federal official) with misconduct in office
-can result in removal
-Congress cannot be impeached, but expelled by a 2/3 majority vote of their chamber

impeachment of the president

-can be done by Congress
-requires a majority vote in the House of Representatives
-president then tried by Senate with 2/3 majority vote for removal

bully pulpit

president is using the power and the weight of their office to push people to do things

chief of staff

closest advisor

line-item veto

the president can reject a part of a bill while approving the rest
-declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

Commander in Chief

the role of the president as supreme commander of the military forces of the United States
-conduct military operations
-can call the national guard or military to preserve domestic order

override

2/3 vote from both chambers to cancel a veto

veto power

how the executive branch checks the legislative branch

pocket veto

when the president does not sign a bill with ≤ 10 days left in session
-bill does not become a law

divided government

when different branches of the federal government are controlled by different political parties-one party controls the White House / Executive branch while another controls one or both chambers of Congress / Legislative Branch

Executive Office of the President

-includes chief advisors to the president
-contains several key agencies that help the president carry out their duties
-headed by president's chief of staff

State of the Union Address

annual report by the president to Congress and the people about the state of the country

executive order

call for the executive branch to take a specific action or to change an existing practice (or regulation)
-CANNOT contradict a current law
-sent to Federal Register for numbering
-has the force of law

executive privilege

right of the president to withhold information from Congress or refuse to testify before Congress
-how far it extends is controversial and often disputed

First Lady

the wife of the President

White House Office

the people who keep the White House running and the White House staff he chooses

Cabinet

chief executives of the executive branch departments
-appointed; not elected
-no official powers; advise president

Council of Economic Advisors

an agency within the Executive Office of the President that provide the president with objective economic advice for the formulation of domestic and international economic policies

National Security Council

principle forum for creation of national security policy by the president
-members --\> president, vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, national security advisor, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of National Intelligence

Office of Management and Budget

\-most important agency in the Executive Office of the President

\-set up to aid the president in drawing the federal budget

\-decides which agencies will get money each year

presidential coattails

using the president for popularity (making oneself more popular)

War Powers Act

Congress must be notified of military action within 48 hours
-if Congress does not declare war after 60 days, troops must return home

Watergate Scandal

Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn over White House tapes after break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters
-Nixon claimed executive privilege
-Senate made Nixon turn tapes over
-began Nixon's impeachment process (resigned before impeached)

iron triangle

alliances among bureaucrats, interest groups, and congressional subcommittee members and staff that form to promote their common causes / policies
-also known as subgovernments

bureaucracy

departments, agencies, and offices organized in a pyramid hierarchy, responsible for carrying out the day-to-day tasks of the US government
-means "rule by desks"
-carry out laws of Congress and executive orders of the president
-issue regulations
-help Congress draft legislation
-provide advice to the White House
-settle disputes

issue network

networks/alliances that consist of people in interest groups, on congressional staffs, in bureaucratic agencies, in universities, and in the mass media who regularly debate on issue and promote a common issue or agenda in a way that influences government policy

Congressional Budget Office

provides the Congress with objective, nonpartisan, and timely information, analyses, and estimates related to federal economic and budgetary decisions

earmark

money designated for a specific project in a specific place in a bill or law
-restricts spending rather then allowing funds to be spend where most needed or most effective
-used by members of Congress to bring government money to home districts

recess appointment

temporary appointment when one is needed but Congress is not in session that is made by the president

government corporation

blend of private corporations and agencies
-created by Congress to allow more freedom and flexibility than exists in regular government agencies (carry out business-like functions)
-have more control over their budgets, and often have the right to decide how to use their own earnings
--charge for their services and earn money
-since the government still ultimately controls them, they do not operate like true private corporations

ex: US Postal Service, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

senatorial courtesy

president defers to senior senator of state for some lower-level jobs (ex: giving Senator veto power of the nomination of district court judges)

independent regulatory commissions

issue regulations; no influence from the president or Congress (not part of a department)
-ensure the people are protected
-regulate important parts of the economy from political pressure
-make rules for large industries and businesses (lave the force of law)
-created by Congress
-quasi-legislative powers

ex: Federal Communications Committee, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Election Commission

regulation

issuing rules that impact the public and that the private sector must follow

deregulation

getting rid of regulations

Independent Executive Agencies

-agencies outside departmental structure but still under the president
--heads generally report directly to president but do not have cabinet status
-generally have narrower areas of responsibility
-most are subject to presidential control and are independent only in the sense that they are not part of a department
-main function is not to regulate, but to fulfill a myriad of other administrative responsibilities

ex: Central Intelligence Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

policy implementation

carrying out and enforcing policies

gerrymandering

deliberate manipulation of legislative district boundaries in order to achieve some political or personal objective that serves the interest of those in power (or those who drew the lines)

discretionary spending

non-mandatory parts of the budget; the optional sectors of federal spending
-ex: national defense, foreign aid, eduction
-¹/³ of government spending
-takes place via appropriation legislation

mandatory spending

areas the government is forced to spend money on
-ex: social security
-⅔ of government spending
-does not take place through appropriation legislation

redistricting

redrawing the lines of districts
-based on Census (population / number of people within the lines)

trustee model

members of Congress should act as trustees
-making decisions based on their judgement and knowledge

delegate model

main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constitutes' wishes

politico model

members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties making decisions

constituency

body of voters in a specified area who are represented by a member of Congress
-those who elect a representative to represent them

reapportionment

relocating the representatives (moving people)

"lame duck" president

period before a politician leaves office

entitlement programs

benefits provided by government programs to individuals or organizations based on eligibility criteria as defined by law
-change is not liked by many

budget deficit

occurs when more money goes out then comes in
-spending \> revenue

unanimous consent

an agreement on committee rules approved by all members

Hold in the Senate

filibuster threat

executive agreement

formal agreement between President and leader(s) of other nation(s) that does not require Senate approval

signing statement

comment from President on a signed bill

stare decisis

the practice of letting a previous legal decision stand

judicial activism

philosophy that Supreme Court should play an active role in determining national policies (judicial review) sometimes creating bold, new policies
-also known as judicial intervention
-"loose interpretation"

judicial restraint

philosophy holds that the Supreme Court should avoid taking initiative on social and political issues or be cautious in overturning laws-proposes only a limited use of judicial powers and deference to executive and legislative branches
-if Congress wanted this to be a right, they would have made that as a law and passed it
-"strict interpretation"

judicial review

allows the court to determine national policies and the constitutionality of laws

Brutus 1

-written by Robert Yates
-anti-federalist paper
-says that the Constitution is too powerful and that the states will not matter
-"it ought not to be adopted"

Federalist 51

-written by James Madison
-need for separation of powers (one branch can't be too powerful)
-justice is the end goal
-"if men were angels, no government would be necessary"

Federalist 70

-written by Alexander Hamilton
-having a singular executive vs a council
--council --\> always in danger of a difference in opinion, lessen the respectability, weaken authority, don't get anything done, divide us (factions)
--singular executive --\> efficient & make decisions

Federalist 78

-written by Alexander Hamilton
-independent judiciary
--judiciary has no control over governments budget or military and must rely on the executive branch to carry out its rulings
--judges need permanent positions so that they will be able to stand up against laws in which legislatures have abused their powers or violated constitutional principles
--if we want the courts to remain independent, the legislative branch and the executive branch have to do their jobs
\---executive --\> military "sword"
\---legislative --\> money "purse"

Marbury vs. Madison (1803)

-gave the judicial branch the power to check other branches
-set up judicial review
-made the Constitution the supreme law of the land

Baker vs. Carr (1961)

Tennessee's efforts to reapportion seats ignored significant economic growth and population shifts within the state
-court ruled that courts can intervene when redistricting impacts people

Shaw vs. Reno (1993)

North Carolina created three majority/minority districts to ensure a minority win

\-shape was enough to seem racially motivated

\--declare no racial gerrymandering

What is the Senate designed to represent?

the states equally

What is the House of Representatives designed to represent?

the population

What do public bills pertain to?

public affairs

What do private bills pertain to?

a particular individual

Where do revenue bills originate?

in the House of Representatives