Unit 2 GOPO

appropriation

funds set aside for a certain purpose

bully pulpit

prominent stage from where he could pitch ideas to the American people

Theodore Roosevelt

bureaucracy

hierarchical organization of executive branch employees to 3 million people ranging from members of the president’s Cabinet

cabinet

President appoints more than 2,000 upper level management positions

often require Senate confirmation

civil service

body of gov’t employees who are hired on merit and qualifications to perform various administrative functions in the public sector

cloture

enabled and required a 2/3 supermajority to stop debate on a bill, thus stopping a filibuster and allowing for a vote

conference committees

created to iron out differences in the bill

edited and marked up

congressional caucus

where men in Congress gathered and rallied behind their desired presidential candidate

congressional oversight

essentially a check and balance on the agencies themselves and competes with the president for influence over them

constituency

specific geographic area or district that is represented by an elected official

delegate

elected officials view themselves only as a mirror of the constituents, behavior will reflect wishes of people in a district, even if it goes against conscience of elected official

politico

elected official who will follow trustee model until their constituents push them towards the delegate model on certain issues

trustee

elected official will rely on own judgment when making decisions

discharge petition

can bring a bill out of a reluctant committee

discretionary authority/bureaucratic discretion

power to interpret legislation and create rules

discretionary spending

money in the budget that is negotiated every year

mandatory spending

money in the budget that must be spent every year according to the law

divided government

situation in which one party controls Congress and the other controls the White House

earmarks

designated money for a reason

provisions inserted into a discretionary spending appropriations bill that direct fund to a specific recipient while circumventing the merit-based or competitive funds allocation process.

executive agreement

resembles a treaty yet does not require the Senate’s 2/3 vote

executive departments

handles major areas of concern for the federal government

15 total dept

executive office of the president

provides the president with the support and services he needs to govern effectively

executive order

empowers president to carry out the law to administer the government ther

executive privilege

the right to withhold information or their decision-making process from another branch, especially Congress.

filibuster

to block a nomination or to let the time run out on a deadline for voting on a bill

formal/informal power

power to appoint officials

executive orders and persuasion

franking privilege

privilege that allows members of Congress to mail their letters without postage

free rider

lack of resources for smaller groups is intensified by another issue

gerrymandering

illogical district lines are drawn to give the advantage to one party

government corporations

hybrid of a government agency and a private company

gridlock

the “congestion” of opposing forces that prevents ideas from moving forward

hold

measure to stall a bill

impeachment

an accusation of wrongdoing

independent regulatory commissions

largely outside the reach of government control and responsible for regulating large industries/economy

ex Federal Reserve

interest group

look for access points at the local, state, and federal levels to persuade policymakers

iron triangle

a strong relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

issue network

include committee staffers, advocators, interest groups, and leaders that collaborate to create specific policy on one issue

joint committees

unite members from the House and Senate

routine management and research

lame duck

executive who has not won reelection or who is closing in on the end of the second presidential term, highlighting the partisan divide in government

lobbyist

work to develop relationships through their contracts who have access to government officials

logrolling

trading votes to gain support for a bill

majority leader

chief legislator, first-person the chair recognizes in debate and the leader who sets legislative calendar and determines which bills reach the floor for debate

minority leader

exists in the House and Senate and has less power than majority leader

malapportionment

creating vastly unequal districts is unconstitutional

merit system

included competitive written exams for many job applicants and loyal party members

office of management of budget

key executive office in the federal government that is responsible for assisting the President in overseeing the preparation of the federal budget

pardon

legal acts of forgiveness

party polarization

the growing gap between the stands of the party’s policy issues. on the negative side, polarization makes compromise more difficult

Pendleton act

prevented the constant reward to loyal party members

political/policy agenda

a set of issues that are significant to people involved in policymakingfund

pork barrel spending/legislation

funds earmarked for specific purposes in a legislator’s district

quorum

the majority sitting in the House or Senate

218 or 51

reapportionment

practice of redistributing congressional seats

based on the U.S. census

redistricting

districts lines being redrawn

regulation

refers to the rules and laws created by government entities to control the behavior of businesses and protect public interests

select committees

temporary committees who are selected for the particular and short-lived purpose

investigate scandals and events

signing statement

when signing a bill into a law where you explain the interpretation of a bill and the understanding of what is expected of them to carry it out

standing committees

permanent committees focused on a particular policy area

state of the union

required speech that the president has to report to Congress from time to time

explains the economic, military, and social state of the nation

proposes new policies

treaty

formal agreement between two sovereign states

unanimous consent

approval of all senators

veto

the president has the final stamp of approval on congressional bills to reject them

pocket veto

allows bill to die if president does not do anything with it after 10 days

line-item veto

measure would empower an executive to eliminate a line of spending from an appropriations bill or a budgeting measure, allowing president to veto part of it, but not all

whip

below the floor leader is the deputy leader

in charge of party discipline

keeps rough tally of votes among their party

white house staff

president’s immediate staff of specialists

no Senate approval

Baker v. Carr

ruled the courts have jurisdiction over issues of legislative apportionment

chief of staff

president’s gatekeeper who is responsible for the smooth operation of the White House and swift flow of business

Civil Service Reform Act

altered how a bureaucrat is dismissed, limited preferences for veterans in hopes of balancing the genders in federal employment, and put upper-level appointments back into the president’s hands

commander in chief

control of the nation’s armed forces, gives military orders, sends troops overseas, and requests declaration of war

compliance monitoring

making sure the firms and companies that are subject to industry regulations are following those standards and provisions

deficit

occurs when the government spends more money than it receives in revenue over a specific period

floor leaders

elected to serve as chief spokesperson for that party

honeymoon period

A president’s few months are characterized by some degree of bipartisanship in Congress and generally positive coverage by news media

imperial presidency

a powerful executive position guided by a weaker Congress

“U.S. presidency that is characterized by greater powers than the Constitution allows”

marginal seats

swing districts with closer elections

mark up sessions

a process by which the bill is edited

multiple referral

refers to the process through which a bill is referred to a second committee after the first is finished acting

National Security Council

includes the president, secretaries of defense and state, top intelligence and uniformed military leaders

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

all regulations that have a significant effect on the economy, public health, and other major aspects of policy undergo close review

Office of Personal Management

responsible for managing the civil service and ensuring the effective recruitment, hiring, and retention of federal employees

omnibus bill

includes multiple areas of law and or addresses multiple programs

patronage

bureaucracy became a place to reward loyal party leaders with federal jobs

President of the Senate

vice president

breaks tie

president pro tempore

temporary president

presides over the Senate in the absence of the vice president

recess appointments

if the Senate is not in session when a vacancy arises, the president can appoint a replacement who will serve until the Senate reconvenes and votes on that official

red tape

excessive regulations and formalities that can slow down decision-making processes within U.S. bureaucracy

riders

nongermane amendments that are often added to benefit a member’s agenda or programs or to enhance the political chances of the bill

Rules Committee

can easily dispose of a bill or define the guidelines for debate because it acts as a traffic cop to the House floor

safe seats

districts in which a party consistently wins by more than 55% of the vote

Senate majority leader

wields much more power in the Senate than the vice president and pro tem

chief legislator and 1st person who recognizes debate and determines which bills reach the floor

senatorial courtesy

Senate firmly reserves its right of advice and consent

“the home state senators are almost as important as—and sometimes more important than—the president in determining who will be nominated to a particular lower-court judgeship.”

Shaw v Reno

ruled legislative redistricting must be conscious of race and ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Speaker of the House

only House leadership position mentioned in the Constitution

recognizes members for floor speeches, organizes members for conference committees, and great influence in lawmaking

spoils system

made the U.S. Post Office one of the main agencies to run party machinery

stewardship theory

approach to governing presumed the president had a duty to act in national interests unless the action was prohibited in the Constitution

swing district

districts with closer elections

War Powers Act

maintains the president’s need for urgent action and defense of the United States while preserving the war-declaring authority of Congress

Ways and Means Committee

committee exclusive to the House that determines tax policy

unified government

when one political party controls both the executive branch and the legislative branch of government