InstantCert american government

The president's constitutional power of \__________ allows him/her to reject acts of Congress.

veto

the president is given this right as part of the system of checks and balances.

Congress can override a veto with a \__________ vote of each house.

2/3

A filibuster can occur only in the \__________.

Senate. Because of its more flexible rules, a filibuster is possible only in the Senate. A filibuster is a tactic used to delay legislation.

Filibuster

A lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote on a bill; used only in the Senate

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is the \__________.

Speaker

elected by the full House

The \__________ Committee decides the order in which House bills come up for vote.

House Rules

House Rules Committee

the committee that determines how and when debate on a bill will take place

Caucuses are informed groups of Senators or Representatives who \__________ opinions, interests, or backgrounds.

Share

Caucus

a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office

Pocket Veto

president's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days

The House of Representatives consists of \__________ members.

435

The costs associated with social welfare programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (welfare), Social Security, and Medicare are known as \__________.

entitlements

entitlement

social welfare program that people are "entitled to" if they meet certain eligibility requirements

impeachment

power to bring charges against Pres; A formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office.

Who impeaches the president?

House of Representatives

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Presidentialist View

mplies that the president takes an active role in policymaking

Congressionalist View

President should execute Congress' laws and nothing more

The fact that American public policy is largely determined by compromise between competing groups reflects the \__________ theory of American politics

Pluralist

pluralist view

view that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy

The \__________ of the legislative branch of the US government is an example of bicameralism.

division

Presidents sometimes try to avoid the Congressional "advise and consent" requirement with regard to treaties and trade agreements by entering into an \__________ with foreign governments.

executive agreement

executive agreement

A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval.

While many presidents have generated notoriety by brokering treaties with foreign countries, the power to ratify foreign treaties lies with the \__________.

Senate

\__________ mandates are laws passed by the federal government for the states to follow--i.e. environmental standards, but does not provide additional funding at the same time.

Unfunded

In the US v. Nixon, 1974, the Supreme Court ruled against president Nixon, stating that \__________ did not allow him to refuse to comply with a court order to produce material for a criminal trial.

executive privilege

The War Powers Act passed in 1973, limits a president's authority to send troops to hostile areas without \__________ approval.

Congressional

Stewardship theory

Calls for assertive presidency that is confined only at specific points defined by law.

Taftian Theory

The president is limited to those powers enumerated in the Constitution

executive office

Agencies that perform staff services for the president but are not part of the White House, helps the president oversee the federal bureaucracy.

Jefferson invoked the concept of \__________ powers to justify the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

inherent

inherent powers

powers that can be inferred from specific powers granted by the Constitution

line item veto

to veto specific portions of a bill without vetoing the entire bill. *unconstitutional*

ways and means

House committee that handles tax bills, oversees the budget

In the case of a tie vote in the Senate, the \__________ is afforded the tie-breaking vote.

Vice President

The Senate has the power to try all impeachments including that of the president. In such trials, however, it is the \__________ that shall preside over the trial.

chief justice

All bills passed in relation to \__________ must originate in the House of Representatives.

revenue

While the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, it is the domain of the \__________ to declare war.

Congress

ex post facto law

law that makes an act punishable as a crime even if the action was legal at the time it was committed

the president has the power to appoint \__________ justices.

supreme court

Each of a President's cabinet members has both a loyalty to the President and to his/her own \__________.

department

In the Senate, the \__________ leader has the power to appoint members and chairs of committees.

majority

How is the senate elected?

selected by a caucus of majority party members

standing committee

where proposed bills are sent for review

senatorial courtesy

A President will often allow a State's senators to suggest persons for nomination.

While it is made up of \__________ of all major government agencies, the cabinet is not a board of directors with any collective power.

heads

congressional oversight

Congress has the authority to conduct hearings, investigations, and budget reviews of the actions by the executive branch.

Appropriation

money that Congress has allocated to be spent

whip system

a communications vehicle in each congressional house; polls party members

dissenting opinion

A statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion, presenting his or her opinion

conference committee

responsible for resolving any differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill

reciprocacy

congress members making agreements to support each other's bills

prior restraint

government prevents materials from being published in the first place. unconstitutional

gerrymandering

drawing of legislative districts so that it favors one party over another.

House of Representative: years per term

2 years

Senate: years per term

6 years

Casework

the work that a lawmaker does to help constituents with a problem

incumbency

the fact that being in office makes it easier to get reelected

frank

A Congressman's privilege to mail official correspondence to his/her constituents without purchasing postage

how often do elections occur for the Senate and House?

every two years

Trustee

a representative who votes based on based on their best judgement for his or her constituency

delegate

representatives should vote in the way their constituents want, even if it conflicts with their own judgement.

politico

An elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue

party caucus

a closed meeting of the members of each party in each house

A committee that is drawn from both houses of Congress for a special purpose, such as an investigation, is called a \__________ committee

joint

ad hoc committee

a committee created for a specific short-term purpose

pork-barrel legislation

Legislation that is specifically designed to benefit a legislator's home district

logrolling

An agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills

With a \__________ , a Senator can request to be notified before a bill is brought to the floor.

hold

General Accounting Office

conducts audits of government spending

The \__________ veto is when Congress can disallow an act by the president or executive agency.

legislative

The president and vice president must be natural-born citizens and at least \__________ years old

35

The \__________ of the US is the presiding officer of the Senate.

vice president

The Secretary of State is an officer found in all of the states. In many states he/she has important duties in connection with \__________.

elections

Rewards and favors given to political supporters is called \__________

patronage

bureaucracy

includes the federal agencies that help administer the executive branch of government.

Spoils System

firing supporters of the opponent and replacing them with one's own supporters upon election.

Job placement in the federal government is based on a \_____ system

merit

interstate commerce commission

an agency that sets the laws for all the companies that do business across state lines

clientele agency

a department of government whose mission is to promote, serve, or represent a particular interest

-ex: department of education

independent executive agency

A federal agency that is not part of a cabinet department but reports directly to the president.

-ex: CIA

Federal Employees Political Activities Act

Federal employees are now allowed to run for office in nonpartisan elections

Once a law is passed, the \__________ is responsible for its implementation.

bureaucracy

iron triangle

alliance between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

An issue network is a group of people, agencies, Congressional committees, etc. who \__________ for a particular issue.

band together

A bureaucracy can settle \__________ between parties through a process called administrative adjudication.

disputes

One way that the Congress uses the bureaucracy is through its investigatory \__________, in which it directs an agency to study a particular problem.

powers

A \__________ is funding provided by the federal government to the states.

grant-in-aid

Regulations govern the operation of a government \__________ and have the force of law.

program

The Cabinet, a presidential \__________ group, has no basis in the Constitution.

advisory

The Federal Reserve System sets the country's \__________ policy

monetary

Which President was it that signed the Americans with Disablities Act?

George HW Bush

Laissez-faire.

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.

\__________ of the Constitution establishes and empowers the judicial branch of the national government.

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