Chapter 1: Intro

• Unit 2 of AP Government is about the three branches of government and how they interact with each other.

• The legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch, and bureaucracy will be discussed.

• The video is part of an interview packet that includes exclusive video content, practice questions, course questions and answers, and everything needed to do well in the course and exam.

Chapter 2: BICAMERAL

• Congress is made up of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

• The House of Representatives is apportioned by the population of each state, with more populous states having more representatives.

• Representatives in the House serve two-year terms and are closely tied to the people they represent.

• The Senate has 100 senators, with each state having two senators.

• Senators serve for six years and have more constitutional responsibilities than House members.

• Both houses of Congress are required to pass legislation, and coalitions are formed to make the process more efficient.

• Senate coalitions tend to be longer-lasting and more durable than House coalitions.

• Congress gets its power from enumerated powers and implied powers.

• Enumerated powers are explicitly listed in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, including federal funding, foreign policy, and military legislation.

• Congress has the power to raise revenue through taxation, coin money, pass a federal budget, declare war, raise armies, and direct funding to the armed forces.

• Congress also has implied powers, which allow them to pass laws required by the enumerated powers.

• The necessary and proper clause, or elastic clause, justifies Congress's implied powers.

• Leadership structures in Congress include the Speaker of the House, Majority and Minority Leaders, and Whips in the House, and the President of the Senate, President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader, and Whips in the Senate.

• Committees play a crucial role in getting legislative work done in both houses of Congress.

Chapter 3: COMMITTEES

• Small groups of representatives debate and draft legislation

• Four types of committees:

  • Standing committees: permanent committees that do essential work

  • Joint committees: have members from both the House and the Senate

  • Select committees: temporary committees created for specific purposes

  • Conference committees: resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill

• Majority party holds majority of seats on each committee

Chapter 4: UNANIMOUS CONSENT

• Senate president asks for unanimous agreement to limit debate

• One senator can object and stall the bill (hold)

Chapter 5: RIDERS

• Writers added to bills for personal agenda or to help get the bill passed

Chapter 6: PORK BARREL SPENDING

• Pork barrel spending: funds earmarked for special projects in a representative's district

• Example: "Bridge to Nowhere" bill with added funds for a bridge in Alaska

Chapter 7: LOGROLLING

• Logrolling: representatives agree to vote for each other's bills

• System of congressional back scratching

Chapter 8: FEDERAL BUDGET

• Congress passes federal budget

• Two categories of spending: mandatory and discretionary

• Mandatory spending: required by law (e.g., entitlement spending)

• Discretionary spending: funds left over after mandatory spending

• Increase in entitlement spending leads to decrease in discretionary spending

• Two ways to increase discretionary spending: raise taxes or approve deficit spending

Factors Affecting Work of Congress

• Ideological divisions lead to political polarization and gridlock

• Majority party in both houses can push legislation through quickly

• Divided government slows down the legislative process

Chapter 9: DIVIDED GOVERNMENT

• President Obama, a Democrat, wanted to appoint a liberal judge to the Supreme Court in 2016.

• The Republican-dominated Senate argued that they should wait for the outcome of the election before confirming a new judge.

• The Senate did not hold a confirmation hearing, citing Obama's status as a lame duck president.

Chapter 10: LAME DUCK

• In 2020, Republican President Donald Trump had the opportunity to appoint a new justice.

• The Republican Senate rushed the confirmation through without waiting for the outcome of the election.

• This demonstrates how a divided government can slow things down or a unified government can speed things up.

Different Conceptions of Representative Role

• Some representatives follow the trustee model, voting according to their best judgment.

• Example: Republican Senator Mitt Romney voted to remove Donald Trump from office, despite opposition from his constituency.

• Other representatives follow the delegate model, voting with the will of the people.

• The delegate model is more common in the House, where representatives have shorter terms and are more accountable to the people.

• Some representatives adopt the politico model, blending the trustee and delegate models depending on the situation.

Chapter 11: REDISTRICTING / GERRYMANDERING

• Every 10 years, a census is taken to determine the population and distribution of representatives.

• Reapportionment is the allocation of representative seats based on population.

• Redistricting is the redrawing of boundaries for congressional districts.

• Redistricting and gerrymandering can affect the efficiency of congressional work.

Chapter 12: CENSUS

• The census is conducted every 10 years to determine the population and distribution of representatives.

Chapter 13: REAPPORTIONMENT

• Reapportionment is the allocation of representative seats based on population.

Chapter 14: BAKER V. CARR

• Baker v. Carr (1962) dealt with the redrawing of districts in Tennessee.

• The Supreme Court ruled that the unequal distribution of voting power violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

• This case established the principle of "one person, one vote" and confirmed that apportionment issues are justiciable.

Chapter 15: PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING

• Gerrymandering is the drawing of districts to favor one group over another.

• Partisan gerrymandering involves drawing districts to give a certain party an advantage.

• Shaw v. Reno (1993) dealt with racial gerrymandering, drawing districts based on race.

• The court ruled that drawing districts solely based on race, even for historically discriminated people, was unconstitutional.

Chapter 16: RACIAL GERRYMANDERING

• Shaw v. Reno (1993) dealt with the drawing of districts based on race.

• The court ruled that drawing districts solely based on race, even for historically discriminated people, was unconstitutional.

Chapter 17: POLICY AGENDA

• Presidents come into office with a set of policies they want to enact.

• Congress has the constitutional authority to pass laws, not the president.

• Presidents use formal and informal powers to implement their policy agenda.

Chapter 18: INFORMAL POWERS

• Presidents can exercise informal powers with the veto.

• By threatening to veto, the president can influence Congress to modify the bill to align with their policy agenda.

Chapter 19: POCKET VETO

• The president can employ the pocket veto when a bill does not align with their policy agenda.

• If there are less than 10 days left in the congressional session, the president can let the session expire, effectively vetoing the bill.

Chapter 20: COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

• The president is the commander-in-chief of the United States armed forces.

• The power to declare war belongs to Congress, but the president can authorize military actions without a formal declaration of war.

• Example: President Obama authorized the killing of Osama bin Laden by Navy SEALs in 2011.

• The president can enter into executive agreements with other heads of state for foreign policy matters.

Chapter 21: EXECUTIVE AGREEMENTS

• Executive agreements are like contracts between presidents or monarchs

• Example: President Roosevelt made an executive agreement with Britain before World War II

Chapter 22: BARGAINING AND PERSUASION

• President has the power of bargaining and persuasion

• President can use their influence to persuade the people according to their policy agenda

Chapter 23: EXECUTIVE ORDER

• Executive orders are directives from the president with the force of federal law

• President can use executive orders to direct the actions of the federal bureaucracy and military

• Example: President Trump used an executive order to move money for building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border

Chapter 24: SIGNING STATEMENT

• President can issue a signing statement when signing a bill into law

• Signing statement informs how the executive branch interprets the law and how the president intends to execute it

Chapter 25: AMBASSADORS

• President appoints ambassadors to other countries

• Senate usually confirms these appointments without much drama

Chapter 26: WHITE HOUSE STAFF

• President appoints White House staff without Senate confirmation

Chapter 27: FEDERAL COURT

• Supreme Court nominations can be highly contentious

• Presidents appoint judges who align with their policy agenda

• Judges hold their positions for life, impacting policy decisions long after the president leaves office

Chapter 28: 22ND AMENDMENT

• The 22nd Amendment limits the number of terms a president can serve to two

• George Washington set the precedent by stepping down after two terms

Expansion of Presidential Power

• Over time, the power of the president has expanded

• Andrew Jackson expanded executive power, believing the president represented the people

• Abraham Lincoln assumed more power during the Civil War, suspending habeas corpus

• Franklin Roosevelt expanded executive power with the New Deal programs and served four terms

Chapter 29: BULLY PULPIT

• Presidential communication is a powerful tool

• Teddy Roosevelt referred to the presidency as a "bully pulpit"

• Presidents can use their influence to communicate directly with the people

• State of the Union address is an important tool for presidential communication

Chapter 30: STATE OF THE UNION

• Presidents used to give State of the Union addresses filtered through newspaper editors

• Franklin Roosevelt used radio to talk directly to the people through fireside chats

• John F. Kennedy used television for live press conferences and created a Presidential Communication Office

• Barack Obama used social media to communicate directly with supporters

• Donald Trump used Twitter extensively and earned the nickname "Tweeter-in-Chief"

Chapter 31: MARBURY V. MADISON

• The federal court system has three levels: U.S. District Courts, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court is explicitly mentioned in the Constitution

• The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review to declare laws constitutional or unconstitutional

• Marbury v. Madison in 1803 firmly established the power of judicial review

Chapter 32: PRECEDENTS

• Precedents are binding templates for future decisions

• Precedents are difficult to overturn due to the principle of stare decisis (let the decision stand)

• Stare decisis means that the court often rules in the same way as previous cases

Chapter 33: STARE DECISIS

• Precedents can be overturned, as seen in Brown v. Board of Education

• The Supreme Court is less bound to precedents than lower courts

• Precedents guide present decisions

• Judicial activism considers the broader effects of a decision on society

• Judicial restraint believes judges should not make policy

Chapter 34: JUDICIAL RESTRAINT

• Ideology of judges plays a role in decisions

• Presidents appoint judges aligned with their political sympathies

• Conservative presidents appoint conservative judges in hopes of overturning precedents

• Controversial decisions can lead to questioning the legitimacy of the court's power

Mitigating Court Decisions

• The president can appoint new judges

• Lack of enforcement by the president

• Congress can check the power of the judicial branch through legislation

• Congress can limit the court's jurisdiction through constitutional amendments

Chapter 35: THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY

• The bureaucracy is not a separate branch of government

• Sometimes referred to as the fourth branch of government

Chapter 35: BUREAUCRACY

• Bureaucracy falls under the authority of the executive branch

• Structure of the bureaucracy:

  • Cabinet secretaries are the highest level of authority

  • Departments are further subdivided into agencies

  • Commissions are regulatory groups

  • Government corporations are a hybrid between business and government agency

• Work of the bureaucracy:

  • Write and enforce regulations

  • Delegated discretionary authority

  • Compliance monitoring

  • Issue fines when laws are violated

  • Testify before Congress

• Iron triangle relationship between bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups

Chapter 36: DELEGATED DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY

• Bureaucratic agencies have delegated discretionary authority

• Authority given by Congress to make rules and carry out laws

Chapter 37: COMPLIANCE MONITORING

• Bureaucratic agencies establish rules for industries

• Responsible for ensuring compliance with rules

Chapter 38: IRON TRIANGLE

• Iron triangle relationship between bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups

• Mutual benefit and cooperation between the three groups

Chapter 39: POWER OF THE PURSE

• Congress has the power of the purse

• Allocates funds to different agencies

• Agencies cannot spend money without authorization

President's role in checking the bureaucracy

• Can fire and appoint leaders in cabinet and agency positions

• Influence over regulatory commission heads

• Can initiate reviews and changes in agency missions and objectives

Judicial branch's role in checking the bureaucracy

• Citizens can challenge bureaucratic decisions in court

• Court upholds agency authority unless violating a law

Challenges to the legitimacy of the bureaucracy

• Agencies and commissions create rules with the force of law but are not elected representatives

• Lack of accountability to the people

Chapter 40: PATRONAGE SYSTEM

• Bureaucracy jobs were awarded based on the patronage system

• Changed after President Garfield's assassination

Chapter 41: MERIT SYSTEM

• Pendleton Civil Service Act created a merit system for bureaucratic appointments

• Competitive examination required for bureaucratic jobs

• Continued reforms in the 20th century for a more professional and neutral