Lame duck - an outgoing politician or group of politicians who continue to serve until the assumption of their elected successors

Executive Office of the President - comprises the offices and agencies that support the work and agenda of the President ; consists of the White House Office (headed by the Chief of Staff), National Security Council, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Veto - formal power of the President to check Congress, but vetoes can be overridden with a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress

Commander in Chief - formal foreign policy power of the President

Executive agreement - informal foreign policy power of the President

Treaty - formal foreign policy of the President

Bargaining and persuasion - informal power of the President to secure congressional action

Executive order - an informal power to allow the president to manage the federal government and are implied by the president’s vested executive power or by power delegated by Congress

Signing statement -  an informal power of the President to inform Congress and the public of the president’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president

Senate confirmation - an important check on appointment powers but there can be a potential for conflict based on who is chosen by the president for appointments, including: i. Cabinet members ii. Ambassadors iii. Some positions within the Executive Office of the President iv. Supreme Court Justices, Court of Appeals judges, and District Court judges, but the president’s longest lasting influence lies in life-tenured judicial appointments

Federalist 70 - offers justification for a single executive by arguing a strong executive is “essential to the protection of the country against foreign attacks, to the steady administration of the laws, to the protection of property, and to the security of liberty.”

22^nd Amendment - established presidential term limits and demonstrates concern about the expansion of presidential power

25^th Amendment -  In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

State of the Union - formal power of the President that is a nationally broadcast message for agenda setting that uses the media to influence public views about which policies are the most important

Bully pulpit - informal power of the President for agenda setting that uses the media to influence public views about which policies are the most important

Agenda setting - the President uses their formal and informal powers to influence public policy and public opinion in pursuit of their presidential agend

Electoral College - The people chosen to cast each state’s votes in a presidential election. Each state can cast one lectoral vote for each senator and representative it has. The District of Columbia has three electoral votes, even though it cannot elect a representative or senator.

Pyramid structure - A president’s subordinates report to him through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff.

Circular structure - Several of the president’s assistants report directly to him.

Ad hoc structure - Several subordinates, cabinet officers, and committees report directly to the president on different matters.

Budget and Impound Control Act of 1974 - created the procedural means by which the Congress considers and reviews executive branch withholdings of budget authority.