POS2041 EXAM 3

oversight

Congressional responsibility for monitoring the actions of executive branch agencies and personnel to ensure conformity to federal statutes and congressional intent.

constituency

The district of a legislator.

Evolution of the Presidency

The framers had an idea close to how Washington acted, from the time of George Washington to the end of the 19th century (the Dormant presidency) the pres did not dominate the political life of the nation they thought they were equal to Congress. Starting with Teddy Roosevelt, then to Wilson and FDR it became more involved with increasing foreign involvement and domestic help through invasive social programs.

ranking minority member

The highest-ranking member of the minority party on a congressional committee.

Power of the Purse

The influence that legislators have over public policy because of their power to vote money for public purposes

Speaker of the House

The leader in the HOR, stands second in line of succession after the VP. Names conference committee members, appoints members to the Rules committee, controls bill hearings and agenda, and has the ability to allow people to speak during floor debates.

habeas corpus

The legal doctrine that a person who is arrested must have a timely hearing before a judge.

presidential job approval

The percentage of Americans who believe the president is doing a good job.

institutional presidency

The permanent bureaucracy associated with the presidency, designed to help the incumbent of the office carry out his responsibilities.

judicial review

The power of the Supreme Court to declare actions of the other branches and levels of government unconstitutional.

pack

The process of concentrating voters for the other party into fewer districts in order to weaken them elsewhere.

markup

The process of revising a bill in committee.

reapportionment

The reallocation of House seats among the states, done after each national census, to ensure that seats are held by the states in proportion to the size of their populations.

redistricting

The redrawing of congressional district lines within a state to ensure roughly equal populations within each district.

hearings

The taking of testimony by a congressional committee or subcommittee

federal bureaucracy

The totality of the departments and agencies of the executive branch of the national government

Trends in Presidential Job Approval

Ratings rise and fall in response to political, social, and economic events.

joint committees

Congressional committees with members from both the House and the Senate. EX: Joint budget committee

gerrymandering

Redrawing electoral district lines in an extreme and unlikely manner to give an advantage to a particular party or candidate.

pocket veto

Rejection of a bill if the president takes no action on it for 10 days and Congress has adjourned during that period.

New Gov Employees Graph

# of fed employees has declined over past 2 decades in absolute #s, the # of state & local gov employees has grown A LOT.

constituent

A citizen who lives in the district of an elected official.

partisan

A committed member of a party; also, seeing issues from the point of view of the interests of a single party

treaty

A formal international agreement between two or more countries; in the United States, requires the "advice and consent" of the Senate.

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

A group of organizations that advise the president on a wide range of issues; includes, among others, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council, and the Council of Economic Advisers.

bureaucracy

A large, complex organization characterized by a hierarchical set of offices, each with a specific task, controlled through a clear chain of command, and where appointment and advancement of personnel is based on merit.

filibuster

A parliamentary device used in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote by "talking it to death," made possible by the norm of unlimited debate. `

discharge petition

A petition signed by 218 House members to force a bill that has been before a committee for at least 30 days while the House is in session out of the committee and onto the floor for consideration.

whip

A political party member in Congress charged with keeping members informed of the plans of the party leadership, counting votes before action on important issues, and rounding up party members for votes on bills.

caucus

A regional, ethnic, racial, or economic subgroup within the House or Senate. Also used to describe the party in the House and Senate, as in Republican caucus.

executive order

A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the force of law, based either on the constitutional powers of the presidency as chief executive or commander in chief or on congressional statutes.

hold

A tactic by which a single senator can prevent action on a bill or nomination; based on an implied threat of refusing to agree to unanimous consent on other Senate matters or willingness to filibuster the bill or nomination

chief of staff

A top adviser to the president who also manages the White House staff.

national security adviser

A top foreign policy and defense adviser to the president who heads the National Security Council.

cloture

A vote to end a filibuster; requires the votes of three-fifths of the membership of the Senate.

delegate

According to the doctrine articulated by Edmund Burke, an elected representative who acts in perfect accord with the wishes of his or her constituents.

conference committees

Ad hoc committees, made up of members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, set up to reconcile differences in the provisions of bills. Members selected by Speaker of the House and Senate majority leader. Sometimes add, amend, or subtract things from bills coming through.

pork

Also called pork barrel; federally funded projects designed to bring to the constituency jobs and public money for which the members of Congress can claim credit

executive agreement

An agreement with another country signed by the president that has the force of law, like a treaty; does not require Senate approval; originally used for minor technical matters, now an important tool of presidential power in foreign affairs.

trustee

An elected representative who believes that his or her own best judgment, rather than instructions from constituents, should be used in making legislative decisions

open-seat election

An election in which there is no incumbent officeholder

Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)

An organization in the Executive Office of the President made up of a small group of economists who advise on economic policy.

National Security Council (NSC)

An organization in the Executive Office of the President made up of officials from the State and Defense Departments, the CIA, and the military, who advise on foreign and security affairs.

Intelligence Advisory Board

An organization in the Executive Office of the President that provides information and assessments to the president's director of national intelligence and to the president directly.

party conference

An organization of the members of a political party in the House or Senate

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

An organization within the Executive Office of the President that advises on the federal budget, domestic legislation, and regulations.

State of the Union

Annual report to the nation by the president, now delivered before a joint session of Congress, on the state of the nation and his legislative proposals for addressing national problems

elastic clause

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, also called the necessary and proper clause; gives Congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated powers and other of its powers vested in the Constitution

bicameral

As applied to a legislative body, consisting of two houses or chambers

unitary executive

Constitutional doctrine that proposes that the executive branch is under the direct control of the president, who has all authority necessary to control the actions of federal bureaucracy personnel and units without interference from the other federal branches.

Campaign money raised in 2009-2010 election cycle graph

Contributors tend to give a disproportionate share of campaign contributions to incumbents and those open-seat candidates who have a good chance to win their elections.

divided government

Control of the executive and the legislative branches by different political parties.

Pendleton Act

Created bipartisan Civil Service Commission to oversee a system of appointments to certain executive branch posts on the basis of merit.

reciprocity

Deferral by members of Congress to the judgment of subject-matter specialists, mainly on minor technical bills.

majority-minority districts

Districts drawn to ensure that a racial minority makes up the majority of voters.

Growth in Federal Agency Rules and Regulations Graph

Dramatic rise in regulations in the 1970s, decline during the Reagan Years, slow increase during the first Bush and Clinton presidencies and leveling out during George W Bush, rules increased slightly again under Obama.

constitutional courts

Federal courts created by Congress under the authority of Article III of the Constitution.

civil service

Federal government jobs held by civilian employees, excluding political appointees.

departments

Generally the largest units in the executive branch, each headed by a cabinet secretary. ex: department of education, war, state, treasury.

bureau

Generally, a subunit of a cabinet department. ex: FBI, Coast Guard

civil servants

Government workers employed under the merit system; not political appointees.

grand juries

Groups of citizens who decide whether there is sufficient evidence to bring an indictment against accused persons.

legislative courts

Highly specialized federal courts created by Congress under the authority of Article I of the Constitution.

impeachment

House action bringing formal charges against a member of the executive branch or the federal judiciary that may or may not lead to removal from office by the Senate

How a Bill Becomes a Law chart

In both Senate and the House: 1. Bill introduced 2. Referred to committee 3. Referred to subcommittee for hearings and markups 4. Committee action 5. Floor action 6. Bill reconciliation, usually in conference committee 7. House/Senate action on conference committee bill 8.Presidential signature, then becomes a law

unanimous consent

Legislative action taken "without objection" as a way to expedite business; used to conduct much of the business of the Senate.

Cabinet

Not mentioned in the constitution, no legislation designates composition of it, its duties, or rules. Every President has had one. Today, it usually consists of the heads of the major executive departments, the VP, and whichever other officials the president chooses. A reason for the weakness of cabinets is that the government has grown large and specialized.

Graph on Party Voting in Congress

Partisanship has been growing in Congress, one indicator is the increase in percentage of times the average party member sided with their party on partisan votes.

Senate Majority Leader

Powers are not nearly as much as the Speaker of the House, has some influence in committee assignments, office space designation, make the schedule, and controls access to the floor.

enumerated powers

Powers of the federal government specifically mentioned in the Constitution.

Influences on Bureaucratic Behavior

President, Congress, & the courts ⇗ ⇘ The People ⇒ Fed Depts & Agencies

veto

Presidential disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress. The president's veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each house.

franking privilege

Public subsidization of mail from the members of Congress to their constituents.

standing committees

Relatively permanent congressional committees that address specific areas of legislation. Majority party enjoys a majority on each committee and controls the chair and majority. Ex: budget and finance in senate and rules committee and ways and means committee in the HOR.

casework

Services performed by members of Congress for constituents.

descriptive representation

Sometimes called statistical representation; the degree to which the composition of a representative body reflects the demographic composition of the population as a whole

crack

The act of dividing a district where the opposing party has a large majority, rendering it a minority in both parts of the redrawn districts

original jurisdiction

The authority of a court to be the first to hear a particular kind of case.

hopper

The box in the House of Representatives in which proposed bills are placed.

Women and Minorities in Congress

Still underrepresented compared with their proportion in the American population. Large gains were made in the 2012 elections.

select committees

Temporary committees in Congress created to conduct studies or investigations; they have no power to report bills. Often the issues before the select committees are highly visible and gain great deal of attention. EX: Watergate scandal, Iran-Contra Affair, and intelligence failures regarding 9/11.

The U.S. Federal Court System

U.S. Supreme Court ⇓ U.S. Claims ⟻ U.S. Courts of Appeal(13) ⟼ Court of Intl Court ⇙---------------⇓ Trade U.S. Tax Court U.S. District Courts(94)

The Executive Branch Structure

______________ The Constitution _______________ ↓ ↓ ↓ Legislative Executive Judicial ↓ Departments ↓ Independent Establishments and Gov Corporations

cost-benefit analysis

a method of evaluating rules and regulations by weighing their potential costs against their potential benefits to society

bureaucrat

a person who works in a bureaucratic organization

independent executive agency

a unit of executive branch outside the control of executive departments. ex: EPA

independent regulatory commision

an entity in the executive branch that is outside the immediate control of the president and congress that issues rules and regulations to protect the public. ex: Securities and Exchange Commission

foundation

an entity of the executive branch that supports the arts or sciences and is designed to be somewhat insulated from political interference. ex: National Foundation of the Arts

quasi-governmental organization

an organization that has governmental powers and responsibilities but has substantial private sector control over its activities. ex: The Federal Reserve Board

Unified government

control of the executive and legislative branches by the same political party

agency

general name used for a subunit of a cabinet department. EX: Coast Guard

What the Public Thinks About Different Industries

in 2011 fewer than 5 Americans thought favorably about the Fed Gov. Computer, Restaurant, and Farming and Ag were among the top rated.

appropriation

legal authority for a federal agency to spend money from the U.S. Treasury

red tape

overbearing bureaucratic rules and procedures

whistle-blowers

people who bring official misconduct in their agencies to public attention

power to persuade

president must persuade executive branch officials and personnel to do things

recess appointments

presidential action to temporarily fill executive branch positions without the consent of the senate; done when congress is adjourned

spoils systems/patronage

the practice of distributing government offices and contracts to the supporters of the winning party; also called patronage

privatizing

turning over certain government functions to the private sector

government corporation

unit in the executive branch that operates like a private business but provides some public service. ex: US Postal Service