Unit 3 - AP gov and politics

Which of the following is a means of enforcing a bureaucratic regulation?

sending inspectors to evaluate compliance

Federalist 51 (Madison)

Separation of powers, checks and balances

Which Amendment permits Congress to levy income taxes?

Sixteenth

Which of the following types of committee deals with broad areas of public policy and can be found in both houses of Congress?

Standing

Which of the following is likely to occur as a result of new legislation regarding automobile safety?

The Department of Transportation will be given discretionary authority to create auto regulations. The Department of Transportation is the organization that has the authority to create new safety regulations for cars.

A person claiming that the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote supermajority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional differences as the cause of this trend?

The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate. The House of Representatives maintains time limits for each representative to speak, but the Senate allows senators to speak without limit, allowing one senator to filibuster legislation unless a 60-vote majority votes to invoke cloture.

In which of the following scenarios would a presidential veto most likely be upheld?

Two-thirds of the representatives and senators are members of the same party as the President.

Brutus 1 - Anti-federalists (republicans)

Aruged for maint taining regional authority and why executive was bad

Which of the following statements about trends in presidential approval ratings is supported by information presented in the graph above? ( check average yearly presidental approval graph 1953-1993) Q#23

A President's popularity tends to fall during his term in office.

Which of the following is a primary function of the Senate Judiciary Committee?

Conducting hearings on judicial appointments made by the president

Which of the following is the most accurate comparison of the processes that generally facilitate gridlock and those that facilitate governmental action?

Facilitates Gridlock - checks and balances Facilitates action - Executive orders Checks and balances limit the ability of one branch of government to carry out its responsibilities and thus facilitate gridlock. Executive orders are a power exercised by presidents to initiate an action in the bureaucracy, and thus they facilitate action.

Federalist 10

Fractions are inevitable but need to be controlled

Baker v. Carr

One man, one vote

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?

House of reps - The constitutions farmers intended it to reflect the will of the people Senate - the constitution framers designed it to represent the interest of the states. The framers designed the House to be more reflective of the people's will and the Senate to be more reflective of states' interests, giving them equal voice in that chamber.

In 2013 a parliamentary procedure was implemented in the Senate that allowed a simple majority vote to end debate on Cabinet member confirmations. Which of the following best explains how the procedural change relates to the information in the graphic?

If the procedural change had not occurred, Republican senators would not have been able to immediately invoke cloture of a filibuster. To end a filibuster and invoke cloture, a minimum of 60 votes are needed. In this case, the Republican majority had fewer than 60 votes, which means under the old rule the Democrats in the Senate could filibuster the nomination if they chose to do so.

In November 2014, President Obama announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program through an executive order. The policy would protect over 700,000 more children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republican members of Congress denounced the order as an abuse of executive power. Previously, members of the House of Representatives had voted to defund the program. This scenario best illustrates which of the following?

Presidents exert informal powers when their policy agenda conflicts with that of Congress. In this scenario, the president issued an executive order when it was clear that he was not going to be able to work with Congress.

To be sure, the President's control over foreign affairs had been growing since the Theodore Roosevelt administration [1901-1909]. . . . [President Roosevelt's] acquisition of the Panama Canal Zone preceded Woodrow Wilson's decision to enter World War I, which was a prelude to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's management of the run-up to the victorious American effort in World War II. In the 1950s, Harry S. Truman's response to the Soviet threat included the decision to fight in Korea without a Congressional declaration of war, and Dwight Eisenhower used the Central Intelligence Agency and brinkmanship to contain Communism. Nineteenth-century presidents had had to contend with Congressional influences in foreign affairs, and particularly with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But by the early 1960s, the president had become the undisputed architect of U.S. foreign policy. One reason for this was the emergence of the United States as a great power with global obligations. Neither Wilson nor FDR could have imagined taking the country to war without a Congressional declaration, but the exigencies of the cold war in the 1950s heightened the country's reliance on the president to defend its interests. Truman could enter the Korean conflict without having to seek Congressional approval simply by describing the deployment of U.S. troops as a police action taken in conjunction with the United Nations. Robert Dallek, "Power and the Presidency, From Kennedy to Obama," Smithsonian magazine, January 2011 Which of the following is a difference between the power of nineteenth-century presidents and that of the modern president according to the passage?

Presidents in the nineteenth century had to contend with congressional committees, which had significant powers in foreign affairs.

Which of the following is a unique power held by members of the Senate?

The ability to filibuster

In the last years presidential primacy, so indispensable to the political order, has turned into presidential supremacy. The constitutional Presidency—as events so apparently disparate as the Indochina War and the Watergate affair showed, has become the imperial Presidency and threatens to be the revolutionary Presidency. . . . The imperial Presidency was essentially the creation of foreign policy. A combination of doctrines and emotions—belief in the permanent and universal crisis, fear of communism, faith in the duty and right of the United States to intervene swiftly in every part of the world—had brought about the unprecedented centralization of decisions. Prolonged war in Vietnam strengthened the tendencies toward both centralization and exclusion. So the imperial Presidency grew at the expense of the constitutional order. Like the cowbird, it hatched its own eggs and pushed the others out of the nest. And, as it overwhelmed the traditional separation of powers in foreign affairs, it began to aspire toward an equivalent centralization of power in the domestic polity. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Imperial Presidency, 1973 Which of the following statements is a correct implication of the author's argument?

The perception of multiple crises has led to the growth of an executive branch that is undermining the separation of powers in the government. . The author of the passage argues that a perception of perpetual crisis in foreign policy has given the presidency undue supremacy over the other branches of government and undermined constitutional separation of powers.

Which of the following enumerated powers would permit Congress to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens?

The power to pass a federal budget When passing a federal budget, Congress allocates funds to various programs; these could include a program to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens.

Which statement best explains the information in the graphic? (check how many senators voted on tom price graph ) Q#19-20

The secretary was confirmed by a party-line vote. The graphic shows that the Senate confirmed Tom Price, but the vote was divided along party lines.

Which of the following is the best predictor of the Department of Education's annual budget?

The size of the previous year's budget

Which of the following statements is most accurately supported by the data in the table? (check president and term and siging staements issued and objections to legislation within the signing statement graph) ( Q#48)

While President George W. Bush issued fewer signing statements than President Clinton, his included more objections than President Clinton's. President George W. Bush did issue fewer signing statements, but his included 127 objections, as opposed to President Clinton's 70.

Debate of a bill in the House of Representatives under a "closed rule" means that

amendments to the bill cannot be offered

The War Powers Resolution (1973) was designed to

assure congressional involvement in decisions committing military forces in hostile situations overseas

Who are the three main players in an iron triangle?

bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees

How does Congress exercise control over agencies and departments in the federal bureaucracy?

by confirming appointees to key positions in federal agencies

When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee?

conference

After extensive polling, a member of the House of Representatives learns that her constituents favor universal background checks for all gun purchases. Based on this information, the representative votes in favor of background checks in a criminal justice bill, although she personally opposes the provision. In doing so, she is acting as a

delegate In the delegate model, representatives vote based on their constituents' policy preferences.

Executive agreements have been cited as evidence that

modern presidents often try to avoid legislative checks and balances on their authority

a budget deficit is when which of following exceed(s) revenues in a fiscal year.

expenditures

The congressional system of standing committees is significant because it?

fosters the development of expertise by members

Federal benefits that must be funded by Congress and must be paid to all citizens who meet eligibility criteria are called

individual entitlements

The role Congress plays in ensuring that executive branch agencies are carrying out their legislated responsibilities is known as

legislative oversight

A first term member of the House of Representatives from North Dakota who wished to maximize opportunities for constituent service would be most likely to seek placement on which of the following committees?

Agriculture

Which of the following is true of the relationship between Congress and executive agencies?

Because the agencies have bureaucratic expertise, Congress delegates "rule-making authority" to them.

Which of the following categories accounted for the majority of spending in 2017, according to the chart? (check Percent of Budget by Type of Spending, 1977-2017 graph ) Q#16

Mandatory Mandatory spending accounted for over half of the spending in 2017.

Which of the following best describes pork barrel politics?

Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not benefit the nation as a whole.

The data in the table illustrate which of the following about United States constitutional government? ( check Senate Vote on S.J. Res 7: A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress graph ) Q#44

Presidential foreign policy can be checked through the legislative power of Congress. The bill would remove troops from the conflict with Yemen. The president, as commander-in-chief, sent troops into Yemen without congressional authorization, as the name of the bill suggests. The Senate voted in favor of the bill, which challenges presidential authority.

What is a goal common to both the Pendleton Act and the Hatch Act?

reducing the influence of partisan politics on the federal bureaucracy.

Which of the following does the federal government do when it is unable to cover its expenditures?

sell bonds

Which is the largest social policy of the federal government?

social security

Fiscal policies refer to the government's power to

tax and spend

The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in

the United States House of Representatives

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation?

A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state Pork-barrel legislation is characterized as the appropriation of government funds for local projects that serve a representative's constituents. Therefore, a senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state is an illustration of this concept.

Which of the following is true according to the diagram? ( check congressional leadership graph) Q#5

Both chambers make use of a system of majority and minority whips. The diagram illustrates the system of majority and minority whips used in the House of Representatives and the Senate to generate support on legislation.

Which of the following accurately compares the powers of Congress and the president?

Congress Has Greater Control -Budgetary policy President Has Greater Control - Cabinet appointments

Which of the following explains how Congress would most likely respond if it were concerned about the slight increase in spending over time, as indicated by the bar chart? (check department of home secuirty spending graph ) Q#28

Congress could vote to reduce spending on the Department of Homeland Security in the next year's budget. Congress approves the amount of money that a cabinet department receives each year in an appropriations bill. Congress can simply pass a bill reducing spending to affect this trend.

On February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama released his budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year. Facing a Republican Congress, many declared the plan "dead on arrival." Among the cited issues was Obama's request for $582.7 billion in discretionary spending for defense, which many Republicans believed was not enough. Which of the following most accurately explains the interaction between the president and the Congress regarding the defense budget?

Congress passes a budget for the entire federal government, including defense, but it must consider the president's proposal because the president may veto the bill.

Which of the following best reflects the holding in the case Baker v. Carr (1962) ?

Created a one-person, one-vote standard for reviewing congressional districts. Baker v. Carr was a case regarding the application of the Fourteenth Amendment to redistricting. The decision was that the one-person, one-vote standard applied to states' redistricting plans.

How do departments differ from independent agencies?

Department heads are part of the president's cabinet; agency heads are not.

The President can do which of the following without seeking the consent of either the House or the Senate?

Deploy troops.

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the rules for debate used by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?

House of Representatives - Debate is limited. Senate - Members can filibuster. Debate in the House is limited, while the Senate does use the filibuster.

Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts?

It creates districts that favor one political party over another.

Which of the following is responsible for the preparation of executive spending proposals submitted to Congress?

Office of Management and Budget

The Web site healthcare.gov was launched on October 1, 2013, to help citizens purchase health insurance for themselves in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Within two hours of launch the site crashed. Once it was restored, problems continued, leading to difficulty for users. The following year, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was called to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to discuss the issue. The committee held this hearing as part of which of the following functions?

Oversight This is an example of Congress exercising its power of oversight by holding hearings regarding the implementation of policy.

In many places, classrooms are overcrowded and curricula are outdated. Most of our qualified teachers are underpaid, and many of our paid teachers are unqualified. So we must give every child a place to sit and a teacher to learn from. Poverty must not be a bar to learning, and learning must offer an escape from poverty. But more classrooms and more teachers are not enough. We must seek an educational system which grows in excellence as it grows in size. This means better training for our teachers. It means preparing youth to enjoy their hours of leisure as well as their hours of labor. It means exploring new techniques of teaching, to find new ways to stimulate the love of learning and the capacity for creation. . . . . . . While our Government has many programs directed at those issues, I do not pretend that we have the full answer to those problems. But I do promise this: We are going to assemble the best thought and the broadest knowledge from all over the world to find those answers for America. I intend to establish working groups to prepare a series of White House conferences and meetings . . . on the quality of education, and on other emerging challenges. And from these meetings and from this inspiration and from these studies we will begin to set our course toward the Great Society. The solution to these problems does not rest on a massive program in Washington, nor can it rely solely on the strained resources of local authority. They require us to create new concepts of cooperation, a creative federalism, between the National Capital and the leaders of local communities. President Lyndon B. Johnson, May 22, 1964 Which of the following explains President Johnson's motivation for the speech in relation to his role as the head of the executive branch?

President Johnson is seeking to use the bully pulpit as a means of promoting his agenda on public education. Johnson is using the bully pulpit of the presidency to promote an agenda.

Congress has exerted the greats influence on the operation of a federal agency by doing which of the following?

Reviewing the annual budget appropriations for the agency

Which of the following committees of the House of Representatives sets the conditions for debate and amendment of most legislation?

Rules

Which of the following clauses serves as the constitutional basis for the federal Real ID Act of 2005, a law that established uniform standards for state-issued identification cards and provided regulation of a state function?

The necessary and proper clause Congress is not explicitly granted the authority to pass a law establishing a national ID, but it is given the power to address national security issues. The necessary and proper clause provides Congress the power to pass laws pursuant to its general powers.

Which of the following trends is best supported by the information in the table? ( check international agreements graph Q#50)

The number of executive agreements has increased over time. There has been an increase in the number of executive agreements over time.

Which of the following statements is best supported by the line graph? (check preisdential votoes and bills passed in congress graph ) Q#32

The number of vetoes has generally decreased since 1945, but so has the number of bills passed by Congress. ince 1945, both the number of presidential vetoes and the number of bills passed by Congress have decreased.

In 2012, after negotiations on a bill in Congress failed, President Obama issued an executive order that protected from deportation individuals illegally brought to the United States as children by their parents. The president took this action because

disagreement between congressional leaders and the president on the issue meant that a compromise on a bill was not likely The scenario indicates that the president wanted a bill to be passed by Congress but failed. Presidents sometimes choose to wield their influence by issuing an executive order that can create sweeping changes to policy although it does create some risks as far as public perception.

The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legislation, provided that Representative B will support Representative A's legislation, is referred to as

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