Lamar University Political Science

What is an incumbent?

A candidate running for re-election for a position that they already hold

What is cloture?

A rule allowing a majority of two-thirds or three-fifths of the members of a legislative body to set a time limit on debate over a given bill

What is an executive order?

A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect and formal status of legislation

What is a filibuster?

A tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down. Once given the floor, senators have unlimited time to speak, and it requires a vote of three-fifths of the Senate to end a filibuster.

What is a select committee?

A temporary legislative committee set up to highlight or investigate a particular issue or address an issue not within the jurisdiction of existing committees

What is a veto?

A veto is the president's constitutional power to turn down acts of Congress. A presidential veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress.

What is the most powerful interest group?

AARP (American Association of Retired Persons)

Who does the president appoint?

All federal judges (with Senate approval) The principal executive officers

What is pork barrel legislation?

Appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that are often not needed but that are created so that local representatives can win re-election in their home districts

During whose administration did we change to a Presidential administration instead of a Congressional administration?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

How long are the terms of house and senate members?

House member: 2 years Senate member: 6 years

Which agencies are / aren't independent agencies?

Independent Agencies: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), FEC (Federal Election Commission). Not Independent Agencies: FBI

What is the most common occupation in Congress?

Lawyer

What agencies are in the Executive Office of the President?

OMB (Office of Management and Budget CEA (Council of Economic Advisers) CEQ (Council on Environmental Quality) NSC (National Security Council)

What does bureaucracy do?

Bureaucracies are responsible for filling in the blanks by determining how the laws should be implemented. This requires bureaucracies to draw up much more detailed rules that guide the process of implementation. Bureaucracies also play a key role in enforcing the laws.

What is a Regulatory Agency?

Departments, bureaus, or independent agencies whose primary mission is to impose limits, restrictions, or other obligations on the conduct of individuals or companies in the private sector

How is the Speaker of the House chosen?

Every two years, at the beginning of a new Congress, the members of each party gather to elect their House leaders. The elected leader of the majority party is later proposed to the whole House and is automatically elected to the position of Speaker of the House, with voting along straight party lines.

If you are a congressman you get to put in what kind of committees you would be on? How would these benefit you the most? How would you choose them? How would you choose committee assignments?

You would want something that would represent your constituents like something that is relevant to the interest in your area. Don't do agricultural committees in New York City.

What are the inherent powers of the president?

Powers claimed by a president that are not expressed in the Constitution, but are inferred from it. Examples: Inherent power to protect the nation. Lincoln's combining the state militias, censoring of the U.S. mails, blockading of southern ports, suspending the writ of habeas corpus.

What is privatization?

Removing all or part of a program from the public sector to the private sector

How were senators originally chosen?

Senators were originally chosen by state legislatures; however, now they are directly elected by the voters in their respective state.

What does the Federal Reserve do?

The 12 Federal Reserve Banks facilitate the exchanges of cash, checks, and credit; regulates member banks; and uses monetary policies to fight inflation and deflation.

What do the Joint Chiefs of Staff do?

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are at the top of the military chain of command in each branch of the military (Navy, Marines, Air Force, etc.). They are the center of military policy and management.

What regions of the country are getting more population?

The Pacific Coast, the Rocky Mountains, and the South

Who has the legal right to declare war?

The Senate

What does the Speaker of the House do?

The Speaker of the House is the chief presiding officer of the House of Representatives. They are the most important party and House leader, and can influence the legislative agenda, the fate of individual pieces of legislation, and members' positions within the House.

Before the Civil Service Act, what system was in place?

The Spoils System

What does the State Department do?

The State Department's primary mission is diplomacy.

What is executive privilege?

The claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president

Over what does the Senate have the power of Advice and Consent?

The president has the power to make treaties and to appoint top executive officers, ambassadors, and federal judges - but only "with the Advice and Consent of the Senate" (Article II, Section 2).

What is reapportionment?

The process, occurring after every decennial census that allocates congressional seats among the fifty states

What are the Vice President's jobs?

To succeed the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation To preside over the Senate, casting a tie-breaking vote when necessary

What is the main political value of the Vice President?

Traditionally, a presidential candidate's most important guideline in choosing a running mate is that he or she brings the support of at least one state not otherwise likely to support the ticket. Another guideline holds that the vice-presidential nominee should provide some regional balance and, wherever possible, some balance among various ideological or ethnic subsections of the party.

Which presidents have been impeached?

Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton

How many members of Congress are there?

100 Senators (2 from each state) 435 Representatives (population based) 535 Congressmen in total

What is a government corporation?

A government corporation is a government agency that performs a service normally provided by the private sector. Examples: the United States Postal Service, Amtrak, Tennessee Valley Authority.

What is a conference committee?

A joint committee created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation

What is a standing committee?

A permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a particular subject, such as finance or agriculture

What is devolution?

A policy to remove a program from one level of government by delegating it or passing it down to a lower level of government, such as from the national government to the state and local governments

What is a pocket veto?

A presidential veto that is automatically triggered if the president does not act on a given piece of legislation passed during the final ten days of a legislative session

What is a private bill?

A proposal in Congress to provide a specific person with some kind of relief, such as a special exemption from immigration quotas

How are ambassadors chosen?

Ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

What is an Independent Agency?

An agency that is not part of a Cabinet department

What agencies were created with executive order?

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) DOE (Department of Energy) What is the Cabinet? The cabinet consists of the secretaries, or chief administrators, of the major departments of the federal government. Cabinet secretaries are appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate. It is not in the constitution.

Why is the house's term only 2 years?

Members of the House most effectively and frequently serve as the agents of well-organized local interests with specific legislative agendas.

What are the expressed powers of the president?

Specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress, and to the president. Examples: make treaties, grant pardons, nominate judges and other public officials, receive ambassadors, and command the military forces of the United States. What are the delegated powers of the president? Constitutional powers that are assigned to one governmental agency but that are exercised by another agency with the express permission of the first. Examples: If Congress determines that air quality should be improved, it might delegate to a bureaucratic agency in the executive branch the power to identify the best means of bringing about such an improvement as well as the power actually to implement the cleanup process.

What is oversight?

The effort by Congress, through hearing, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies

What is impeachment?

The formal charge of the House of Representatives that a government official has committed "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors"

How does the jurisdiction of standing committees work, and what are they based on?

The jurisdiction of each standing committee covers a particular subject matter, which in most cases parallels a major department or agency in the executive branch.