Chapter 10-13: Exam 3
________ bureaucrats regularly interact with the public
"Street-level"
delegate
A representative who votes according to the preferences of his or her constituency
In 2016, constituents notified Congress of a sudden 500% price hike in EpiPens (which are used to treat severe allergic reactions). In response, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee launched an inquiry and held hearings on the issue. The committee's response was an example of ________ oversight.
"fire alarm"
If the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a regularly scheduled hearing to receive updates on the implementation of health care laws by the Department of Health and Human Services, it would be an example of ________ oversight
"police patrol"
select committees
(Usually) temporary legislative committees set up to highlight or investigate a particular issue or address an issue not within the jurisdiction of existing committees
incumbency
Holding the political office for which one is running
amicus curiae
Literally, "friend of the court"; individuals or groups who are not parties to a lawsuit but who seek to assist the Supreme Court in reaching a decision by presenting additional brief
multiple referral
The practice of referring a bill to more than one committee for consideration
When Democrats gather in the House to elect their House leaders every two years, this is called a
caucus
What is the most common occupation among members of Congress before coming to Congress?
lawyer
One of the most important ways Congress can check presidential control of the bureaucracy is by
limiting the president's ability to remove agency officials
A U.S. senator has a ________-year term
six
A ________ committee remains in existence from one session of Congress to the next, and has the power to write legislation that covers a particular subject, in most cases paralleling a major department or agency of the executive branch.
standing
The framers gave the power to introduce "money bills" to the House of Representatives but not the Senate because they believed that
the chamber closest to the people should exercise greater authority over taxing and spending.
A pocket veto is used by the
president
While the Constitution does not specify that presidents have the power to remove those they appointed to office from their positions,
presidents have long claimed that the power is implied by those expressed powers they have in the Constitution
If the federal government decided to hire Google to provide email services to all of its employees rather than maintaining its own, in-house email services, this would be an example of
privatization
Environmental impact statements are
reports demonstrating that a proposed rule or agency action will not have an unacceptably large negative impact on the human or physical environment
The Senate Watergate committee of 1973 is an example of a ________ committee.
select
The 2015 House of Representatives committee that held hearings to investigate Hillary Clinton's use of private email services during her tenure as secretary of state is an example of a
select committee
Which of the following are set up by Congress to provide the legislative branch with resources and expertise independent of the executive branch?
staff agencies
A legislative "hold" is a
stalling tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay debate on a bill
The Supreme Court has ruled that
states may use independent bipartisan commissions to redraw congressional districts
The Constitution attempts to restrain the president's use of domestic force by
stating that a state government must request federal troops before the president can deploy them within that state to provide public order
Which type of representation is described when constituents have the power to hire and fire their representative?
substantive representation
The "sophomore surge" refers to the
tendency for candidates to win a higher percentage of the vote when seeking future terms in office
In 2019, the Supreme Court made which ruling on gerrymandering?
that it was a political question beyond the reach of the federal judiciary
Race became a major factor in drawing congressional district lines as a result of
the 1982 amendments to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The development of the internet by ________ is an example of bureaucratic ________
the U.S. Department of Defense; innovation
Which of the following constitutional provisions provides the least groundwork for a federal bureaucracy?
the ability of the president to "receive Ambassadors" from other countries
Which of the following statements about the presidential veto is most accurate?
the commander in chief
Congress's tendency in recent years to give executive agencies fewer clear guidelines for implementing laws is the result of
the greater scope and complexity of the tasks that the federal government has undertaken
The disagreement between President Obama and Congressional Republicans over the design of
the importance of agency structure, funding, and location for bureaucratic control.
Who elects the minority leader?
the minority party
Which of the following distinguishes the "new order" from the "regular order" when it comes to passing legislation?
the new order is meant to move bills along more quickly, with less deliberation
A signing statement is an announcement
the president makes about his or her interpretation of a congressional enactment he or she is signing into law
Constituency
the residents in the area from which an official is elected
Presidential nominations go where for confirmation?
the senate
A major risk of the delegate model of representation is that
the voices of only a few active and informed constituents will be heard because most people do not pay close attention to every issue
A subcommittee is helpful for members of Congress because
they specialize in particular aspects of the committee's work
Members of Congress take their constituents' views into account because
they worry that their voting record will be used as ammunition by their opponents at election time
Before the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883, government appointments were made
to political supporters as part of a spoils system
The role that the U.S. Senate plays in impeachments can best be compared with that of a
trial jury
The idea that all executive power inheres in the president except as explicitly limited by the Constitution is called the
unitary executive theory
The most visible indication of political oversight of the bureaucracy is the
use of public hearings before congressional committees and subcommittees
Federal employees who report wrongdoing within agencies are often referred to as
whistleblowers
Agencies like the Departments of State, Department of Defense, and Homeland Security
work to maintain national security and protect American interests at home and abroad
Approximately ________ of the ________ bills introduced in a typical congressional session die in committee.
85%; 10,000
omnibus appropriations bill
A bill that deals with a number of unrelated topics
principal-agent problem
A conflict in priorities between an actor and the representative authorized to act on the actor's behalf
writ habeas corpus
A court order that the individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention; habeas corpus is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion
court of appeals
A court that hears appeals of trial court decisions
mootness
A criterion used by courts to screen cases that no longer require resolution
writ of certiorari
A decision of at least four of the nine Supreme Court justices to review a decision of a lower court; certiorari is Latin, meaning "to make more certain"
dissenting opinion
A decision written by a justice in the minority in a particular case, in which the justice wishes to express his or her reasoning in the case
regulatory capture
A form of government failure in which regulatory agencies become too sympathetic to interests or businesses they are supposed to regulate
conference
A gathering of House Republicans every two years to elect their House leaders; Democrats call their gathering the "caucus
independent regulatory commission
A government agency outside the executive department usually headed by commissioners
government corporation
A government agency that performs a market‐oriented public service and raises revenues to fund its activities
plea bargain
A negotiated agreement in a criminal case in which a defendant agrees to plead guilty in return for the state's agreement to reduce the severity of the criminal charge or prison sentence the defendant is facing
caucus (political)
A normally closed political party business meeting of citizens or lawmakers to select candidates, elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters
whip
A party member in the House or Senate responsible for coordinating the party's legislative strategy, building support for key issues, and counting votes
standing committee
A permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a particular subject, such as finance or agriculture
National Security Council (NSC)
A presidential foreign policy advisory council composed of the president, the vice president, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, and other officials invited by the president
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 10 days of a legislative session
precedent
A prior case whose principles are used by judges as the basis for their decision in a present case
merit system
A product of civil service reform, in which appointees to positions in public bureaucracies must objectively be deemed qualified for those positions
bill
A proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of Congress and submitted to the clerk of the House or Senate
closed rule
A provision by the House Rules Committee limiting or prohibiting the introduction of amendments during debate
open rule
A provision by the House Rules Committee that permits floor debate and the addition of new amendments to a bill
trustee
A representative who votes based on what he or she thinks is best for his or her constituency
party unity vote
A roll‐call vote in the House or Senate in which at least 50 percent of the members of one party take a particular position and are opposed by at least 50 percent of the members of the other party
cloture
A rule or process in a legislative body aimed at ending debate on a given bill; in the U.S. Senate, 60 senators (three‐fifths) must agree in order to impose a time limit and end debate
executive order
A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect and formal status of legislation
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
substantive representation
A type of representation in which a representative is held accountable to a constituency if he or she fails to represent that constituency properly; this is incentive for the representative to provide good representation when his or her personal background, views, and interests differ from those of his or her constituency
descriptive representation
A type of representation in which representatives have the same racial, gender, ethnic, religious, or educational backgrounds as their constituents; it is based on the principle that if two individuals are similar in background, character, interests, and perspectives, then one can correctly represent the other's views
roll-call vote
A vote in which each legislator's yes or no vote is recorded as the clerk calls the names of the members alphabetically
concurring opinion
A written opinion by a judge agreeing with the majority opinion but giving different reasons for his or her decision
Executive orders are a tool that presidents have for influencing policy. Their use has varied considerably over time. Each bar in the following graph shows the average number of executive orders each president issued per year in office. Which of the following statements is best supported by the data presented in the chart?
After a major increase in their use in the first part of the twentieth century, the use of executive orders has decreased
delegated powers
Constitutional powers that are assigned to one governmental agency but are exercised by another agency with the express permission of the first
Which of the following illustrates a member of Congress acting as a delegate?
During a town hall, constituents of Senator Ted Cruz (TX) urge him to vote in favor of an upcoming tax cut, which he does.
"fire alarm" oversight
Episodic, as‐needed congressional hearings on bureaucratic agency operations, usually prompted by media attention or advocacy group complaints
Federal agencies provide important services to Americans, but different agencies have different approval levels, ones that often vary by party identification Which agency shows the greatest difference in approval between Democrats and Republicans?
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
whistleblowers
Federal employees who report wrongdoing in federal agencies
Executive orders are a tool that presidents have for influencing policy. Their use has varied considerably over time. Each bar in the following graph shows the average number of executive orders each president issued per year in office Which president issued the most executive orders per year, on average?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The office of the presidency was established by Article ________ of the Constitution
II
Which of the following best illustrates an example of a "policy czar"?
In 2014, President Obama chose Ron Klain to serve as the Obama Administration's Ebola response coordinator
What is a government corporation?
It is an agency that performs and charges for services usually provided by the private sector
conference committees
Joint committees created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation
judicial activism
Judicial philosophy that posits that the Court should go beyond the words of the Constitution or a statute to consider the broader societal implications of its decisions
judicial restraint
Judicial philosophy whose adherents refuse to go beyond the clear words of the Constitution in interpreting the document's meaning
chief justice
Justice on the Supreme Court who presides over the Court's public sessions and whose official title is "chief justice of the United States"
joint committees
Legislative committees formed of members of both the House and Senate
staff agencies
Legislative support agencies responsible for policy analysis
The first female Speaker of the House was
Nancy Pelosi
Which of the following statements about impeachment is not true?
Only criminal offenses are impeachable
inherent powers
Powers claimed by a president that are not expressed in the Constitution but are inferred from it
implied powers
Powers derived from the necessary and proper clause of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution; such powers are not specifically expressed but are implied through the expansive interpretation of delegated powers
How has going public evolved over time?
Presidents have found it easier to go directly to the people, especially with the advent of the internet
What is the general tendency of a president's approval rating?
Presidents usually start out popular and decline over the next four years
"police patrol" oversight
Regular or even preemptive congressional hearings on bureaucratic agency operations
________ occurs when an agency, rather than acting in the public interest, becomes too favorable toward the organized interests or corporations it is supposed to be regulating
Regulatory capture
Which of the following statements best describes the representation of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress?
Representation of women and minorities has increased during the past two decades but is not comparable to their proportions in the general population
expressed powers
Specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress (Article I, Section 8) and to the president (Article II).
executive departments
The 15 departments in the executive branch headed by Cabinet secretaries and constituting the majority of the federal bureaucracy
Which of the following best summarizes the legality of executive privilege?
The Court has acknowledged that the concept is legal, though the president may not be able to claim it in every case
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The agency in the Executive Office of the President with control over the federal budget and regulations
appropriations
The amounts of money approved by Congress in statutes (bills) that each unit or agency of government can spend
gerrymandering
The apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party
original jurisdiction
The authority to initially consider a case; distinguished from appellate jurisdiction, which is the authority to hear appeals from a lower court's decision
civil law
The branch of law that deals with disputes that do not involve criminal penalties
criminal law
The branch of law that regulates the conduct of individuals, defines crimes, and specifies punishment for proscribed conduct
Speaker of the House
The chief presiding officer of the House of Representatives; the Speaker is 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
executive privilege
The claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president
bureaucracy
The complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization that is employed by all large‐scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel
oversight
The effort by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies
implementation
The efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic rules and actions
majority leader
The elected leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate; in the House, the majority leader is subordinate in the party hierarchy to the Speaker of the House
minority leader
The elected leader of the minority party in the House or Senate
trial court
The first court to hear a criminal or civil case
supreme court
The highest court in a particular state or in the United States; this court primarily serves an appellate function
plaintiff
The individual or organization that brings a complaint in court
Which of the following statements best describes the social composition of the U.S. Congress?
The legal profession is the most common career of members of congress prior to their election
In the House of Representatives, what is the relationship between the majority leader and the Speaker of the House?
The majority leader is subordinate to the Speaker of the House
defendant
The one against whom a complaint is brought in a criminal or civil case
Executive Office of the President (EOP)
The permanent agencies that perform defined management tasks for the president; created in 1939, the EOP includes the OMB, the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), the NSC, and other agencies
judicial review
The power of the courts to review actions of the legislative and executive branches and, if necessary, declare them invalid or unconstitutional; the Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison (1803
veto
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
legislative initiative
The president's inherent power to bring a legislative agenda before Congress
political appointees
The presidentially appointed layer of the bureaucracy on top of the civil service
privatization
The process by which a formerly public service becomes a service provided by a private company but paid for by the government
redistricting
The process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives; this happens every 10 years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges to existing districts
apportionment
The process, occurring after every decennial census, that allocates congressional seats among the 50 states
seniority
The ranking given to an individual on the basis of length of continuous service on a committee in Congress
standing
The right of an individual or organization to initiate a court case, on the basis of having a substantial stake in the outcome
due process of law
The right of every individual against arbitrary action by national or state governments
commander in chief
The role of the president as commander of the national military and the state National Guard units (when called into service)
cabinet
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
committee markup
The session in which a congressional committee rewrites legislation to incorporate changes discussed during hearings on a bill
jurisdiction
The sphere of a court's power and authority
oral argument
The stage in the Supreme Court procedure in which attorneys for both sides appear before the Court to present their positions and answer questions posed by the justices
solicitor general
The top government lawyer in all cases before the Supreme Court where the government is a party
Senior Executive Service (SES)
The top, presidentially appointed management rank for career civil servants
opinion
The written explanation of the Supreme Court's decision in a particular case
Executive orders are a tool that presidents have for influencing policy. Their use has varied considerably over time. Each bar in the following graph shows the average number of executive orders each president issued per year in office Which president increased the use of executive orders the most, relative to his immediate predecessor?
Theodore Roosevelt
Why did the length of time required to develop an administrative rule grow from an average of 15 months to an average of more than 35 months over the last four decades?
There are now new procedures requiring more public notice, more public hearings, more cost-benefit analysis, and stronger legal obligations to prepare "environmental impact statements."
Executive orders are a tool that presidents have for influencing policy. Their use has varied considerably over time. Each bar in the following graph shows the average number of executive orders each president issued per year in office. Compared with the last five presidents, which statement best characterizes President Trump's use of executive orders?
Trump has used more executive orders than his immediate predecessors
Of the following, which is the most important factor in bureaucracies' ability to implement laws effectively?
administrative capacity
The annexation of Texas happened as a result of
an executive order
The president can influence the federal judicial process in several ways, including
appointing federal judges and issuing pardons and amnesties
One of the major tools of bureaucratic control presidents possess is the
appointment power over political appointees atop the career civil service
The complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles that organize all large-scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel is
bureaucracy
In 2014, a Department of Veterans Affairs audit and FBI investigation of the Veterans Health Administration found that over 120,000 military veterans were left waiting or never got appointments for health care. The scandal is an example of
bureaucratic failure
A provision by the House Rules committee limiting or prohibiting the introduction of amendments during debate is called a
closed rule
In ________, legislators rewrite bills to reflect changes discussed during hearings
committee markup
Which of the following types of committees includes members of both the House and the Senate on the same committee?
conference comittees
Suppose that a major piece of legislation is being considered by Congress. The House and the Senate have passed similar versions of the bill, but important differences remain. Which committee would be in charge of working out a compromise between the two chambers?
conference committee
As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress ________ implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program to the Small Business Administration
delegated
Executive agreements are part of a president's ________ powers
diplomatic
Executive agreements differ from formal treaties in that they
do not have to be approved by two-thirds vote of the Senate.
Privatization is a way to
downsize government in that the workers provide good and services are no longer counted as government bureaucracy
An emergency declaration relating to foreign threats allows the president to
embargo trade, seize foreign assets, and prohibit transactions with whatever foreign nations are involved
In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency charged Volkswagen with cheating on emissions tests of its diesel vehicles. This is an example of bureaucratic
enforcement
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 set up new agencies and processes to
ensure that the recruitment and promotion of civil servants remained merit based
The merit system
ensures that civil service jobs are awarded to individuals who are qualified for the job and protects them from political interference after they are hired.
The bureaucracy's hierarchical structures and standardized procedures are intended to foster
equal treatment of citizens
When the president grants a pardon to someone convicted of a federal crime, this is an example of using one of their ________ powers.
expressed
Imagine that all Republican members of Congress in the House vote to pass a bill to cut taxes. This action is known as a
filibuster
In recent decades, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have become increasingly polarized as Democrats have become more liberal and Republicans more conservative. This graph shows the difference between each party's average ideology in each chamber of Congress over time. Which era had the least ideological difference between the two parties?
from the 76th to the 86th Congress
Since 1950, compared with the entire workforce, the number of federal employees has
gradually declined
Congressional polarization
has increased since the mid-1970s
bicameral
having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses, distinguished from unicameral
Presidential spouses are an important resource for the president in order to carry out the duty of
head of state
The president is America's presence on the global stage, representing America at official ceremonies and functions. In this role we would say that in the United States, the president is the
head of state
The Freedom of Information Act is designed to
increase bureaucratic transparency and oversight of the executive branch
inspectors general (IGs)
independent audit organizations located in most federal agencies
When President Lincoln raised an army after the fall of Fort Sumter despite having no clear legal authority to do so, it illustrated the
inherent powers of the presidency
Which of the following statements about the impeachment process is most accurate?
it is a political exercise
Which of the following is one way in which the House and the Senate are different?
members of the House are more interested in attending to their constituents' immediate legislative needs, while senators are more insulated from the pressures of immediate interests.
The Office of Management and Budget is an important instrument of presidential control because it reviews
most rules promulgated by federal agencies and helps the president put together the federal budget submitted annually to Congress
In general, presidents
must state the constitutional or statutory basis for their use of executive orders
The powers of Congress have declined dramatically in which of the following areas over the last 50 years?
national defense and the federal budget
Which of the following statements about filibuster is most accurate?
nominees for federal executive and judicial positions cannot currently be filibustered
Congress designed inspectors generals to be
nonpartisan, independent organizations which investigate bureaucratic activities
One way the majority leader and minority leader in the Senate exert power is through control
of the calendar
A bill that deals with such a diverse set of unrelated issues as environmental issues, tax issues, and criminal justice issues is likely to be a(n)
omnibus appropriations bill
When Congress conducts an investigation to explore the relationship between what a law intended and how an executive agency has implanted it, it is engaged in
oversight
Joint committees are
permanent, but do not have the power to present legislation
In recent decades, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have become increasingly polarized as Democrats have become more liberal and Republicans more conservative. This graph shows the difference between each party's average ideology in each chamber of Congress over time. Which statement is best supported by the data presented in the chart?
After a period of lower differences in party ideology in the middle of the 20th century, these differences have grown since about 1980
executive agreement
An agreement, made between the president and another country, that has the force of a treaty but does not require the Senate's "advice and consent"
White House Staff
Analysts and advisers to the president, each of whom is often given the title "special assistant"
signing statements
Announcements made by the president when signing bills into law, often presenting the president's interpretation of the law
pork barrel (or pork)
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
supremacy clause
Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision
During the nineteenth century, ________ was America's dominant institution of government
Congress
Federal agencies provide important services to Americans, but different agencies have different approval levels, ones that often vary by party identification Which agency is mostly highly rated by Democrats?
U.S. Postal Service
Which of the following statements about the presidential veto is most accurate?
Use of the veto varies considerably across presidential administrations, and vetoes are seldom overridden
The president's group of advisers and analysts is collectively called the
White House staff
briefs
Written documents in which attorneys explain, using case precedents, why the court should find in favor of their client
