Exam 3
A homeowner who owes more on his or her mortgage than the mortgaged property is worth is referred to as owning a home that is
"underwater."
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) will ultimately cost taxpayers about
$665 billion less than expected.
Approximately ________ people work for the various agencies within the Executive Office of the President.
1,500 to 2,000
Approximately ________ percent of the nation's employed workforce is an employee of a state or local government.
14
Congress was granted the power to tax personal income in
1913.
At its peak in ________, the federal bureaucracy had ________ million employees, not including military personnel.
1968; 3
Roughly ________ percent of America's children live in poverty.
20
By the 1980s, the average length of time it took to develop and implement an administrative rule was approximately
35 months.
Between 1959 and 2015, the percentage of elderly Americans living in poverty went from about ________ percent to about ________ percent.
35; 9
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has a membership of approximately ________ members
38 million
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has a membership of approximately ________ members.
38 million
Most unemployed workers receive approximately ________ percent of their previous wages through unemployment insurance.
50
About ________ percent of the current federal budget is spent on entitlement programs.
65
Approximately ________ percent of the federal budget is in the mandatory spending category.
70
Approximately ________ percent of the ________ bills introduced in a typical congressional session die in committee.
85; 10,000
Approximately ________ percent of members of Congress have university degrees.
90
According to political scientist John Kingdon's model of the policy-making process, what must happen to open a "window of opportunity" in which policy change is possible?
A social condition must be defined as a "problem," there must be viable policy alternatives to solving the problem, and the political environment must be conducive to implementing a solution.
Green technologies may prove to be a boon for the American economy because
America's highly skilled labor force provides it with a competitive advantage over many other countries.
American diplomacy with North Korea has often been difficult because North Korea's major backer and trading partner, ________, will not cooperate with any effort by the United States to undermine the North Korean regime.
China
After the Civil War, why was it considered inappropriate for President Andrew Johnson to make a series of speeches seeking public support for his policies?
During the nineteenth century, it was perceived to be undignified for a president to campaign on his own behalf.
Because there is no provision for long-term care in the United States, ________ has become the de facto program financing nursing home residents when they have exhausted their savings.
Medicaid
After more than four decades, President ________ restored the American diplomatic ties with Cuba that were severed by President ________.
Obama; Eisenhower
After the 2004 election, President George W. Bush announced that ________ would be the centerpiece of his domestic policy.
Social Security reform
After the president and vice president, which office is next in the line of succession?
Speaker of the House
American embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions are managed by the
State Department.
America's international economic and monetary policies are coordinated and implemented by the
Treasury Department, the Commerce Department, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
The ________ asserted that the president could send American troops into action abroad only in the event of a declaration of war or other statutory authorization by Congress, or if American troops were attacked or directly endangered.
War Powers Resolution of 1973
President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is part of the
White House staff.
A bill's supporters in the House of Representatives generally prefer ________, while opponents generally prefer a(n) ________.
a closed rule; open rule
Something that must be supplied by the government because the marketplace cannot provide it is called
a public good.
All important issues must receive ________ in order to pass through the UN General Assembly.
a two-thirds majority vote
Beginning in the late 1950s, the federal government
agreed to pay 90 percent of highway construction costs on the condition that each state provide 10 percent of the costs of any portion of a highway built within its boundaries.
Before the 1930s, relations between labor and management in the United States were
among the most violent in the world.
Groups in society that ________ receive the MOST benefits from government's social policies.
are made up of people who cannot help themselves, like children or the elderly,
Cabinet members must
be approved by the Senate but are not responsible to the Senate or to Congress at large.
American trade policies tend to
benefit most Americans by reducing the cost of consumer goods but hurt workers in some industries by creating incentives for companies to relocate jobs to foreign countries.
Line agencies are
bureau-level agencies that deal directly with the public.
The Forest Service is an example of a(n) ________, while NASA is an example of a(n) ________.
bureau-level agency; independent agency
The MOST consistently powerful nongovernment actors in determining economic policy are
business organizations
The Civil Service Act of 1883 attempted to pattern government hiring after practices found in
business.
Setting emissions standards for each industry, while allowing companies to trade so-called carbon credits, is an approach to environmental policy known as
cap-and-trade.
Foreign aid is an economic ________; sanctions are an economic ________.
carrot; stick
A member of the House of Representatives who helps a constituent apply for Social Security benefits is engaging in
casework.
A federal government program that gives money to state and local governments to spend on educational and nutritional assistance for low-income families would be an example of a(n)
categorical grant
It is difficult to lobby for the interests of poor children because
children cannot vote
Medicare is a ________ program; Medicaid is a ________ program.
contributory; noncontributory
By 2000, the National Performance Review had succeeded in ________ the federal workforce by approximately ________ jobs.
cutting; 425,000
The Civil Division of the Justice Department
deals with litigation in which the United States is the defendant being sued for injury and damages allegedly inflicted by a government official or agency.
ARPANET was a(n)
decentralized, highly redundant communications network created by the federal government in the 1950s and 1960s.
The House Rules Committee is important because it
decides the order in which bills come up for a vote on the House floor and determines the specific rules that govern the length of debate and opportunity for amendments.
A member of Congress who votes for a bill with which he or she disagrees because a majority of his or her constituents favor it is acting as a
delegate.
All executive agreements differ from formal treaties in that they
do not have to be approved by the Senate.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 did NOT include
economic incentives to purchase new, more fuel-efficient vehicles when trading in less fuel-efficient vehicles.
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.
The MOST significant education policy developed by the federal government in the nineteenth century was the
establishment of land-grant colleges.
An agreement between the president and another country that has the force of a treaty but does not require the Senate's "advice and consent" is called a(n)
executive agreement.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were established by
executive orders from the president.
A key power of the Fed is to
expand and contract the amount of credit available in the United States.
Most American presidents have had
extensive experience in domestic policy but very little background in foreign policy before taking office.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are the
federal agencies in charge of monitoring outbreaks of disease and implementing prevention measures.
Larger economic interest groups are less successful in influencing foreign policy than smaller groups because larger groups
find it difficult to maintain tight enough control of their many members to speak with a single voice.
A closed or an open rule refers to congressional provisions regarding
floor debate on a bill.
A presidential emergency declaration remains in force
for only one year unless it is renewed by the president.
In 2007 and 2008, the government faced a housing crisis caused by
foreclosures.
"Right to work" laws
guarantee that a worker does not have to belong to a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment.
Americans have historically asserted that our foreign policies should
have a higher purpose than the pursuit of our own interests and use force only as a last resort.
The expansion of the Executive Office of the President, the development of regulatory review, and the use of executive orders have been important because they
have given presidents substantial capacity to achieve significant policy results despite congressional opposition to their legislative agendas.
The 1996 welfare reforms
have reduced the number of people on welfare but have done little to reduce poverty.
Inflation reached historically ________ levels during the late 1970s, ________ ever since.
high; but declined by the mid-1980s and has remained low
The Monroe Doctrine refers to the
idea that foreign powers should not meddle in the Western Hemisphere.
One reason some people support the establishment of term limits in the House and Senate is that it will
increase turnover and get new faces into Congress.
Between 1995 and 2006, the number of congressional earmarks
increased by a factor of 10
Between 2000 and 2010, U.S. spending on national defense
increased steadily.
As of 2014, a provision in the Affordable Care Act ________ Medicare taxes for households earning ________.
increased; more than $250,000 a year by 0.9 percent
A senator or representative running for re-election is called the
incumbent.
The Hastert rule is a(n)
informal Republican Party rule that the Speaker of the House will not allow any bill to reach the floor unless it has the support of a majority of Republican members of the House.
Amnesty International is a(n)
interest group that works to protect human rights.
An independent agency is an executive branch organization that
is not part of a cabinet-level department.
The Office of Management and Budget is important because
its personnel are an integral part of virtually every conceivable presidential responsibility, such as overseeing regulatory proposals, reporting on agency activities, and preparing the national budget.
The Cold War began in the
late 1940s, soon after World War II.
Before World War II, ________ of federal revenue was generated from individual income taxes.
less than 15 percent
A senator who agrees to vote for a tax-cut bill with which he or she disagrees in order to receive another senator's vote on a climate change bill that he or she has proposed is engaged in
logrolling
A senator who agrees to vote for a tax-cut bill with which he or she disagrees in order to receive another senator's vote on a climate change bill that he or she has proposed is engaged in
logrolling.
A ________ is an incentive in the tax code for individuals and corporations to invest their money in ways that government officials desire in exchange for a reduction in tax liabilities.
loophole
The American Medical Association (AMA) is the
main lobbying organization of doctors.
A(n) ________ benefit is one where potential recipients must document their genuine need.
means-tested
Making permanent cuts in existing agencies is often difficult because
most agencies have a supportive constituency that will fight to reinstate any cuts that are made.
The National Labor Relations Act was designed to
oversee union elections and collective bargaining between labor and industry.
The ________ is/are responsible for communicating the leader's wishes to members in Congress.
party whips
In 2015, President Obama issued an executive order that required federal contractors to
pay a $10.10 minimum wage and to provide paid sick leave for their employees.
A ________ veto occurs when Congress adjourns during a 10-day period after presenting the president with a bill and he or she takes no action.
A tax designed to reduce the disparities in wealth between the rich and poor is called a(n)
policy of redistribution.
Most members of the House attempt to stay on good terms with the Speaker of the House because the Speaker
possesses the power of recognition.
A pocket veto is 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.
A filibuster allows members of the Senate to
prevent a vote on a bill by speaking continuously on the floor.
A bill proposed in Congress that grants citizenship to a specifically named individual from a foreign country would be an example of a(n)
private bill.
The National Security Archive is a
private organization that makes extensive use of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to obtain information about the activities of national security agencies.
A ________ specifies general rules and categories of behavior, people, and institutions, while a ________ bill grants a relief, special privilege, or exemption to a particular individual.
public bill; private
An officially expressed purpose or goal backed by a sanction is a
public policy.
Many interest groups produce "scorecards" that
rate how members of Congress vote on issues of importance to that group.
A cost-of-living adjustment is based on the
rate of inflation.
Privatization is a way to
reduce government costs by relocating government programs to private groups or corporations.
A $0.25 per gallon tax on gasoline is an example of a ________ tax.
regressive
Noncitizen legal immigrants are
required to reside in the United States for five years before they can receive Medicaid benefits.
Much of the power of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stems from its
responsibility to consider presidential nominees for important foreign policy posts.
During the past three decades, the level of federal payroll tax has ________, and the level of federal corporate taxes has ________.
risen; fallen
A ________ nation is one with unstable leadership, whose policies are driven by ideology rather than by economic or human costs and benefits.
rogue
American immigration laws have
routinely given special priority to workers who have skills that are in demand among American employers.
Civil servants were given legal protection against being fired without a show of cause in order to
safeguard the bureaucracy from political interference while upgrading performance.
In 2014, Russia challenged the United States and its European allies by
seizing control of the Crimean Peninsula and amassing troops along other portions of the Ukrainian border.
Congressional leaders form ________ committees when they want to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem.
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 ________ committee.
select
An executive-congressional agreement is a contract between two countries that can be approved with a
simple majority vote in both houses.
A sole executive agreement is a
simple understanding between the president and a foreign state that is not submitted to Congress for approval.
A U.S. senator has a ________-year term.
six
According to many analysts, the spurt of economic growth in 2003 illustrates that
some kinds of public investment, such as military spending on wars, can produce economic growth as a by-product of pursuing other more central objectives.
Although the Federal Reserve's decision to cut the federal funds rate is expected to ________ economic growth, its decision to raise the federal funds rate is expected to ________ economic growth.
speed up; slow down
An iron triangle is the
stable relationship between a bureaucratic agency, a clientele group, and a legislative committee.
The Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office are examples of
staff agencies.
A legislative "hold" is a
stalling tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay debate on a bill.
In the 1800s, Congress ________ the creation of the railroad system ________.
supported; by granting more than 100 million acres of public-domain land to railroad interests
A number of states have responded to concerns about partisan gerrymandering by
taking redistricting power away from their state legislature and giving it to independent commissions.
A tax of $30 levied on every pound of cheese imported from France would be an example of a
tariff.
Over what does the House Ways and Means Committee have jurisdiction?
taxes, trade, and entitlement programs
A policy of deterrence may fail against terrorist groups because
terrorist groups are nonstate actors who may believe that their lack of a fixed geographic location prevents their targets from retaliating militarily.
Race became a major factor in drawing congressional district lines as a result of
the 1982 amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
In 2011
the House and the Senate agreed to a two-year moratorium on earmarks in spending bills.
ISIS stands for
the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Devolution describes a process through which
the federal government is downsized by delegating the implementation of programs to state and local governments.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) stipulated that
the government would be required to apply for a warrant from a special court in order to undertake electronic surveillance of Americans.
Adam Smith's theory of ________ maintains that many individual economic transactions come together to create a greater good for all.
the invisible hand
In 1937, the Committee on Administrative Management claimed that "the president needs help" because
the national government had grown rapidly during the preceding 25 years, but the structures and procedures necessary to manage the burgeoning executive branch had not yet been established.
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.
The "individual mandate" of the Affordable Care Act refers to
the requirement that uninsured individuals purchase health insurance.
One drawback of devolution is that
the standards associated with particular programs become increasingly variable between states.
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.
Approximately half of nonelderly American receive health insurance through
their employers
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 provided 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year to employees of firms with at least 50 workers to care for
their own health or that of a qualifying family member.
The congressional practice of "ping pong" occurs when
there is a divided Congress and the House and Senate exchange amendments in order to reach agreement on the final version of a bill.
Before the Civil Service Act of 1883, government appointments were made
to political supporters as part of a spoils system.
A member of Congress who feels only loosely constrained by the policy preferences of his or her constituents and empowered to make the decisions he or she thinks best is acting as a
trustee.
How many presidents have been impeached throughout American history?
two
A congressional caucus is a(n)
unofficial group of representatives or senators sharing similar interests or opinions.
The "Commission on Wartime Contracting" found that the use of private contractors during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
wasted between $31 and $60 billion.
Before the development of the welfare state, the primary problem with private charities was that they
would make subjective decisions on who was deserving of aid.
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"