AP Gov't: Unit 4

Iron triangle (issue networks or sub-governments)

Alliances that develop between: - Bureaucratic agencies - interest groups - Congressional Committees or subcommittees - Collectively, these groups are able exert considerable influence over the legislature and law enforcement

Key government corporations

Amtrak, also called the National Railroad passenger services - Provides rail service and is subsidized by Federal Government Federal deposit insurance corporation (FDIC) - deal with the banking crisis - insurers deposits up to 100,000 per account Tennessee valley authority (TVA) - created during New Deal as a means of creating jobs for the purpose of electrifying the Tennessee valley. - Exists today to generate economic development in the area through low-cost power United States Postal Service - Also exists as an independent government agency regulating postal rates and post offices

Casework and Constituency service

Casework - Assistance given to constituents by Congressional members, answering questions or doing favors Constituency Service - Assistance to constituents by Congressional members both examples of incumbency advantage

Key independent executive agencies

Central Intelligence agency (CIA) - Coordinates the foreign intelligence activities of the U.S. govt. - Work closely with the National Security Council (NSC) and other intelligence agencies General services Administration (GSA) - Handles government purchasing National Science foundation - supports scientific research and development National Aeronautics and Space Exploration (NASA) - coordinates the country's efforts in space exploration

Spoils system

Employed to reward party loyalists with key federal posts Ensured that with each new president came a full turnover in the federal service

Budget and Impoundment Control Act

Established Congressional budget committees and the Congressional Budget Office - Gave Congress the power to prevent the president from refusing to fund congressional initiatives (Impoundment)

Executive order and executive agreement

Executive order - President statements that have the force of law and do not need Congressional approval unless appropriations are needed to carry out the order. Examples 1. Harry's Truman's integration of the military 2. JFK's order to create the Peace corps 3. Bill Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" military policy.

Committee System

Legislative work starts in Congressional committees and subcommittees Committee assignments are based on expertise and seniority - Congressmen/women are assigned to one standing committee and multiple subcommittees. Standing Committees Select committees Conference Committees Joint Committees Bills are "marked up", read, and amended in committees before they are either sent to the floor of each House of Congress for debate and vote or "killed" in committee and never voted on by the Congress

Hatch Act

Placed legal restriction on federal employees on the kind of political activity they may participate in Civil servants are prohibited from: - Being candidates for office - Cannot actively campaign for a candidate - May not collect political donations - Organize rallies - Circulate nominating petitions while working - Soliciting campaign funds while they are performing their jobs

Roles of members of Congress

Policymaker - make public policy through the passage of legislation Representative - Represent constituents Delegate-members vote based on the wishes of constituents, regardless of their own opinions. Trustee-after listening to constituents, members vote based on their own opinions. Constituent service service - helps constituents with problems

bully pulpit

Term "bully pulpit" comes from Teddy Roosevelt's reference to the White house as a "bully pulpit," meaning that he could use it as a platform to promote his agenda. President uses his bully pulpit as a means of communicating with the American people through the media coverage of presidential events. Using the power of his office to exert pressure. Examples of how a president uses a bully pulpit: - Ronald Reagan began the practice of Saturday morning radio broadcast to speak about specific policies. - President Bill Clinton and President George w. Bush held town meetings to advocate their positions on policies they support - Presidents spoke to special-interest groups that support the policies the president has announced.

rule of four

- 1st step that takes place when a case is appealed to the US supreme court occurs when 4 justices agree to hear the case - requirement that a case can only be heard by the supreme court if 4 justices vote to hear the case - more than 8,000 cases are appealed to the supreme court - only 75-100 are heard by the 9 justices of the court

writ of certiorari

- the written appeal made by a party for a case to be heard by the US supreme court - order by the court directing a lower court to send up the record of a case for review

procedural due process

- 1 of 2 forms of due process - concerned with how laws are executed - guarantees that the nation's laws are applied fairly and that the intent of the law is maintained

Incumbency Advantage

- 2 important facts to know about incumbent advantage - Representatives who run for reelection win approx. 90% of the time. - While incumbent senators have a tremendous electoral advantage, House incumbents have an even greater advantage - Senators must run statewide - House members run in their home districts with constituents of mostly one party Incumbency advantages - redistricting - name recognition - constituent service - fund raising - credit claiming

Council of Economic advisors

- 3 people who are appointed to the council by the President who have economic expertise and must be confirmed by the Senate. - Council advises the president in the preparation of economic reports - Council gathers information concerning economic developments and trends and submits to the presidents reports related to their findings - Council recommends to the president national economic policies that promote free enterprises and further national employment - Council recommends economic legislation that would achieve the economic goals of the administration.

Legislative Veto

- A legislative veto must be passed by both the House and Senate - Action repeals a policy of a federal agency or the president - To reject the actions of the president or executive agency by a vote of one or both houses of Congress without the consent of the president - Ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court - Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha

Redistricting

- Actual drawing of legislative boundaries - Occurs after the census determines each state's population and how many Congressional districts it should have - Because redistricting is done by each state legislature, the controlling political party determines the district's boundaries and will try to gerrymander as much as legally possible.

Line-item veto

- Allows individual parts of a bill to be rejected - In 1996, Congress gave the president the line-item veto, but the Supreme Court immediately struck down the power delegation as unconstitutional (Clinton v. New York), Determining that: - A federal line-item veto would take too much power away from the legislative branch - The constitution clearly states that a presidential veto must be used to oppose an entire piece of legislation

Office of Management and Budget

- Also called OMB, is run by a director who is confirmed by the Senate. - Main responsibility of the OMB is to assist the president in overseeing the preparation of the federal budget and supervise its administration after the budget is passed by Congress - OMB also evaluates the effectiveness of bureaucratic agencies and sets funding priority - OMB issues reports and recommends legislation elated to budget priorities.

Rider

- An addition or amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but that may not pass on its own merits.

Constitutional and legal basis of the Congress foreign policy authority

- Article I gives Congress the authority to raise and support the armed forces: - It gives the Senate the ability to approve presidential appointments and treaties - Most important power Article I gives Congress the authority to declare war - Though budgetary process: -Congress must fund the cost of any wars and controls the budgets of the agencies related to defense, national security, and foreign policy - Congress has also passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973: - Limited the president's authority to deploy troops without Congressional oversight - Congress has clashed with the president over foreign policy issues: - Giving the president the authority to send troops to foreign countries - Treaties the president has made, as well as presidential appointments

Closed Rule

- Bans amendments to a bill once the bill reaches the House floor - Only exceptions are amendments approved by the Rules Committee or amendments approved in advanced by a committee and submitted by the committee chairman in advance - Significance of a closed rule is that it prevents the minority party from offering their amendments because any amendment offered could be voted down by the majority party. - No closed rule in the Senate unless there is unanimous consents of all 100 senators.

Majority and Minority Whips

- Members of the House of Representatives who help their respective party leaders keep the members loyalty to the party's legislative agenda.

Congressional Budget office

- CBO was created in 1974 as a result of hostile relations between Congress and President Richard Nixon. - Purpose o office was to establish a nonpartisan arm of Congress that would generate economic reports related to budget issues including the president's proposed budget and congressional budgets - CBO works closely with the House and Senate budget committees as well as other committees that have appropriation responsibilities. - CBO gives reports on the cost estimates for every bill that is discussed in Congressional committees

Pardon

- Cancellation of criminal punishment - A convicted person is exempt from the penalties of a crime - Granted by presidents and governors to those awaiting trial and to those convicted of crimes

President pro Tempore

- Chosen by the Senate from among its members (high-ranking senator) - Individual chosen to preside over the Senate if the vice president is unable to do so.

Concurrent Resolution

- Comes from both houses of Congress - Often settles housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses - Not signed by the president and do not have the force of law.

override

- Congress has the constitutional power to override a president's veto if there is 2/3 majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. because a two-thirds vote is difficult to achieve in both houses, overrides are often rare.

Joint committees

- Consist of members of both House and Senate - Typically used for communicating with the public or for investigations - currently there are four permanent joint committees: - Joint Committee of Printing - Joint Economic Committee - Joint Committee on the Library of Congress - Joint Committee on Taxation - Oversight in specific areas - Example: - Joint Committee on Taxation review tax policies

Constitutional Powers of Vice-President

- Constitution gives the vice-president one power-to act as president of the Senate and act as the Senate's chief presiding officer. - Vice-president uses this power to cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

Executive Office of the President

- Executive Office of the president consists of key White House staff members who are the president's closest advisers - Executive office has the following components: - Office of the president (White House staff) - Office of the Vice-President - Office of Management and Budget - Office of Administration - U.S. Trade Representative - Policy development offices including the National Security council, national economic council, Domestic policy council, Office of Science, Technology, and Space, the office of Environmental policy, and the National Drug council

imperial presidency

- Exercising greater presidential power than the constitution allows Article II of the constitution outlines the powers of the president - Checks and balances of the other branches of government limit them After the 60s and 70s, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., argued that the presidency had become so power than an "imperial presidency" existed, applying the term to Richard Nixon and his administration. From 2002 and 2008 president George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney argued for greatly expanded powers for the presidency in both domestic and foreign affairs.

Joint Chiefs of staff

- Five uniformed heads of the five military service work together - Led by a chairman - Joint Chiefs and Chairman are responsible for carrying out defense policy and report directly to both the secretary of defense and the president.

Congressional Districts

- Geographically defined group of people on whose behalf a representative acts in the House of Representatives. - Every state is divided into Congressional districts of equal population - Larger states have more districts and representative than smaller states - Districts are reapportioned every ten years according to new census population data.

Majority and Minority Leaders

- House majority leader keeps party members in line - Helps determine party policy , as well as the party's legislative agenda - Senate majority leader controls the legislative agenda and therefore has considerable power in the Senate. - A majority leader in each chamber of Congress can act as a power broker and policy initiator - House minority leader keeps the minority party members in line - Helps determine the minority party's agenda

National Security Council

- Involved in decisions during national emergencies - Headed by National Security Advisor who has direct access to the president. - NCS has become a top favored institution for many presidents as it is largely free from Congressional oversight. - NCS was used by President Kennedy during Cuban missile crisis, President Reagan during the Iran-Contra affair, and President Bush during the Gulf war.

Speaker of the House

- Leader of the House of Representatives - Chosen by the majority party in a special election - Speaker is powerful because he or she can direct floor debate and has influence over committee assignments and the Rules Committee - Speaker can also control which bills go to committees

War Powers Act

- Limits the ability of the president to commit troops to combat. - Congress passed a joint resolution limiting the president's power to wage war without a declaration of war from Congress - Provisions of the act include the requirement that the president consult with Congress prior to deploying troops, and after the deployment of troops setting up date benchmarks for the removal of troops if Congress has not declared war or authorized use of force.

signing statements

- Made by the president at the time the president signs a bill into a law - These statements give explanatory views about the legislation - Critics claim that the effect of the statement is to change the intent of the law Example - President George W. Bush added a signing statement to a bill passed by Congress that outlawed torture stating that the president has the power to define torture. - Supporters of presidential signing statement claim that these statements are justified because the president has the constitutional authority to carry out legislation.

Appropriations

- Money granted by Congress or a state legislature for a specific purpose

Constitutional Requirements for President

- Must be thirty-five years old - Must be a natural-born citizen (not for Congress) - Must be a resident of the United states for 14 years - Must take an oath of office swearing or affirming to carry out the responsibilities of the presidency and pledging to"preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the Unite States."

President's Cabinet

- Part of the "unwritten Constitution" that is bed on practice precedent, and tradition. - Constitution does make reference to"executive departments" - Washington established the practice of appointing cabinet officials - There are currently 15 cabinet-level positions and 6 cabinet-rank positions - After the appropriate committee holds confirmation hearing, cabinet appointees must get Senate confirmation - Congress must approve the creation or abolition of cabinet-level positions

Standing committees

- Permanent committees in the House and Senate that specialize in areas of legislation - Representation on the committees is proportionally based on the party makeup of the House and the Senate. Examples- 1. House ways and means committee, Senate judiciary committee, and Senate armed services committees - house-standing amendments Senate-17 standing amendments

executive privilege

- Power assumed by the president to protect the privacy interests of the executive branch - First invoked by George Washington and used by president in the area of foreign policy - Nixon attempted to use executive privilege to protect conversations with aides related to the Watergate scandal and to protect tapes that revealed discussion about Watergate. The Supreme Court in U.S. vs. Nixon ruled unanimously that the tapes were not protected by executive privilege. - President Clinton attempted to use executive privilege to protect himself from appearing before a grand jury and allowing aides to testify about the Monica Lewinsky affair. Clinton ultimately compromised and claim or executive privilege was dropped.

Executive powers

- Powers that exist for the national government because it is Sovereign - Inherent power of the president expands the power of the president - Deprived from the delegated authority of the president as the chief executive and commander-in-chief - Explained through presidential signing statements that are attached to legislation - Expanded by the use of executive privilege, executive orders, and precedent

Inherent powers of the president

- Powers that exist for the national government because it is Sovereign - Inherent power of the president expands the power of the president - Deprived from the delegated authority of the president as the chief executive and commander-in-chief - Explained through presidential signing statements that are attached to legislation - Expanded by the use of executive privilege, executive orders, and precedent

Gerrymandering

- Practice of determining Congressional district lines to benefit one party over the other - During Congressional redistricting, the political party in control of state legislature control how districts are drawn - Purpose: - draw district regardless of natural geographic boundaries so that the voters of one political party outnumber the voters of the other political party, which likely will result in the electoral victory of the majority political party. - Courts can rule gerrymandered districts illegal using the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the equal protections clause of the 14th amendment.

Informal sources of presidential power

- President makes legislative recommendations to Congress - President acts as unofficial leader of his political party - President uses executive privilege to protect presidential actions from Congressional oversight. - President acts as a lobbyist for implementation of his agenda - President acts as chief-of-state when hosting foreign leaders

Presidential appointment process

- President must seek Senate approval of appointments to the Cabinet, heads of bureaucratic agencies, and federal judges. - Once a president appoint the individual, the Senate: - Holds hearings in the appropriate committee - If committee approves appointment, the candidate's name is sent to the full Senate, which approve the candidate with a majority vote (this is called advice and consent) - Committee hearings are often controversial and the senators grill the nominees in front of a national audience - A recess appointment is made when the president makes a temporary appointment when Congress is not in session.

Franking Privilege

- Privilege that allows member of Congress to mail letter and other materials to constituents postage-free

Impeachment

- Process by which president, judge, or other government official is tried for high crimes or misdemeanors. - Bring charges of wrongdoing against a government official by the House Ex.: - Impeached American president Andrew Johnson, who was found not guilty and therefore not removed from office - Impeached American president Bill Clinton, who was found not guilty and therefore not removed from office A U.S. president has never been removed from office by impeachment

Reapportionment

- Process of dividing the number of states legislatures and Congressional representatives among state's population in order to assure , as close as possible ,districts of equal size. - as the total house membership must remain 435, states may lose or gain seats during reapportionment. - Conducted every 10 years and determined as a result of changes verified by the census that is taken every 10 years.

impoundment

- Refusal of the president to spend money Congress has appropriated - Since the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, Congress has the power to prevent the president from taking that action.

Impeachment of President

- Removal from office after charges of " high crimes and misdemeanors' are brought up by the House of Representatives and a trial in the Senate convicts the president of the charges brought by the House - First step in the impeachment process is the House Judiciary Committee voting to bring articles of impeachment against the president to the Full House. - House of representatives votes on the articles of impeachment and if a majority of the members of Congress vote yes, the Senate then convenes and conducts a trial - The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides over the trial and in order to convict he president, a 2/3 majority of the senators must vote yes - Only two presidents have been impeached (Johnson and clinton)

Joint resolution

- Requires the approval of both Houses and the signature of the president - Essentially is same as law - Joint resolutions are sometimes passed when the houses of Congress react to an important issue that needs immediate attention example:after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Congress passed a joint resolution condemning the attacks and authorizing president Bush to take preliminary military action

Filibuster

- Tactic to delay voting on a bill in the Senate, usually done by a senator making a multi-hour speech on the Senate floor - Can also happen without actual continuous speeches - Only way to end a filibuster is to vote for cloture, which requires the votes of 60 members and can be difficult to get when the two parties are evenly represented.

Conference committees

- Temporary and try to negotiate compromise bills that are then submitted to the two houses for a vote without amendments. - these committees include members from committees of the two houses who were responsible for writing a bill. - After the bill is agreed to, it is reported back to both Houses for final passage - disband once a compromise bill has been successfully negotiated.

Select committees

- Temporary committees set up by the House and Senate to deal with a specific issue that is not covered by a standing committee - typically carry out investigations so that a special legislation can be written. example: - House Watergate Committee - Senate Select committee on unfair Campaign practices

Pigeonholed

- Used to describe a bill that is stuck in a House or Senate committee. - Bills become"stuck" when a committee refuses to vote on a bill in an attempt to keep it from being considered by the House. - A discharge petition may be used to force a bill out of committee for a floor vote.

Logrolling

- Used when Congresspersons are pressured by their colleagues who hope to influence their vote on an issue - refers to process of a Congressperson trading his or her vote on a bill for a promise from another member of Congress to support the first member's bill. - most logrolling occurs in pork barrel projects/spending - exchange of political favors for support of a bill - the message is "you help me on this bill, and i'll help you on yours"

White House Office Staff

- White House staff makes up the personnel that run the White House and advise the president - Staff members do NOT need Senate confirmation - Staff members include: - Chief of staff - Communications office including press secretary, councils to the president, personal aides, and ancillary people such as White House cook and personal secretaries to the president and first lady. - Most staff members either work for the president during the election campaign or have been associated with the president prior to the president's election. - In most cases, staff members are protected by presidential executive privilege in the discussion with the president

White House Press secretary

- Works out of the office of communication and is the chief White House spokesperson to communicate directly with the media - press secretary does not need Senate confirmation - Press secretary attempts to control the flow of information out of the White House and tries to set the agenda on a daily basis. - Press secretary holds daily press briefings that are televised from the White House press office

judicial opinions

- a majority opinion represents the opinion of 5 or more of the justices - majority of justices agree on the decision and the reasons for the decision - a dissenting opinion of the court - represents the opinion of fewer than 5 justices - also called a dissenting opinion of the court and it is written by one of the justices representing the min. - a concurring opinion of the court - represents the opinion that is written by one or more justices in the majority who want to express a separate opinion from the justice who write the majority decision - a unanimous opinion of the court - when all the justice agree - have the most force in future legal cases and when the leg. draft new laws - brown v. board of ed.

oral arguments

- after a writ of cert is accepted for review, lawyers for the petitioner and respondent are given a date when oral arguments will be heard by the court - attorneys are given 30 min. for each side to present their case to the 9 justices sitting on the court - any justice can ask a question or interrupt an attorney at any time during the oral arguments

judicial conference

- after oral arguments are completed, the 9 justices meet in what is called a conference meeting where the chief justice presides over the meeting - chief justice reviews the case and asks for each justice, beginning with the most senior justice to give their opinion about the case - once a tentative decision is reached, the chief justice assigns one of the justices representing the majority which is 5 or more justices, to draft an opinion that will be circulated among all the justices - after all the justices who agree with the draft of the majority. opinion agree with the draft and the min. drafts its dissenting opinion, the opinion is announced before the session ends in June.

appellate jurisdiction

- appellate jurisdiction is the power of the supreme court to hear cases that are on appeal from lower courts - gives the court authority to hear cases on appeal from the lower courts - only issues of law are being decided, rather than the facts of a case - 9 justices of the supreme court deciding only issue of law and legal precedent instead of determining the outcome based on the specifics of the situation

original jurisdiction

- court hears and decides a case for the first time - term used to describe a court's power to initially try a case - cases that go directly to the supreme court are called original jurisdiction

judicial activism

- court should play an active role in determining national policies - supreme court that reflects judicial activism is a court that is described as liberal b/c their decision are broad in interpretation of the constitution - a court that is described as activist - establishes new precedent - uses its power to promote social change - increases the rights of the accused - broaden civil liberties by expanding constitutional clauses such as the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and the commerce clause in article 1

de facto and de jure segregation

- de facto segregation is segregation of schools, housing, and other facilities through circumstances not as a result of law - de facto segregation is not illegal. However, congress has passed legislation such as the civil rights act of 1964 and the courts have made rulings that made aspects of this practice illegal - de jure segregation is segregation resulting from laws passed by state government such as jim crow laws and decision made by the supreme court such as Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

judicial powers

- found in article 3 of the constitution - the constitution vests all judicial power in a supreme court and inferior courts established by congress - powers expanded as a result of the application of judicial review in the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) - gives the courts power to hear cases that deal with laws and provision of the US constitution and treaties made through original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction

judicial restraint

- holds that the court should avoid taking the initiative on social and political questions, operating strictly within the limits of the constitution - described as conservative b/c its decision are based on a strict interpretation of the constitution - a court that is described as conservative - upholds precedent - uses existing law as a guide to making ruling - justices that have a philosophy advocating judicial restraint feel that the original intent of the constitution should be reflected in their decisions

stare decisis

- let the decision stand - decisions are based on precedents from the previous cases - the principle of a case precedent is derived from stare decisis - case precedents guide the supreme court justices when they make a ruling on a case before them - if a precedent case is reversed by the court then the precedent is overturned and the new case becomes precedent - an example of a case precedent that was overturned is when the case plessy v. ferguson (1896) was overturned by the case brown v board of ed.

Quorum

- minimum number of people required for the legislature to act example: - the quorum for a Senate vote is a simple Majority.

Oversight Function

- non-legislative task of Congress - Congress monitors policies of the executive branch - reviews the work of the federal agencies through its committees and subcommittees which helps check the executive branch - Investigates charges of corruption and waste and holds hearing where experts and citizens can discuss and suggest solution to government problems. - All committee chairs have the power to subpoena witnesses to testify.

substantive due process

- one of 2 forms of due process - handles the question of whether laws are fair - this is determined by referring to the constitution specifically the bill of rights and the 14th amendment

Simple resolution

- passed by either chamber of Congress - Sometimes set the rules under which either chamber operates - Establishes rules, regulations, or practices that do not have the force of law. Example: - Congratulating a staff member for doing a good job or having an anniversary

senatorial courtesy

- practice of senatorial courtesy dates back to Washington when he nominated a person who needed senate confirmation without consulting the senators form the state the nominee came from - practice of home state senators being consulted by the president before nominating an individual is used today mostly for judicial appointments - if one or both of the senators are opposed to the nominee, the nominee could face serious problems getting confirmed

constitutional requirements for federal judges

- pres. appoints federal justices and supreme court justices and the senate judiciary committee holds hearings on the nominees - full senate must vote by a majority to confirm the justices - the only constitutional requirements for a fed. judge or a supreme court justice is that they hold their offices during good behavior - this means that when fed. judges are confirmed they have life tenure - constitution also provides that federal judges and supreme court justices shall receive compensation for their duties - federalist papers argued that fed judges and supreme court justices should be removed only if they are convicted of an impeachable offense

solicitor general

- second ranking member of the justice department after the attorney general - in supreme court cases where the federal govt has taken one side - solicitor general gets a portion of the half hour provided for oral arguments to argue on govt's behalf - solicitor general often makes so many appearances before high court that the position is sometimes referred to as the 10th justice

judicial review

- supreme court's right to judge the constitutionality of laws - power was not specifically granted to the supreme court in the constitution but was established in the case of Marbury v. madison (1803) by John Marshall when he served as chief justice of the Supreme Court

characteristics of federal bureaucracy

Article II of the Constitution - Reference to the creation of "executive agreements" Establishment of bureaucratic agencies developed as a result of custom, tradition, and precedent Cabinet was formed by President George Washington Independent regulatory agencies were created in the 20th century as a result of a perceived need to regulate industry and protect the public

Constitutional and Informal Basis of the President's foreign policy authority

Article II of the constitution gives the president the authority as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and gives the president the authority to appoint: - Ambassadors - Cabinet heads of agencies related to foreign policy such as: Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of Homeland security (with the consent of the Senate) - National Security Advisor - Head of CIA - National Security Council The right to make treaties - President also acts as chief of state receives ambassadors from foreign countries, travels to foreign countries and can issue executive orders that can impact foreign policy

Watergate

Break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarter at the Watergate building in 1972 that resulted in a cover-up and the subsequent resignation of President Nixon

key independent regulatory agencies

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - Regulates trade, encourages competition, and investigates unfair or deceptive advertising. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Regulates and approves the content, marketing, and labeling of food and drugs. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - Regulates the television and radio industry and grants licenses to television and radio stations. Environment Protection Agency - Establishes environmental issues and industries that impact the environment. - Creates regulations for laws such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Act. Federal Election Commission (FEC) - Responsible for monitoring campaign contributions, providing funding to presidential candidates through matching grants, and investigating campaign violations.

Packing districts

Form of Gerrymandering: - Act of isolating minorities to a particular district - Done because minorities have a higher rate of Democrats, to make a solid voting district. - this is different from dividing minorities across many districts, which is known as "cracking".

Congressional Caucus

Formed by Congressmen/women from both houses of Congress who have the same interests for the purpose of developing and promoting legislation. Examples: - House and Senate Democratic caucus, consisting of all the elected Democratic Congressmen/women and senators and the House and Senate Republican Conference, consisting of all the elected Republican congressmen/women and senators Other caucuses are formed based on race, ethnicity, and political philosophy Examples: - Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the "Blue Dog" Coalition (conservative Democrats) Caucuses attempt to apply political pressure to further their legislative agenda

Commander-in-chief

He is the chief strategist and director o military forces of the U.S. Despite this position: - President is at the mercy of Congress for funding to wage war (although it is unlikely that Congress would refuse funding once the president has engaged troops in conflict)

organization of federal bureaucracy

Hierarchical Structure - Agency has direct and defines responsibilities Cabinet departments - Responsible to the cabinet secretaries that head them Independent regulatory agencies - Funded by Congress and report to the president Independent executive agencies - Bureaucracies that have specific functions that support the goals and functions of the government Government corporations - agencies that act like private sector industries but are run by the govt.

Constitutional basis of federal bureaucracy

Hierarchical authority structure - power flows from the top down Task specialization - Experts perform prescribed tasks Extensive rules - Red tape Merit Principle - civil service workers get promoted based on merit.

House/Senate Requirements

House - At least 25 years old - American citizen for at least seven years - A resident of the state the candidate represents - Serves a two-year term Senate - At least 30 years old - American citizens for at least nine years - A resident of the state the candidate represents - Serves a six-year term

quasi-judicial agencies

Independent agencies responsible for rule enforcement and punishing violators Act in manner that is judicial when enforcing penalties for violations of their regulations Examples: - Human Rights Committee - Federal Aviation Administration - Parades Committese

Discharge Petition

Most bills die in committee - especially if they are introduced to satisfy constituency or get publicity for the member of Congress that introduces it. - In the house, a discharge petition may be signed by 218 members to bring it to the floor - the vast majority of bills are referred to the floor only after committee recommendation.

Pork Barrel Legislation and Earmarks

Pork Barrel Spending - Legislation giving benefits to constituents through sometimes unnecessary or unwise projects within a state or district, to enhance a member's chance of reelection Earmarks - amendments proposed by individual senators/representatives that are often called pork barrel legislation. - attached to appropriation bills

Markup

Rewriting a bill after hearings have been held on it

Cloture

The only way to end filibuster in the Senate Difficult to achieve when the two parties are evenly represented, as it requires the votes of 60 members.

presidential veto

Two types of vetoes that the president can exercise: - Regular veto - Pocket veto Regular Veto - Used by the president when he does not like either an entire piece of legislation or part of a law that is passed - Must veto the entire bill even he does not approve of part of it - If president uses a regular veto. Congress must override it by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of each House - If Congress does not override the president's veto, then the veto is sustained by congress because either one or both Houses did not have a two-thirds (2/3) majority - Legislation is dead unless it is brought up in the future as a new bill Pocket veto - Occurs if the president does not sign a bill within 10 days after Congress adjourns

Bicameral Legislature

Two-house legislature that the U.S. Adopted as a result of the Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention House - Population Senate - Regardless of state size, two per state

coattail effect

Weaker or lesser-known candidates from the president's party benefits from the president's popularity by winning votes.

White House Chief of Staff and National Security Advisor

White house chief of staff - White house chief of staff is the president's closest adviser - Position of chief of staff does not require Senate confirmation - Coordinates the day-to-day schedule o the president and is often called the White House "gatekeeper". National Security Advisor - Provides daily security briefings to the president along with other key security personnel

quasi-legislative agencies

independent agencies with jurisdiction that are responsible for filling in the gaps and writing rules of such legislation Act in a manner that is legislative when issuing regulations

Pendleton Act of 1883 (Civil Service Act of 1883)

passed in response to the assassination of President Garfield by a disgruntled office seeker Act set up merit as a criteria for hiring, promoting and firing federal employees Act set up two kinds of federal employment and gave the president the power to determine how to organize the federal bureaucracy Act established an independent civil service commission that administered tests and enforced the regulation that civil service employees could not take part in partisan politics More than 90% of government workers today are civil service appointees