POS2041 EXAM 3
oversight
Congressional responsibility for monitoring the actions of executive branch agencies and personnel to ensure conformity to federal statutes and congressional intent.
constituency
The district of a legislator.
Evolution of the Presidency
The framers had an idea close to how Washington acted, from the time of George Washington to the end of the 19th century (the Dormant presidency) the pres did not dominate the political life of the nation they thought they were equal to Congress. Starting with Teddy Roosevelt, then to Wilson and FDR it became more involved with increasing foreign involvement and domestic help through invasive social programs.
ranking minority member
The highest-ranking member of the minority party on a congressional committee.
Power of the Purse
The influence that legislators have over public policy because of their power to vote money for public purposes
Speaker of the House
The leader in the HOR, stands second in line of succession after the VP. Names conference committee members, appoints members to the Rules committee, controls bill hearings and agenda, and has the ability to allow people to speak during floor debates.
habeas corpus
The legal doctrine that a person who is arrested must have a timely hearing before a judge.
presidential job approval
The percentage of Americans who believe the president is doing a good job.
institutional presidency
The permanent bureaucracy associated with the presidency, designed to help the incumbent of the office carry out his responsibilities.
judicial review
The power of the Supreme Court to declare actions of the other branches and levels of government unconstitutional.
pack
The process of concentrating voters for the other party into fewer districts in order to weaken them elsewhere.
markup
The process of revising a bill in committee.
reapportionment
The reallocation of House seats among the states, done after each national census, to ensure that seats are held by the states in proportion to the size of their populations.
redistricting
The redrawing of congressional district lines within a state to ensure roughly equal populations within each district.
hearings
The taking of testimony by a congressional committee or subcommittee
federal bureaucracy
The totality of the departments and agencies of the executive branch of the national government
Trends in Presidential Job Approval
Ratings rise and fall in response to political, social, and economic events.
joint committees
Congressional committees with members from both the House and the Senate. EX: Joint budget committee
gerrymandering
Redrawing electoral district lines in an extreme and unlikely manner to give an advantage to a particular party or candidate.
pocket veto
Rejection of a bill if the president takes no action on it for 10 days and Congress has adjourned during that period.
New Gov Employees Graph
# of fed employees has declined over past 2 decades in absolute #s, the # of state & local gov employees has grown A LOT.
constituent
A citizen who lives in the district of an elected official.
partisan
A committed member of a party; also, seeing issues from the point of view of the interests of a single party
treaty
A formal international agreement between two or more countries; in the United States, requires the "advice and consent" of the Senate.
Executive Office of the President (EOP)
A group of organizations that advise the president on a wide range of issues; includes, among others, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council, and the Council of Economic Advisers.
bureaucracy
A large, complex organization characterized by a hierarchical set of offices, each with a specific task, controlled through a clear chain of command, and where appointment and advancement of personnel is based on merit.
filibuster
A parliamentary device used in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote by "talking it to death," made possible by the norm of unlimited debate. `
discharge petition
A petition signed by 218 House members to force a bill that has been before a committee for at least 30 days while the House is in session out of the committee and onto the floor for consideration.
whip
A political party member in Congress charged with keeping members informed of the plans of the party leadership, counting votes before action on important issues, and rounding up party members for votes on bills.
caucus
A regional, ethnic, racial, or economic subgroup within the House or Senate. Also used to describe the party in the House and Senate, as in Republican caucus.
executive order
A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the force of law, based either on the constitutional powers of the presidency as chief executive or commander in chief or on congressional statutes.
hold
A tactic by which a single senator can prevent action on a bill or nomination; based on an implied threat of refusing to agree to unanimous consent on other Senate matters or willingness to filibuster the bill or nomination
chief of staff
A top adviser to the president who also manages the White House staff.
national security adviser
A top foreign policy and defense adviser to the president who heads the National Security Council.
cloture
A vote to end a filibuster; requires the votes of three-fifths of the membership of the Senate.
delegate
According to the doctrine articulated by Edmund Burke, an elected representative who acts in perfect accord with the wishes of his or her constituents.
conference committees
Ad hoc committees, made up of members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, set up to reconcile differences in the provisions of bills. Members selected by Speaker of the House and Senate majority leader. Sometimes add, amend, or subtract things from bills coming through.
pork
Also called pork barrel; federally funded projects designed to bring to the constituency jobs and public money for which the members of Congress can claim credit
executive agreement
An agreement with another country signed by the president that has the force of law, like a treaty; does not require Senate approval; originally used for minor technical matters, now an important tool of presidential power in foreign affairs.
trustee
An elected representative who believes that his or her own best judgment, rather than instructions from constituents, should be used in making legislative decisions
open-seat election
An election in which there is no incumbent officeholder
Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
An organization in the Executive Office of the President made up of a small group of economists who advise on economic policy.
National Security Council (NSC)
An organization in the Executive Office of the President made up of officials from the State and Defense Departments, the CIA, and the military, who advise on foreign and security affairs.
Intelligence Advisory Board
An organization in the Executive Office of the President that provides information and assessments to the president's director of national intelligence and to the president directly.
party conference
An organization of the members of a political party in the House or Senate
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
An organization within the Executive Office of the President that advises on the federal budget, domestic legislation, and regulations.
State of the Union
Annual report to the nation by the president, now delivered before a joint session of Congress, on the state of the nation and his legislative proposals for addressing national problems
elastic clause
Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, also called the necessary and proper clause; gives Congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated powers and other of its powers vested in the Constitution
bicameral
As applied to a legislative body, consisting of two houses or chambers
unitary executive
Constitutional doctrine that proposes that the executive branch is under the direct control of the president, who has all authority necessary to control the actions of federal bureaucracy personnel and units without interference from the other federal branches.
Campaign money raised in 2009-2010 election cycle graph
Contributors tend to give a disproportionate share of campaign contributions to incumbents and those open-seat candidates who have a good chance to win their elections.
divided government
Control of the executive and the legislative branches by different political parties.
Pendleton Act
Created bipartisan Civil Service Commission to oversee a system of appointments to certain executive branch posts on the basis of merit.
reciprocity
Deferral by members of Congress to the judgment of subject-matter specialists, mainly on minor technical bills.
majority-minority districts
Districts drawn to ensure that a racial minority makes up the majority of voters.
Growth in Federal Agency Rules and Regulations Graph
Dramatic rise in regulations in the 1970s, decline during the Reagan Years, slow increase during the first Bush and Clinton presidencies and leveling out during George W Bush, rules increased slightly again under Obama.
constitutional courts
Federal courts created by Congress under the authority of Article III of the Constitution.
civil service
Federal government jobs held by civilian employees, excluding political appointees.
departments
Generally the largest units in the executive branch, each headed by a cabinet secretary. ex: department of education, war, state, treasury.
bureau
Generally, a subunit of a cabinet department. ex: FBI, Coast Guard
civil servants
Government workers employed under the merit system; not political appointees.
grand juries
Groups of citizens who decide whether there is sufficient evidence to bring an indictment against accused persons.
legislative courts
Highly specialized federal courts created by Congress under the authority of Article I of the Constitution.
impeachment
House action bringing formal charges against a member of the executive branch or the federal judiciary that may or may not lead to removal from office by the Senate
How a Bill Becomes a Law chart
In both Senate and the House: 1. Bill introduced 2. Referred to committee 3. Referred to subcommittee for hearings and markups 4. Committee action 5. Floor action 6. Bill reconciliation, usually in conference committee 7. House/Senate action on conference committee bill 8.Presidential signature, then becomes a law
unanimous consent
Legislative action taken "without objection" as a way to expedite business; used to conduct much of the business of the Senate.
Cabinet
Not mentioned in the constitution, no legislation designates composition of it, its duties, or rules. Every President has had one. Today, it usually consists of the heads of the major executive departments, the VP, and whichever other officials the president chooses. A reason for the weakness of cabinets is that the government has grown large and specialized.
Graph on Party Voting in Congress
Partisanship has been growing in Congress, one indicator is the increase in percentage of times the average party member sided with their party on partisan votes.
Senate Majority Leader
Powers are not nearly as much as the Speaker of the House, has some influence in committee assignments, office space designation, make the schedule, and controls access to the floor.
enumerated powers
Powers of the federal government specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
Influences on Bureaucratic Behavior
President, Congress, & the courts ⇗ ⇘ The People ⇒ Fed Depts & Agencies
veto
Presidential disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress. The president's veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each house.
franking privilege
Public subsidization of mail from the members of Congress to their constituents.
standing committees
Relatively permanent congressional committees that address specific areas of legislation. Majority party enjoys a majority on each committee and controls the chair and majority. Ex: budget and finance in senate and rules committee and ways and means committee in the HOR.
casework
Services performed by members of Congress for constituents.
descriptive representation
Sometimes called statistical representation; the degree to which the composition of a representative body reflects the demographic composition of the population as a whole
crack
The act of dividing a district where the opposing party has a large majority, rendering it a minority in both parts of the redrawn districts
original jurisdiction
The authority of a court to be the first to hear a particular kind of case.
hopper
The box in the House of Representatives in which proposed bills are placed.
Women and Minorities in Congress
Still underrepresented compared with their proportion in the American population. Large gains were made in the 2012 elections.
select committees
Temporary committees in Congress created to conduct studies or investigations; they have no power to report bills. Often the issues before the select committees are highly visible and gain great deal of attention. EX: Watergate scandal, Iran-Contra Affair, and intelligence failures regarding 9/11.
The U.S. Federal Court System
U.S. Supreme Court ⇓ U.S. Claims ⟻ U.S. Courts of Appeal(13) ⟼ Court of Intl Court ⇙---------------⇓ Trade U.S. Tax Court U.S. District Courts(94)
The Executive Branch Structure
______________ The Constitution _______________ ↓ ↓ ↓ Legislative Executive Judicial ↓ Departments ↓ Independent Establishments and Gov Corporations
cost-benefit analysis
a method of evaluating rules and regulations by weighing their potential costs against their potential benefits to society
bureaucrat
a person who works in a bureaucratic organization
independent executive agency
a unit of executive branch outside the control of executive departments. ex: EPA
independent regulatory commision
an entity in the executive branch that is outside the immediate control of the president and congress that issues rules and regulations to protect the public. ex: Securities and Exchange Commission
foundation
an entity of the executive branch that supports the arts or sciences and is designed to be somewhat insulated from political interference. ex: National Foundation of the Arts
quasi-governmental organization
an organization that has governmental powers and responsibilities but has substantial private sector control over its activities. ex: The Federal Reserve Board
Unified government
control of the executive and legislative branches by the same political party
agency
general name used for a subunit of a cabinet department. EX: Coast Guard
What the Public Thinks About Different Industries
in 2011 fewer than 5 Americans thought favorably about the Fed Gov. Computer, Restaurant, and Farming and Ag were among the top rated.
appropriation
legal authority for a federal agency to spend money from the U.S. Treasury
red tape
overbearing bureaucratic rules and procedures
whistle-blowers
people who bring official misconduct in their agencies to public attention
power to persuade
president must persuade executive branch officials and personnel to do things
recess appointments
presidential action to temporarily fill executive branch positions without the consent of the senate; done when congress is adjourned
spoils systems/patronage
the practice of distributing government offices and contracts to the supporters of the winning party; also called patronage
privatizing
turning over certain government functions to the private sector
government corporation
unit in the executive branch that operates like a private business but provides some public service. ex: US Postal Service
