Unit 5 Vocab - Executive Branch

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

A United States government agency that is responsible for the collection and enforcement of taxes. The IRS was established in 1862 by President Lincoln and operates under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury.

Department of Energy

Cabinet-level department of the United States Government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material.

Marine One

a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron responsible for the transportation of the President of the United States, Vice President, Cabinet members and other VIPs. A Marine helicopter which has the President aboard uses the call sign "Marine One".

U.S. Embassy

a body of diplomatic representatives; specifically : one headed by an ambassador

Electoral College

a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

The Secret Service

a branch of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for providing protection to the president and investigating certain types of financial crime.

Department of Health and Human Services

a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

a civilian foreign intelligence service of the U.S. Government, tasked with gathering, processing and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence

Foreign Policy

a government's strategy in dealing with other nations.

State of the Union Address

a yearly address delivered in January by the president of the US to Congress, giving the administration's view of the state of the nation and plans for legislation.

Department of Education

administers federal programs dealing with education

Department of Agriculture

administers federal programs related to food production and rural life. The department's principal duty is to aid farmers, but it also serves consumers through its food-assistance and food-inspection programs.

Embargo

agreement among a group of nations that prohibits trade with target nations

Executive Agreements

agreement between PRESIDENT AND LEADER of another country

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

an agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico designed to remove tariff barriers between the three countries.

Department of Defense

an executive branch department of the federal government of the United States charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government concerned directly with national security and the United States Armed Forces

U.S. Vice President

an official or executive ranking below and deputizing for a president

Department of the Interior

charged with the conservation and development of the natural resources of the U.S. and its possessions.

Department of the Treasury

collects revenue and administers the national finances.

Presidential Cabinet

composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, who are generally the heads of the federal executive departments.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

comprising the 12 nations of the Atlantic Pact together with Greece, Turkey, and the Federal Republic of Germany, for the purpose of collective defense against aggression

Article II of U.S. Constitution

creates the executive branch of the government, consisting of the President, the Vice President, and other executive officers and staffers appointed by the President, including the Cabinet.

Department of Commerce

deals with business, trade and commerce. Its objective is to foment higher standards of living for Americans through the creation of jobs. It aims to achieve this by promoting an infrastructure of monetary and economic growth, competitive technology and favorable international trade.

Twenty Fifth Amendment

deals with succession to the Presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, as well as responding to Presidential disabilities.

Department of State

department of the federal executive branch primarily responsible for making and conducting foreign policy, headed by the secretary of state

Trade Sanction

efforts to punish another nation by imposing trade barriers

Department of Transportation

federal Cabinet department of the U.S. government concerned with transportation

Treaties

formal agreement between GOVERNMENTS of two or more countries

Department of Veteran Affairs

government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status.

Department of Justice

headed by the attorney general, which administers the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), prosecutes violations of federal law, and is responsible for enforcing all civil rights legislation.

National Security

keeping country safe from harm

Twentieth Amendment

moved the beginning and ending of the terms of the president and vice president from March 4 to January 20, and of members of Congress from March 4 to January 3.

Ambassador

official representative of a country's government; work at embassies

The "Beast"

president's armored limo -- basically invincible

Twenty Second Amendment

ratified in 1951, limiting presidential terms to two for any one person, or to one elected term if the person has completed more than two years of another's term.

Department of Labor

responsible for standards in occupational safety, wages and number of hours worked, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services and a portion of the country's economic statistics.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

support community development and increase home ownership

Tariff

taxes on imported goods

The West Wing

the Executive Office Building, houses the offices of the President of the United States

Department of Homeland Security

the department of the U.S. federal government charged with protecting U.S. territory from terrorist attacks and providing a coordinated response to large-scale emergencies.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States, which simultaneously serves as the nation's prime Federal law enforcement organization.

U.S. President

the head of the government and chief executive officer of a modern republic

Air Force One

the official air traffic control call sign of a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States

The White House

the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located in Washington, D.C.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations