american gov. ch.7
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Created by:
mariahguillmette on July 2, 2012
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20 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 "take care" clause | The provision in Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution instructing the president to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." (Page 331) |
| central clearance | A presidential directive requiring that all executive agency proposals, reports, and recommendations to Congress—mostly in the form of annual reports and testimony at authorization and appropriations hearings—be certified by the Office of Management and Budget as consistent with the president's policy. (Page 336) |
| commander in chief | The title that is given to the president by the Constitution and that denotes the president's authority as the head of the national military. (Page 326) |
| divided government | A term used to describe government when one political party controls the executive branch and the other political party controls one or both houses of the legislature. (Page 338) |
| enrolled bill | A bill that has been passed by both the Senate and the House and has been sent to the president for approval. (Page 352) |
| executive agreement | An agreement between the president and one or more other countries. Similar to a treaty, but unlike a treaty, it does not require the approval of the Senate. (Page 328) |
| executive office of the president (eop) | Collection of agencies that help the president oversee department and agency activities, formulate budgets and monitor spending, craft legislation, and lobby Congress. The major components, established in 1939 by President Franklin Roosevelt, include the White House Office, Office of Management and Budget, National Security Council, and Council of Economic Advisers, among other agencies. (Page 351) |
| executive order | A presidential directive to an executive agency establishing new policies or indicating how an existing policy is to be carried out. (Page 331 |
| executive privilege | The president's right to withhold information from Congress and the courts. Presidents assert that this right, nowhere mentioned in the Constitution, is necessary to maintain separation of powers among the branches of government. (Page 330) |
| gag rule | An executive order prohibiting all federal employees from communicating directly with Congress. (Page 336) |
| going public | Presidents do this when they engage in intensive public relations to promote their policies to the voters and thereby induce cooperation from other elected officeholders in Washington. (Page 344) |
| gridlock | A legislative "traffic jam" often precipitated by divided government. It occurs when presidents confront opposition-controlled Congresses with policy preferences and political stakes that are in direct competition with their own and those of their party. Neither side is willing to compromise, the government accomplishes little, and federal operations may even come to a halt. (Page 339) |
| imperial presidency | Refers to a presidency in which the president tries to extend executive power and influence through unilateral actions. (Page 319) |
| line-item veto | A procedure, available in 1997 for the first time, permitting a president to cancel amounts of new discretionary appropriations (budget authority), as well as new items of direct spending (entitlements) and certain limited tax benefits, unless Congress disapproves by law within a limited period of time. It was declared unconstitutional in 1998. (Page 341) |
| national security council (nsc) | The highest advisory body to the president on military and diplomatic issues. Established in 1947, this agency in the Executive Office of the President helps the president coordinate the actions of government agencies, including the State and Defense Departments and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, into a single cohesive policy for dealing with other nations. (Page 352) |
| office of management and budget (omb) | Previously known as the Bureau of the Budget, this is the most important agency in the Executive Office of the President. The budget bureau, created in 1921 to act as a central clearinghouse for all budget requests, was renamed and given increased responsibilities in 1970. It advises the president on fiscal and economic policies, creates the annual federal budget, and monitors agency performance, among other duties. (Page 351) |
| signing statements | A statement issued by the president that is intended to modify implementation or ignore altogether provisions of a new law. (Page 316) |
| state of the union adress | A presidential message to Congress under the constitutional directive that he shall "from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." (Page 344) |
| unitary executive | When a president claims prerogative to attach signing statements to bills and asserts his/her right to modify implementation or ignore altogether provisions of a new law that encroaches on his/her constitutional prerogatives as "the chief executive" or as commander in chief. (Page 316) |
| white house office | Agency in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) that serves as the president's personal staff system. Although the entire EOP does the president's business, the White House staff consists of the president's personal advisers, who oversee the political and policy interests of the administration. (Page 351) |
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