Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

Question 1

House of Representatives

Answer 1

The lower chamber of Congress, in which the number of representatives per state is determined by the state’s population, with 435 Representatives total. Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms, so they are up for reelection every two years

Question 2

enumerated powers

Answer 2

Powers of the federal government explicitly named in the Constitution

Question 2

Senate

Answer 2

The upper chamber of Congress, in which each state has two representatives regardless of population size, with 100 senators total. Senators serve six-year terms, with one-third of them running for reelection every two years.

Question 3

implied powers

Answer 3

Powers of the federal government not explicitly named in the Constitution that enable the federal government to carry out its enumerated powers.

Question 4

constituents

Answer 4

Voters in a legislative district.

Question 5

cloture

Answer 5

A Senate procedure through which a supermajority of 60 senators can vote to limit the amount of time spent debating a bill and cut off a filibuster.

Question 5

coalition

Answer 5

An alliance of political groups pursuing a common goal.

Question 6

Committee of the Whole

Answer 6

A committee of the House on which all representatives serve in order to consider the details of a proposal.

Question 7

discharge petition

Answer 7

A petition signed by members of the House of Representatives to bring a bill out of committee and onto the floor for a vote.

Question 8

filibuster

Answer 8

A tactic used by senators to block a bill by continuing to hold the floor and speak, adhering to the Senate rule of unlimited debate. The purpose of this tactic is to continue to speak for so long that the bill’s supporters eventually back down.

Question 9

House Rules Committee

Answer 9

The committee responsible for scheduling and managing the flow of legislation on the floor of the House of Representatives in order to make the process more efficient and manageable. The committee can also make it easier or more difficult for a bill to pass depending on the rules they create.

Question 10

logrolling

Answer 10

When two legislators agree to trade votes for each other’s benefit.

Question 11

pork barrel legislation

Answer 11

The use of federal funding to finance localized projects, typically bringing money into a representative’s district in order to please constituents and boost the representative’s chances of winning reelection.

Question 12

President of the Senate

Answer 12

The Vice President of the United States, who presides over the Senate’s daily proceedings.

Question 13

Speaker of the House

Answer 13

The presiding officer of the House of Representatives and de facto leader of the majority party.

Question 14

gridlock

Answer 14

When the government is unable to reach compromises or make policy decisions.

Question 15

partisan

Answer 15

A firm supporter of one political party.

Question 16

redistricting

Answer 16

The process of adjusting electoral districts in the United States.

Question 17

gerrymandering

Answer 17

The act of changing the boundaries of an electoral district to favor one party over another.

Question 18

divided government

Answer 18

When one party controls one or more houses in the legislative branch while the other party controls the executive branch.

Question 19

‘lame duck’

Answer 19

An elected official who continues to hold political office during the period between the election and the inauguration of their successor.

Question 20

delegate

Answer 20

A member of Congress who always follows their constituents’ voting preferences.

Question 21

trustee

Answer 21

A member of Congress who takes into account the views of their constituents and use their own judgment to decide how to vote.

Question 22

politico

Answer 22

A member of Congress who acts as a delegate on issues that their constituents care about, and as a trustee on issues that their constituents don’t care about.

Question 23

cabinet

Answer 23

A group of presidential advisers, including the heads of the executive departments, the attorney general, and other officials chosen by the president.

Question 24

executive agreement

Answer 24

An international agreement between the president and another country, which does not require the consent of the Senate.

Question 25

pocket veto

Answer 25

An indirect veto, which the president can use by neither signing or vetoing a bill passed by Congress fewer than 10 days before it adjourns.

Question 25

executive order

Answer 25

A presidential order to the executive branch that carries the force of law. The Supreme Court can rule executive orders unconstitutional.

Question 26

signing statement

Answer 26

A presidential statement upon signing a bill into law, which explains how a president’s administration intends to interpret the law.

Question 27

State of the Union address

Answer 27

The president’s annual message to a joint session of Congress, which includes recommended legislation and evaluations of the nation’s top priorities and economic health.

Question 28

veto

Answer 28

The president’s constitutional right to reject a law passed by Congress. Congress may override the president’s veto with a two-thirds vote.

Question 29

Formal Power of the President (executive)

Answer 29

Take care that the laws be faithfully executed Nominate officials (with Senate confirmation) Request written opinions from administrative officials Fill administrative vacancies during congressional recesses

Question 30

Formal Powers of the President (foreign policy)

Answer 30

Act as Commander in Chief of the armed forces Make treaties (with Senate ratification) Nominate ambassadors (with Senate confirmation) Receive ambassadors Confer diplomatic recognition on other governments

Question 31

Formal Powers of the President (Judicial)

Answer 31

Grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment) Nominate federal judges (with Senate confirmation)

Question 32

Formal Powers of the President (Legislative)

Answer 32

recommend legislation to Congress Present information on the State of the Union to Congress Convene Congress on extraordinary occasions Adjourn Congress if House and Senate cannot agree Veto legislation (Congress may overrule with supermajority)

Question 33

Bargaining and Persuasion (informal power of the president)

Answer 33

Setting priorities for Congress and attempting to get majorities to put through the president’s legislative agenda

Question 34

Issuing executive orders (informal power of the president)

Answer 34

Regulations to run the government and direct the bureaucracy

Question 35

Issuing signing statements (informal Power of the president)

Answer 35

Giving the president's intended interpretation of bills passed by Congress

Question 36

Negotiating executive agreements (Informal Power of the president)

Answer 36

Agreements with heads of foreign governments that are not ratified by the Senate

Question 37

Presidential Nomination

Answer 37

A president’s formal proposal of a candidate to fill a position, such as a cabinet member or Supreme Court justice.

Question 38

confirmation

Answer 38

Senate approval of a presidential nomination.

Question 39

Formal Powers

Answer 39

Powers expressly granted to the president under Article II of the Constitution. Examples include making treaties, commanding the military, appointing Supreme Court justices, and vetoing legislation.

Question 40

informal powers

Answer 40

Powers claimed by presidents as necessary in order to execute the law. Examples include issuing executive orders and negotiating executive agreements.

Question 41

single executive

Answer 41

An executive branch led by a single person.

Question 42

Twenty-second Amendment (1951)

Answer 42

The Twenty-second Amendment to the US Constitution applies term limits to the office of the president. Under the Twenty-second Amendment, no one may be elected president more than twice, or serve as president longer than ten years.

Question 43

War Powers Act (1973)

Answer 43

Also called the War Powers Resolution, the War Powers Act limits the president’s power to deploy US armed forces. Every president since Nixon has contested the War Powers Act as an infringement of their role as Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

Question 44

bully pulpit

Answer 44

Theodore Roosevelt’s notion of the presidency as a platform from which the president could promote an agenda directly to the public.

Question 45

Inferior Courts

Answer 45

Also called lower courts, inferior courts include all US federal courts below the Supreme Court, including courts of appeals, district courts, and federal tribunals. Congress retains the power to establish inferior courts and to determine how they operate.

Question 46

John Marshall

Answer 46

An early, influential Chief Justice of the United States who led the Supreme Court from 1801-1835. Marshall wrote several foundational Court decisions, including Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland, which enhanced the power of the judicial branch and affirmed the supremacy of federal law over state law.

Question 47

judicial review

Answer 47

The Supreme Court’s power to review whether acts of the legislative branch, the executive branch, and state governments are consistent with the Constitution, and to strike down acts it finds unconstitutional.

Question 48

Supreme Court

Answer 48

The highest federal court of the United States, established by Article III of the US Constitution, with nine sitting justices today. Unlike inferior courts, the Supreme Court is shielded from the influence of Congress, which cannot change its jurisdiction or the salaries of sitting justices.

Question 49

judicial appointment

Answer 49

The President of the United States appoints Supreme Court justices and federal judges. Presidents attempt to use the judicial appointment process to influence the ideology of the Court for years to come.

Question 50

confirmation process

Answer 50

The Senate must confirm nominees to the Supreme Court and the federal bench by a simple majority. When the Senate majority party opposes the president, there’s a greater likelihood that judicial appointments will be blocked or rejected.

Question 51

precedent

Answer 51

A legal decision that establishes a rule for similar cases going forward.

Question 51

life tenure

Answer 51

Supreme Court justices and federal judges have lifetime appointments, remaining in office until they retire, die, or (in rare cases) are removed by impeachment.

Question 52

stare decisis

Answer 52

The principle of making legal decisions based on past precedents. From the Latin for “let the decision stand.”

Question 53

court-curbing measures

Answer 53

Strategies for reducing the power of the Supreme Court or the impact of its rulings.

Question 54

implementation

Answer 54

The process of carrying out the Supreme Court’s rulings; for example, Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy sent federal troops to integrate schools when southern states refused to implement Brown v. Board of Education.

Question 55

legitimacy of the Supreme Cour

Answer 55

The public trust in, and willingness to accept the rulings of, the Supreme Court.

Question 55

jurisdiction

Answer 55

The field of authority a court has to make legal judgments and decisions.

Question 56

judicial activism

Answer 56

The belief that the role of a justice is to defend individual rights and liberties, even those not explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Question 57

judicial restraint

Answer 57

The belief that the role of a justice is to defer decisions (and thus policymaking) to the elected branches of government and stay focused on a narrower interpretation of the Bill of Rights.

Question 58

bureaucracy

Answer 58

An administrative group of nonelected officials charged with implementing policies created by the other branches of government.

Question 59

iron triangle

Answer 59

A longstanding, mutually-beneficial relationship between an interest group, congressional committee, and bureaucratic agency devoted to similar issues. For example, the American Association of Retired Persons, the Congressional Subcommittee on Aging, and the Social Security Administration all work closely on issues related to seniors.

Question 59

civil service

Answer 59

The permanent, professional branches of government administration. The civil service is nonpartisan and its employees are hired and promoted based on merit rather than patronage.

Question 60

issue network

Answer 60

A group of individuals, public officials, and interest groups that form around a particular issue, usually a proposed public policy that they wish to support or defeat.

Question 61

merit system

Answer 61

In the federal bureaucracy, the practice of hiring and promoting individuals based on their qualifications and job performance.

Question 62

patronage

Answer 62

In the federal bureaucracy, the practice of hiring and promoting individuals based on their political support for a party or candidate rather than on their merit. Also called the spoils system.

Question 63

discretionary authority

Answer 63

An agency’s ability to decide whether or not to take certain courses of action when implementing existing laws.

Question 64

rulemaking authority

Answer 64

An agency’s ability to make rules that affect how programs operate, and to force states and corporations to obey these rules as if they were laws.

Question 65

Department of Education

Answer 65

Administering educational policies to the states and promoting research on education.

Question 66

Department of Homeland Security

Answer 66

Protecting the United States from terrorist attacks, controlling borders, and minimizing damage from natural disasters.

Question 67

Department of Transportation

Answer 67

Managing highways, rails, and air travel.

Question 68

Department of Veterans Affairs

Answer 68

Promoting the welfare of armed services veterans and managing VA hospitals.

Question 69

Environmental Protection Agency

Answer 69

Protecting human health and the environment by developing and enforcing regulations.

Question 70

Federal Elections Commission

Answer 70

Administering and enforcing the federal campaign finance law.

Question 71

Securities and Exchange Commission

Answer 71

Regulating the stock market and protecting investors from fraud.

Question 72

Executive Privilege

Answer 72

the right of the President and other high-level executive branch officials to refuse to disclose information or to refuse to testify before legislative or judicial bodies. This concept is important for maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive communications and decision-making processes within the executive branch, which can affect the checks and balances in government, the powers of the presidency, and the legitimacy of judicial authority.

Question 73

Mandatory Spending

Answer 73

Those appropriation items in a budget that must be allocated. In the federal budget, the majority of spending items are mandatory and include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, payment of the national debt, and certain components of defense spending.

Question 74

Monetary Policy

Answer 74

policies developed by the Federal reserve Board, such as raising or lowering interest rates; aimed at created and maintaining a healthy economy.

Question 75

Fiscal Policy

Answer 75

policy that determines how the economy is managed as a result of government spending and borrowing and the amount of money collected from taxes

Question 76

Discretionary Spending

Answer 76

Those appropriation items in the budget that are not mandatory. In the federal budget, discretionary spending consists of measures in the 13 appropriation bills that must be passed by Congress by October 1 in categories such as transportation, agricultures, and education.