Ryan Wu Matthews 6th

Executive Branch Buzzwords

Ad hoc structure: It is a structure of the executive branch that features task forces, committees, informal groups of friends and advisors that deal directly with the president. - Clintons presidency ran under the Ad hoc structure. Cabinet: It is a group of government officials in the Executive branch that works under the president and includes departments, their secretaries and the attorney general. - The oldest departments include the department of State, Treasury, Defense, and Justice and their secretaries serve the president while advocating for their respective departments. Circular Structure: A structure in which assistances in the West Wing report directly to the president. - Under Carters presidency, a circular structure was used and it is also portrayed in the TV series, The West Wing. Divided Government: It is a case in which the Executive branch and the Legislative branch are controlled by different parties, often resulting in political gridlock as the two branches butt heads trying to get legislation passed. - The current government where Obama is the president is a divided presidency. Electoral College: It is the group of delegates that are chosen by the states and vote to elect the president directly. - Edgar Welden is one of the many electorates. Executive Privilege: It is the ability for the president to resist the influences of the legislative and judicial branch to some extent. - Nixon claimed that executive privilege was a legitimate reason for him not to hand over the Watergate tapes during his trial. Impeachment: It is the process by which an official in the government is accused of wrong doing and is put through trial to determine whether or not he will be removed from office. Clinton was put through the impeachment trial but was not impeached because the Senate did not approve it. Impoundment of Funds: When a president refuses to spend funds appropriated by Congress, it is called an impoundment of Funds. During Jeffersons presidency, he refused to spend the Navys money. Pocket Veto: An indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president by retaining the bill unsigned until after the legislative session. Lincoln used the pocket veto to stop the Wade-Davis Bill from becoming a law.

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Presidential Coattails: When a member of the same party as the president earns more votes by riding on the on the coattail of a popular president. The effects are decreased when the president is a controversial president. Lyndon B. Johnson was one such controversial president that if one rode his coattails would not find much success. Pyramid Structure: A method of organizing the presidential staff so that most members report to a superior with a few reporting directly to the president. Presidents such as Nixon and Reagan had an executive branch under the Pyramid Structure. Twenty-Fifth Amendment: It is the amendment that formally limited a presidents term limit to 2 terms. It was established by and for FDR, who had almost began his 4th term. Unified Government: It is a government in which one party controls both the legislative branch and the White House. George W. Bush had a unified government in his first term. Veto: A veto is the presidents check on the legislative branch that shuts down the passage of a bill and sends it back to Congress to be reevaluated and voted on. A normal veto can be overridden by a 2/3s vote. The pocket veto is a type of veto but can only be used in specific situations and cannot be overridden due to the situations circumstance. White House Office: The White House Office is an office within the White House that is headed by the Chief of Staff. The current Chief of Staff in the White House Office is Denis McDonough. Budget Reform Act: If I am talking about the correct Budget Reform Act (1974), then it is the act that forces the president to spend all of the money appropriated by Congress within 45 days unless Congress gives concessions. Also created the Congressional Budget Office. War Powers Act: It was made because of Nixons actions in Cambodia, it was created to limit the presidents war making powers and giving some of it to Congress. One provision is that the president must inform Congress of any troop deployment within in 48 hours. Another is that if Congress does not approve of troop deployment, troops must be returned within 60 to 90 days. Office of Management and Budget: It helps the President to create a budget. It most likely helped President Obama for the 2013 fiscal period. Executive Agreement: It is an agreement made between the executive branch of the U.S government and a foreign government without approval of the Senate. Bush used executive agreements in Iraq.

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Line-Item Veto: It is an unconstitutional veto by the president that only blocks parts of a bill, allowing the executive to pick and choose to pass parts of legislation. It was last used by Clinton. Rule of Propinquity: A rule that tells that those who show up when a decision is being made have power. Also could mean that those who are closer to the president have more power. It is being used among the White House Staff as they operate. Formal Powers of the POTUS: He is the Commander in Chief of the military, can commission officers for the military, can reprieves and pardons for federal offences, can receive ambassadors (foreign policy?), faithfully execute laws, wield executive power, appoint officials to lesser offices, make treaties, and appoint judges, ambassadors. The italicized portion needs the approval of the Senate, and many provisions, such as executive power has been limited by acts such as the War Power Act. Informal Powers of the POTUS: Presidents have the informal ability to manipulate public opinion, and act, historically, unconstitutionally in both domestic and foreign affairs as the symbol of the nation and democracy. Bush manipulates public into supporting war in Iraq through claiming that they had weapons of mass destruction. Shared Powers Congress: The President shares the power with the entirety of Congress to approve legislation. While the POTUS can veto to stop legislation, Congress can simply shut down legislation brought forward. Shared Powers with Senate: The President shares the power with the Senate to make treaties, carry out war to some extent, and to appoint judges, ambassadors and higher officials. Wilson created the Treaty of Versailles that was shut down by the Senate; the power to create is the power to destroy. Lame Duck: It is an elected official who is approaching the end of his/her tenure, and especially an official whose successor has already been elected. In the last month of Tafts presidency he was a lame duck. Pardon: It is to be released from a charge that is often from a federal offense. Nixon was pardoned for the Watergate Scandal by President Ford. Patronage: Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to one another. Logrolling and interest groups lobbying are all forms of political patronage.

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Bully Pulpit: It is how the President pressures interest groups in changing public opinion to bend to his agenda. Theodore Roosevelt used the bully pulpit to get some of his agenda passed; it worked especially well because he was popular. Checks and Balances on Exec. Branch:

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Judicial Branch

Executive Branch Focus Questions

1. The president can use his veto to influence legislation. This is also his method that he is more effective at using, because it grants him complete control of the bills future. 2. The Veto could curb spending, because the president could easily eliminate elements of the budget and remove useless pork from a bill. 3. The president is most concerned with picking a running mate that appeals to the voters that he does not, so they together my appeal to a greater spectrum of voters. 4. The president can appoint a judge that will judge cases in a manner that supports him so that in the future, he will still hold his influence on the federal judiciary.

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5. The Presidents ability to act militarily without being in war through the usage of his position as commander-in-chief has increased presidential powers since the 1945. 6. Presidents have increased the usage of executive orders in order to combat the growing power of congress and the judiciary branch through court cases and certain acts that restrain the executive branch. 7. The only constitutional duty of the vice president is so vote when there is a tie in the senate. 8. An executive agreement is an agreement between the president and a foreign nation. This allows the president to bypass the constitutional restrictions on what kind of treaties he is allowed to make. 9. An executive order can be used to pass a law that governs executive agencies or those working under the president. The president will issue one when he doubts congresses ability to pass a law that fulfills his needs. 10. After Watergate, congress amended the Freedom of Information Act in order to better allow for the tracking of the spending of the president.