FRQ Review!
UNIT V:
THE EXECUTIVE
BRANCH
2002
Check your Ch. 13 Notes
 The concept of “divided government” in the United
States means that one political party can control
the executive branch while another controls the
legislative branch. This poses problems for the
president in making appointment to federal offices.
A.
B.
Describe two problems that divided government poses for
the President in making federal appointments.
Identify and explain two ways Presidents try to overcome
the problems described in A.
Check your Ch. 13 Notes
• POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS???
 Generate public support (i.e. use of the media)
 Compromise on choice
 Building coalitions in Congress
 Deal-making (including veto as a threat)
 Building coalitions of interest groups
 Making interim recess appointments
 Finding a “bulletproof” nominee
 Selecting minority nominees
 Reliance on White House staff
2003
Check your Ch. 13 Notes
 Presidential approval ratings fluctuate over the
course of each presidential administration.
A.
B.
Identify two factors that decrease presidential approval
rating and explain why each factor has that effect.
Identify two factors that increase presidential approval rating
and explain why each factor has that effect.
Check your Ch. 13 Notes
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Presidential Approval Ratings
White House conducts a weekly poll.
Product of factors such as party identification, the “honeymoon
period,” and the campaign effect, which follows reelection
Changes related to scandals, economic conditions, foreign policy issues
and Rally Events (occurrences which cause Americans to “rally”
around their leader. Usually involves a foreign policy crisis, i.e. Sept. 11)
Approval rating is usually lower at the end of a president’s term = the
Expectations Gap
Public Approval operates mostly in the background - but has lots of
potential to influence Congress to go along with the president’s
proposals
Remember Mandates?: Perception that the voters strongly support the
president’s character and policies.
2004
Check your Ch. 13 & Ch. 20 Notes
 Presidents are generally thought to have advantages
over Congress in conducting foreign policy because
of the formal and informal powers of the presidency.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Identify two formal constitutional powers of the President in
making foreign policy.
Identify two formal constitutional powers of Congress in
making foreign policy.
Identify two informal powers of the President that contribute
to the President’s advantage over Congress in conducting
foreign policy.
Explain how each of the informal powers identified in C
contributes to the President’s advantage over Congress in
conducting foreign policy.
Check your Ch. 13 & Ch. 20 Notes
Commander-in-Chief of armed forces
Negotiate treaties & executive agreements with other nations
Nominate & receive ambassadors
Recognize a nation
A.
B. Congress
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C.
can:
Declare war
Raise and organize armed forces
Appropriate funds – “power of the purse”
Senate ratifies treaties (advice & consent)
Senate confirms cabinet & ambassador nominations (advice & consent)
Access to media
Agenda-setting
Meet with world leaders
Crisis manager
More access to information
Recognized as global leader
2006
Check your Ch. 15 Notes
 The United States Congress and the President together
have the power to enact federal law. Federal bureaucratic
agencies have the responsibility to execute federal law.
However, in the carrying out of these laws, federal agencies
have policy-making discretion.
A.
B.
Explain two reasons why Congress gives federal agencies policymaking discretion in executing federal laws.
Choose one of the bureaucratic agencies listed below. Identify the
policy area over which it exercise policy-making discretion AND
give one specific example of how it exercises that discretion.



C.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Reserve Board
Describe two ways Congress ensures that federal agencies follow
legislative intent.
Check Ch. 15 notes - Bureaucracy & Democracy

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
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So why does Congress give federal agencies so much
policymaking discretion in executing federal laws?
Congress lacks expertise & the agencies have specialized
units & expertise
Congress doesn’t want to be blamed for bad policy
It’s time-consuming = delegated authority
It’s more efficient = discretionary authority (Congress
writes broad legislation and bureaucracy fills in the gaps)
Structure of the bureaucracy
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
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Large
Specialized
Tenure protections (difficult to fire)
Check your Ch. 15 Notes
Bureaucracy & Democracy

Presidents Try to Control the Bureaucracy
Appoint the right people
 Issue executive orders: used to direct the bureaucracy to
implement a policy
 Tinker with the agency’s budget
 Reorganize an agency


Congress Tries to Control the Bureaucracy
Influence presidential appointments (Senate confirms)
 Tinker with the agency’s budget
 Hold hearings
 Rewrite the legislation or make it more detailed
 BUT Big government provides services to constituents
and it’s hard to control once created

Check your Ch. 15 Notes
Bureaucracy & Democracy

Courts Try to Control the Bureaucracy
Court rulings can limit bureaucratic practices
 Judicial Review – can declare bureaucratic actions
unconstitutional
 Can issue injunctions against federal agencies

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Interest Groups Try to Control the Bureaucracy

Use of the First Amendment
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Lobbying
Protests
Media usage
Speech
Litigation – regulations can be challenged in court
2007
Check your Ch. 13 Notes
 Conflicts between Congress and the President over war
powers have their origin in the United States
Constitution. In 1973 Congress passed the War Powers
Resolution in an attempt to clarify the balance of powers
between the two branches of government.
A.
B.
C.
Describe the primary constitutional conflict between Congress and
the President over the decision to go to war.
Describe two provisions of the War Powers resolution that were
designed to limit the President’s power over war making.
The War Powers Resolution has received mixed reviews, but
Congress has other powers over war making. Other than the
constitutional power you described in A, identify and explain two
other formal powers Congress has over war making.
2008
Check your Ch. 13 Notes
 A number of factors enable presidents to exert
influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy.
However, presidents are also limited in their influence
over domestic policymaking in Congress.
A.
B.
The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated
powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the
president to exert influence over domestic policy.
Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how
each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic
policymaking in Congress.
mandatory spending
 party polarization
 lame-duck period

Check your Ch. 13 Notes
 Presidents have problems exercising their
Legislative Power when…
 Mandatory Spending: spending already dictated by law (i.e. Social
Security)
 Party Polarization: parties becoming more extreme and refusing to work
together = opposite of bipartisanship
 Lame Duck Period: end of president’s term when people stop taking him
seriously b/c they know he can’t run for office again
 Divided Government: when Congress is controlled by one party & the
president is from the other
2010
Check your Ch. 15 Notes
 The federal bureaucracy as part of the executive branch
exercises substantial independence in implementing
governmental policies and programs. Most workers in the
federal bureaucracy are civil-service employees who are
organized under a merit system.
A.
B.
Describe one key characteristic of the merit system.
For each of the following, describe one factor that contributes to
bureaucratic independence.


C.
The structure of the federal bureaucracy.
The complexity of public policy problems.
For each of the following, explain one Constitutional provision that
it can use to check the bureaucracy.
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Congress
The courts
Interest groups
Check your Ch. 15 Notes
Bureaucracy & Democracy

Presidents Try to Control the Bureaucracy
Appoint the right people
 Issue executive orders: used to direct the bureaucracy to
implement a policy
 Tinker with the agency’s budget
 Reorganize an agency


Congress Tries to Control the Bureaucracy
Influence presidential appointments (Senate confirms)
 Tinker with the agency’s budget
 Hold hearings
 Rewrite the legislation or make it more detailed
 BUT Big government provides services to constituents
and it’s hard to control once created

Check your Ch. 15 Notes
Bureaucracy & Democracy

Courts Try to Control the Bureaucracy
Court rulings can limit bureaucratic practices
 Judicial Review – can declare bureaucratic actions
unconstitutional
 Can issue injunctions against federal agencies


Interest Groups Try to Control the Bureaucracy

Use of the First Amendment





Lobbying
Protests
Media usage
Speech
Litigation – regulations can be challenged in court
2010 = HUH??
 The framers of the Constitution created a political
system based on limited government. The original
Constitution and the Bill of Rights were intended to
restrict the powers of the national government. Later
constitutional developments also limited the powers
of the state governments.

Explain how each of the following limits the power of the
national executive.
A.
B.
Federalism
Checks and balances
2011
Check your Ch. 13 Notes
 The Constitution of the United States creates a government of
separate institutions that share power rather than a government
that delegates power exclusively to a single branch. Frequently,
this means that presidents and Congress struggle with each
other.
A. For each of the presidential powers below, explain one way that
congressional decision making is affected by that power.
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Veto power
Power to issue executive orders
Power as commander in chief
For each of the congressional powers below, explain one way
that presidential decision making is affect by that power.
B.
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Legislative oversight power = Not covered until Unit 6
Senate advice and consent power
Budgetary power