AP United States
Government and Politics
Exam
Review --Day SIX
Edwards Chapters 13 and 15
(Unit 6 from our course)
Chapter 9 (pages 97 - 101 and 106 - 113) in the
review book
The Presidency and The Federal Bureaucracy
The Presidency
• The president of the United is the most
powerful individual in all of American politics
• The presidency as a government institution has
changed dramatically since the writing of the
Constitution
• (At that time) the president had few powers
and, because he was chosen directly by the
Electoral College without a popular vote, was
far removed from the populace
The Presidency
• (Today) the president is elected by the peoplevia electors-after a long and expensive campaign
• Presidential powers have increased in the last
few decades, as, thanks to television, the
president has become a more public figure
• Questions on the AP U.S. Government &
Politics Exam will test your knowledge of the
power of the president ad the relationship
between the president and other governmental
institutions
The Presidents:
How They Got There
• Presidents can reach the Oval Office in different ways:
• Most are former governors or members of Congress
who after being nominated by their party, campaign and
with the election
• Some presidents were vice presidents and took over
after the death of the president
– Twenty-fifth Amendment establishes the procedures for
filling vacancies in both the offices of president and vice
president
• also makes the provisions for presidential disability
The Presidents:
How They Got There
• Constitution sets forth process of impeachment of a
president who has abused powers or committed a “high
crime of misdemeanor” worthy of removal from office
– The House may vote for the impeachment of the president by a
simple majority
– The Senate conducts the impeachment trial and the chief justice
of tee Supreme Court presides over the trial
– It takes a two-thirds vote in the Senate to remove the president
from office
– Only two presidents have been impeached, though neither
were removed from office
• Andrew Johnson was tried by not convicted in 1868
• William Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in 1999
Presidential Powers
• Constitution grants president fairly limited powers that
were designed to prevent him or her from gaining too
much authority and thus to maintain the balance of
power among government institutions
• partial list of the president’s powers appears below
– Veto proposed bills
– Report to Congress in the State of the Union address
– Nominate cabinet level government officials, Supreme
Court justices, and all other federal judges
– Grant pardons for certain offenses
– Act as commander in chief of the armed forces
– Make treaties
– Serve as diplomatic representative for the United States
Presidential Powers
• partial list of the president’s powers appears below
– Oversee the departments and agencies that make up the
executive branch
• This last power is one of the more overlooked
responsibilities of the president
• As the bureaucracy has grown, it has become nearly
impossible for the president alone to execute and
enforce all laws
• (Instead) president now appoints numerous
administrative officials, including cabinet members and
department heads
Running the Government
• Vice presidents traditionally have few responsibilities
and little political prominence
– They are second in line to assume the presidency if the
president is unable to fulfill the duties of office
– They are the president (chief presiding officer) of the Senate
and cast a vote whenever there is a tie
• (Today) vice presidents assume more responsibilities,
depending on how the president they are serving
entrusts functions to them
– may serve as diplomats representing the president, take part in
important policy meetings, or help raise funds for their party
Running the Government
• The cabinet is a group of officials who act as advisors to
the president
• The cabinet is not mentioned in the Constitution, but it
quickly became an institution that has accompanied
every presidency
• The modern cabinet is composed of the attorney
general and the heads, or secretaries, of the 15
executive departments
• Each cabinet member heads a department that deals
with a different policy area
– The departments (created by Congress) carry out all the
administrative work necessary to enforce laws or assist the
president in the executive duties
– president has the power to appoint all of these officials, but
each appointment must be confirmed by the Senate
The Executive Office of the
President (E.O.P.)
• This is another collection of administrative and advisory
bodies which assist the president in overseeing policy
• National Security Council coordinates matters of
national security across agencies, including the State
Department, the Department of Defense, the Treasury
Department, and the intelligence agencies
The Executive Office of the
President (E.O.P.)
• Council of Economic Advisors advises the president
on economic issues
• Office of Management and Budget reviews the
budgetary implications of federal programs and
legislation
• White House Office includes important personal and
political advisors to the president such as the legal
counsel to the president, the president’s personal
secretary, and the chief of staff
– this office takes care of the president’s political
needs and manages the press
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
Powers
• Though not a member of the legislative branch, presidents do have
a role to play in the legislative process
1) Acting as a chief legislator
• The power to veto legislation can be an effective tool of
intimidation,
– veto rejects a bill in its entirety, the president can have a good
deal of influence over the shaping of each specific provision
– if president does veto a bill, it goes back to Congress, which, by
a two-thirds vote, can override the veto (rarely happens)
– president also has the power to reject any legislation submitted
at the end of the congressional session without the possibility of
his veto being overruled
– If he does not sign a bill submitted by Congress within 10 days
of its adjourning, the bill is automatically rejected
• pocket veto
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
Powers
2) Relying on party support: To influence policy,
presidents must work closely with Congress
– specifically, they rely on close ties with members of
Congress who are members of their political party
– political parties help bridge the gap between the
legislative and executive branches
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
Powers
2) Relying on party support: To influence policy, presidents must
work closely with Congress
– Members of Congress who support the president’s legislative
agenda are likely to receive support for some of their projects
and initiatives in return
• close relationship with a popular president can also be
beneficial to members of Congress during reelection
(presidential coattails)
– president must rely on members of Congress to introduce
legislation for him or her and to win support for it during the
legislative process
– president must work closely with party leaders to convince
representatives to vote the party line
– even if a president’s party is the majority party in either or
both houses, he / she may not necessarily have the full support
of representatives, who may not even vote with the party line
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
Powers
3) Public support: Public support for the president
factors heavily in his congressional support
– Representatives are much more likely to vote in
favor of the initiatives of a president who is popular
with the electorate, and presidents are well aware
that public opinion is an incredibly powerful tool of
persuasion.
– Public approval gives a president more leeway in
pursuing policy goals, because representatives are
more likely to vote in favor of the initiatives of a
president who is popular with the electorate that has
confidence in him
– Public support lends a president a greater degree of
legitimacy
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
Powers
3) Public support: Public support for the president
factors heavily in his congressional support
– policies of a president who is perceived as weak are
more likely to be cast into doubt by Congress,
making it harder for the president to garner
legislative support
– Congress is more likely to respond to the will of the
president who was elected by a large margin,
especially on legislation proposed early in his term
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
Powers
4) Legislative skills: Presidents may also exert their
influence over the political agenda by employing specific
strategies at key times in the legislative process
– To strengthen a presidential coalition, presidents
often bargain with representatives by offering
support on a piece of legislation in exchange for
receiving it on another
– Members of Congress may also receive certain
presidential favors, such as joint public appearances
during campaigns
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
Powers
4) Legislative skills: Presidents may also exert their
influence over the political agenda by employing specific
strategies at key times in the legislative process
– Presidents present many proposals to Congress soon
after their election during what is called the
“honeymoon period”, when there is a fresh sense of
community in Washington
– Presidents work hard to focus the attention of
Congress on their own specific agendas
• by setting priorities, they are able to concentrate
their resources to push through a few key policy
objectives
The President and National
Security Policy
• President is both the commander-in-chief of the armed
forces and the chief diplomat
• Diplomatic powers of the president include the
following:
– Establishing formal recognition of other governments
– Negotiating treaties
– Formulating executive agreements with other
foreign leaders, which, unlike treaties, do not require
congressional approval; most executive agreements
are administrative in nature
– Using U.S. influence to arbitrate conflicts between
other nations
The President and National
Security Policy
• Military powers include the following:
– decision to use weapons of mass destruction
– authorizing military actions during war
– sending troops into specific areas of conflict
• War Powers Resolution, passed in 1973, intended to
limit this power by requiring that these troops be
withdrawn within 60 days unless Congress declares war
or issues an extension
Power from the People: The
Public Presidency
• Presidents know that public approval works enormously
in their favor, they work hard to sell their agenda to the
public
• voter approval of the president is determined by several
factors
– whether the voter identifies with the political party of the
president
– how the president responds to economic shifts or handles
other current issues
– how effective a public speaker the president is, and his
appearance in front of the cameras
– whether the president appeals to the public directly, in which
case the public usually responds positively
Power from the People: The
Public Presidency
• Presidents know that public approval works enormously
in their favor, they work hard to sell their agenda to the
public
• voter approval of the president is determined by several
factors
– How the media interprets the actions of the
president
(the narrative)
• The efforts of the White House to influence public
opinion are not always successful
• Public tends to be fickle in its approval and the media
often mislead the public by oversimplifying political and
economic issues
The Federal Bureaucracy
Chapter 15 (Edwards)
The Federal Bureaucracy
• The federal bureaucracy is composed of all of
the agencies, departments, offices, and bureaus
in the executive branch
• these bodies are primarily responsible for
implementing and enforcing laws
The Bureaucrats
• Bureaucrats are hired in one of two ways:
1. Through the civil service system
– Entrance exam
– Promoted by merit rather than patronage
(Pendleton Civil Service Act)
• must be politically impartial and treated as such (Hatch
Act)
• Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 created the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM), which recruits and
recommends individuals and oversees promotions and
other employee issues
The Bureaucrats
• Bureaucrats are hired in one of two ways:
2. Presidential recruitment
– Each new administration fills about 3,000 top posts
– President chooses people who will support the
administration’s policies
• Cabinet department heads are presidential nominees who
must be approved by the Senate
• Department of Defense has the largest number of civil
employees, followed by the U.S. Postal Service
• (Overall) federal civilian employment has not increased in
decades, indicating that the federal bureaucracy is not
actually growing
• Bureaucrats are not easily removed from office
How Bureaucracies are
Organized
1. Cabinet departments
– Fifteen cabinet departments oversee and administer
various policy areas
– Each is supervised by a secretary (with the exception
of the Justice Department, headed by the Attorney
General)
– Each has its own staff and budget
How Bureaucracies are
Organized
2. Regulatory agencies
–
–
–
–
oversee a particular aspect of the economy
create regulations that protect people
can enforce regulations by judging disputes
usually headed by a commission (confirmed by Congress) rather
than a secretary
– closely involved with interest groups that want to influence
regulation
How Bureaucracies are
Organized
3. Government corporations
– perform services for a fee, like a private business
– U.S. Postal Service is the largest; other examples include
Amtrak and the Tennessee Valley Authority
How Bureaucracies are
Organized
4. Independent executive agencies
– All other executive bodies – most created for specific purposes,
such as NASA
– Heads appointed by the president, so these usually have some
partisan motivation
Bureaucracies as Implementers
• Enact and enforce rules and procedures for putting
Congress’s policy decisions into practice
• Work out details and guidelines, and assign
responsibilities among bureaucrats
• Oversee day-to-day operation of the federal
government
Bureaucracies as Implementers
• Policy implementation is not always successful for
various reasons
– Program design is flawed
– Congress was not clear enough about policy goals
– A department lacks staff or resources to carry out
implementation
– An agency is so mired in its standard operating
procedures that it fails to see what else needs to be
done
Bureaucracies as Implementers
• Administrators use their discretion differently when the
standard operating procedures do not sufficiently
address a particular situation
• There can be confusion when several departments are
involved in the implementation of a particular policy
• Reorganization of the bureaucracy for the sake of
efficiency is unlikely, because this would disrupt wellestablished iron triangles
– congressional committees, the agencies they oversee, and the
affiliated interest groups
Bureaucracies and Regulators
• Oversee policies once they are in place through regulation
1. establish guidelines for a program of project
2. Enforce guidelines
– through complaints registered by the public
– through inspections
– by issuing permits and licenses to people who meet the
guidelines
3. Bureaucratic institutions have the authority to
change rules of a policy and apprehend violators
– All products and even many daily activities are shaped
by regulation
Bureaucracy and Democracy
• The governmental bureaucracy hires the most civilians
but is not elected by the public.
• The governmental bureaucracy answers ultimately to
the president, who:
– Appoints agency heads who will support his policies
– Issues executive orders to change or implement
statues
– Manages budget of each agency (at least in his budget
proposal)
– Can reorganize an agency
Bureaucracy and Democracy
• The governmental bureaucracy is partially controlled by
Congress:
– Congress ultimately determines each agency’s budget
– Can refuse to confirm a presidential appointment
– Performs legislative oversight through hearings
– Can change the legislation behind a program
• Special procedures were created by Congress in 1996 in the
Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to
express disapproval of the actions of agencies
• The governmental bureaucracy is full of iron triangles,
which may produce conflicting guidelines or regulations