Ap Government Chapter 12

Front 1

advice and consent

Back 1

Terms in the Constitution describing the U.S. Senate's power to review and approve treaties and presidential appointments.

Front 2

appointment power

Back 2

The authority vested in the president to fill a government office or position. Positions filled by presidential appointment include those in the executive branch and the federal judiciary, commissioned officers in the armed forces, and members of the independent regulatory commissions.

Front 3

cabinet

Back 3

An advisory group selected by the president to aid in making decisions. The cabinet includes the heads of 15 executive departments and others named by the president.

Front 4

chief diplomat

Back 4

The role of the president in recognizing foreign governments, making treaties, and effecting executive agreements.

Front 5

chief executive

Back 5

The role of the president as head of the executive branch of the government.

Front 6

chief legislator

Back 6

The role of the president in influencing the making of laws.

Front 7

chief of staff

Back 7

The person who is named to direct the White House Office and advise the president.

Front 8

civil service

Back 8

A collective term for the body of employees working for the government.

Front 9

commander in chief

Back 9

The role of the president as supreme commander of the military forces of the United States and of the state National Guard units when they are called into federal service.

Front 10

constitutional powers

Back 10

A power vested in the president by Article II of the Constitution.

Front 11

diplomatic recognition

Back 11

The formal acknowledgment of a foreign government as legitimate.

Front 12

emergency powers

Back 12

Inherent powers exercised by the president during a period of national crisis.

Front 13

executive agreement

Back 13

An international agreement made by the president, without senatorial ratification, with the head of a foreign state.

Front 14

Executive Office of the President

Back 14

An organization established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to assist the president in carrying out major duties.

Front 15

executive order

Back 15

A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law

Front 16

executive privilege

Back 16

The right of executive officials to withhold information from or refuse to appear before a legislative committee.

Front 17

expressed powers

Back 17

The right of executive officials to withhold information from or refuse to appear before a legislative committee.

Front 18

Federal Register

Back 18

A publication of the U.S. government that prints executive orders, rules, and regulations.

Front 19

head of state

Back 19

The role of the president as ceremonial head of the government.

Front 20

impeachment

Back 20

An action by the House of Representatives to accuse the president, vice president, or other civil officers of the United States of committing "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Front 21

inherent powers

Back 21

Powers of the president derived from the statements in the Constitution that "the executive Power shall be vested in a President" and that the president should "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"; defined through practice rather than through law.

Front 22

kitchen cabinet

Back 22

The informal advisers to the president.

Front 23

line-item veto

Back 23

The power of an executive to veto individual lines or items within a piece of legislation without vetoing the entire bill.

Front 24

National Security Council

Back 24

An agency in the Executive Office of the President that advises the president on national security.

Front 25

Office of Management and Budget

Back 25

A division of the Executive Office of the President. The OMB assists the president in preparing the annual budget, clearing and coordinating departmental agency budgets, and supervising the administration of the federal budget.

Front 26

pardon

Back 26

A release from the punishment for or legal consequences of a crime

Front 27

patronage

Back 27

The practice of rewarding faithful party workers and followers with government employment and contracts.

Front 28

pocket veto

Back 28

A special veto exercised by the chief executive after a legislative body has adjourned. Bills not signed by the chief executive die after a specified period of time. If Congress wishes to reconsider such a bill, it must be reintroduced in the following session of Congress.

Front 29

reprieve

Back 29

A formal postponement of the execution of a sentence imposed by a court of law.

Front 30

signing statement

Back 30

A written declaration that a president may make when signing a bill into law. Usually, such statements point out sections of the law that the president deems unconstitutional.

Front 31

State of the Union message

Back 31

An annual message to Congress in which the president proposes a legislative program. The message is addressed not only to Congress but also to the American people and to the world.

Front 32

statutory powers

Back 32

A power created for the president through laws enacted by Congress.

Front 33

Twelfth Amendment

Back 33

An amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1804, that specifies the separate election of the president and vice president by the electoral college.

Front 34

Twenty fifth Amendment

Back 34

A 1967 amendment to the Constitution that establishes procedures for filling presidential and vice presidential vacancies and makes provisions for presidential disability.

Front 35

veto message

Back 35

The president's formal explanation of a veto when legislation is returned to Congress.

Front 36

War Powers Resolution

Back 36

A law passed in 1973 spelling out the conditions under which the president can commit troops without congressional approval.

Front 37

Washington community

Back 37

Individuals regularly involved with politics in Washington, D.C.

Front 38

White House Office

Back 38

The personal office of the president, which tends to presidential political needs and manages the media.