PBU - Presidency and the Bureaucracy Topics Lesson

LO 2.4.A

Explain how the president can implement a policy agenda.

EK 2.4.A.1

Presidents use powers and perform functions of the office, with support from the VicePresident, Cabinet, and Executive Office of the President, to accomplish a policy agenda.

The powers of the president include both formal and informal powers.

1. Vetoes and pocket vetoes are formal powers that enable the president to check Congress, but vetoes can be overridden with a 2/3 vote while pocket vetoes cannot be overridden with a 2/3 vote.
2. Foreign policy powers that influence relations with foreign nations are both formal (commander-in-chief and treaties) and informal (executive agreements).
3. Bargaining and persuasion are informal powers that enable the president to secure congressional action.
4. Executive orders allow the president to manage the federal government and are implied by the president’s vested executive power or by power delegated by Congress.
5. Signing statements are informal powers that inform Congress and the public of the president’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president.

Review the two videos below before moving forward in this module.

Video 1 - Roles & Powers of the President by Carey LaManna

Video 2 - The ROLES and POWERS of the President by Heimler's History

LO 2.5.A

Explain how the president’s agenda can create tension and frequent confrontations with Congress.

EK 2.5.A.1

Senate confirmation is an important check on appointment powers but there can be a potential for conflict based on who is chosen by the president for appointments, including:

1. Cabinet members
2. Ambassadors
3. Some positions within the Executive Office of the President
4. Supreme Court Justices, Court of Appeals judges, and District Court judges

EK 2.5.A.2

Senate confirmation is an important check on appointment powers, but the president’s longest lasting influence lies in life-tenured judicial appointments.

EK 2.5.A.3

Policy conflicts with the congressional agenda (the formal list of policies Congress is considering at any given time) can lead the president to use executive orders and directives to the bureaucracy to address the president’s own agenda items.

Review the two videos below before moving forward in this module.

Video 1 - Checks on the Presidency by Carey LaManna

Video 2 - Checks on the Presidency by Heimler's History

LO 2.6.A

Explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers.

EK 2.6.A.1

Federalist No. 70 offers justification for a single executive by arguing a strong executive is “essential to the protection of the country against foreign attacks, to the steady administration of the laws, to the protection of property, and to the security of liberty.”

EK 2.6.A.2

Passage of the Twenty-Second Amendment, which established presidential term limits, demonstrates concern about the expansion of presidential power.

EK 2.6.A.3

Different perspectives on the presidential role, ranging from a limited to a more expansive interpretation and use of power, continue to be debated in the context of contemporary events.

Videos for this topic can be found in combined with the TOPIC 2.7 Presidential Communication videos.

LO 2.7.A

Explain how communication technology has changed the president’s relationship with the national constituency and the other branches.

EK 2.7.A.1

The impact of presidential communication has increased with advances in communication technology.

1. Modern technology, such as social media, allows for rapid responses to political issues.
2. Nationally broadcast State of the Union messages and the president’s bully pulpit are tools for agenda setting that use the media to influence public views about which policies are the most important

Review the videos below before moving forward in this module.

Video 1 - Expansion of Presidential Power by Carey LaManna

Video 2 - Expansion of FEDERAL POWER by Heimler's History

Video 3 - Presidential Communication by Heimler's History

LO 5.8.A

Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.

LO 5.8.B

Explain how the Electoral College affects U.S. presidential elections.

EK 5.8.A.1

The process and outcomes in U.S. presidential elections are affected by:

1. Incumbency advantage phenomenon (benefits current officeholders possess over challengers)
2. Open and closed primaries (voting processes to elect candidates)
3. Caucuses (closed meetings of party members to select candidates or decide policy)
4. Party conventions
5. General (presidential) elections
6. The Electoral College

EK 5.8.B.1

States can choose how they allocate their electors; most states use a winner-take-all system. Because the results of the Electoral College vote may not be the same as the popular vote nationwide, there is an ongoing debate over the Electoral College.

Review the videos below before moving forward in this module. You will need access to youtube to view.

Electing the PRESIDENT [AP Gov Review, Unit 5 Topic 8 (5.8)] Heimler’s History

Electoral College by Carey LaManna

Electing a President AP Government by Carey LaManna

AP Government: The Electoral College, Bit by Bit with Paul Sargent

Constitutional compromises: The Electoral College | US government and civics | Khan Academy

LO 2.12.A

Explain how the bureaucracy carries out the responsibilities of the federal government.

EK 2.12.A.1

The federal bureaucracy is composed of departments, agencies, commissions, and government corporations that implement policy by:

1. Writing and enforcing regulations
2. Issuing fines
3. Testifying before Congress
4. Forming iron triangles (alliances of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that are prominent in specific policy areas)
5. Creating issue networks (temporary coalitions that form to promote a common issue or agenda)

EK 2.12.A.2

The civil service primarily uses a merit system that prioritizes hiring and promotion based on professionalism, specialization, and neutrality, as opposed to political patronage, whereby bureaucratic jobs are politically appointed.

Review the two videos below before moving forward in this module.

Video 1 - The Bureaucracy Discretionary & Rulemaking Authority by Carey LaManna

Video 2 - The Federal BUREAUCRACY by Heimler's History

LO 2.13.A

Explain how the federal bureaucracy uses delegated discretionary authority for rulemaking and implementation.

EK 2.13.A.1

The federal bureaucracy uses discretionary power as delegated by Congress to interpret and implement policies. Through their rulemaking authority, federal bureaucratic agencies utilize their discretion to create and enforce regulations. Bureaucratic agencies include:

1. Department of Homeland Security
2. Department of Transportation
3. Department of Veterans Affairs
4. Department of Education
5. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
6. Federal Elections Commission (FEC)
7. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Review the video below before moving forward in this module.

Video 1 - BUREAUCRACY: Discretionary & Rule Making Authority by Heimler's History

LO 2.14.A

Explain how Congress uses its oversight power in its relationship with the executive branch.

LO 2.14.B

Explain how the president ensures that executive branch agencies and departments carry out their responsibilities in concert with the goals of the administration.

EK 2.14.A.1

Congressional oversight of the bureaucracy to ensure that legislation is implemented as intended includes:

1. Review, monitoring, and supervision of bureaucratic agencies
2. Investigation and committee hearings of bureaucratic activity
3. Power of the purse (the ability of Congress to check the bureaucracy by appropriating or withholding funds)

EK 2.14.A.2

As a means to curtail the use of presidential power, congressional oversight serves as a check of executive authorization.

EK 2.14.B.1

Presidential ideology, authority, and influence affect how executive branch agencies carry out the goals of the administration.

EK 2.14.B.2

Compliance monitoring ensures that funds are being used properly and regulations are being followed. Compliance monitoring can pose a challenge to policy implementation.

Videos for this topic are combined with the topic below.

LO 2.15.A

Explain the extent to which governmental branches can hold the bureaucracy accountable given the competing interests of Congress, the president, and the federal courts.

LO 2.15.B

Explain how the distribution of powers among the three branches of government impacts policymaking.

EK 2.15.A.1

Formal and informal powers of Congress, the president, and the courts over the bureaucracy are used to maintain its accountability.

EK 2.15.B.1

The allocation of powers among the three branches of government creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy.

EK 2.15.B.2

National policymaking is constrained by the sharing of powers between the three branches.

Review the two videos below before moving forward in this module.

Video 1 - Holding the Bureaucracy Accountable by Carey LaManna

Video 2 - Holding the BUREAUCRACY Accountable by Heimler's History