AP Government 2.5-Checks on the Presidency

On July 9, 2018, after the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, President Trump, a Republican, nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Many Democrats in the Senate feared that the appointment of Kavanaugh would swing the Court in a more ideologically conservative direction and attempted to block his nomination. After a heated Senate confirmation hearing, Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed by a 50-48 vote in the Senate. The scenario best highlights which of the following statements about court appointees?

• Life tenure for appointed justices alongside the power of judicial review increases the stakes in the confirmation process for nominees to the Supreme Court.

• Judicial appointees tend to make controversial statements on important policy issues during their confirmation hearings to get confirmed.

• The merit system for hiring members of the bureaucracy extends to the vetting process for nominations to the Supreme Court.

• Presidents usually request that the Senate be slow and deliberate with judicial appointments to check the power of the judicial branch.

Shortly after the 2008 election, President Obama appointed outspoken and controversial House member Rahm Emanuel to lead his White House as chief of staff. The selection drew criticism from Republican leaders, including House minority leader John Boehner, who remarked that the selection “is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center.” Which of the following explains how Congress could legitimately respond to the appointment?

• The Senate could refuse to confirm the appointment.

• The House of Representatives could filibuster the nomination.

• The Rules Committee could refuse to release the bill that made the appointment.

• Members of Congress could issue statements opposing the appointment but have no formal power to block it.

Which statement best explains the information in the graphic?

• The secretary was confirmed by a party-line vote.

• Confirmation was blocked by one party.

• Independents swayed the vote for the majority.

• Attempts at compromise were unsuccessful.

In November 2014, President Obama announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program through an executive order. The policy would protect over 700,000 more children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republican members of Congress denounced the order as an abuse of executive power. Previously, members of the House of Representatives had voted to defund the program. This scenario best illustrates which of the following?

• A reluctant bureaucracy can hinder a president’s agenda.

• Public opinion can influence how Congress responds to a president.

• Iron triangles form between members of the president’s party and opponents in Congress.

• Presidents exert informal powers when their policy agenda conflicts with that of Congress.

A newly elected president faces a Senate controlled by the opposition party. Which of the following presidential appointments is the most likely to encounter difficulty with confirmation by the Senate?

• Secretary of Defense

• Supreme Court justice

• Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors

• Ambassador to Germany

Which of the following statements is most accurately supported by the data in the table?

• President Clinton greatly reduced the use of presidential signing statements compared with his predecessors.

• While President George W. Bush issued fewer signing statements than President Clinton, his included more objections than President Clinton’s.

• President Clinton’s brief access to the power of the line-item veto allowed him to issue fewer signing statements that raised concerns about legislation.

• President George W. Bush was forced to issue more signing statements as a direct result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.