Spring 2024 Semester Exam Review

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of concurrent powers?

• The president negotiates a treaty regarding climate change with foreign governments, but for the treaty to take effect, it requires approval by the Senate.

• As commander-in-chief of the military, the president orders troops to a foreign nation to address a potential threat to national security.

• A Senate committee holds a hearing to discuss potential misuse of funds by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

• The federal government provides about 25% of the total funding for highways and transit in the United States, while the other 75% of the funding comes from states.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation?

• A senator from a coal-producing state voting against a job-training program for coal miners

• A member of the House voting for urban renewal in exchange for increased funding for roads

• A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state

• A member of the House Armed Services Committee marking up a bill that will increase funding for military bases

In which of the following situations would the Supreme Court be most likely to utilize the doctrine of selective incorporation?

• When an individual claims that a right protected by the Bill of Rights is infringed upon by a state

• When there is a conflict among the branches of the national government

• When a federal policy shifting oversight authority from a national agency to a state agency is challenged

• When a former employee files a wrongful termination claim against a company headquartered in another state

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.

Which of the following best explains a reason that a president might use a signing statement to express displeasure with a bill as opposed to issuing a veto?

• The president may have objections to provisions of a bill but does not want to risk Congress overriding a veto.

• Congress has severely curtailed the power of the president to withhold funds for bills that have been adopted.

• The Supreme Court is hesitant to acknowledge the president’s power to veto legislation.

• The president wants to ensure executive agencies do not spend the money appropriated by Congress.

On February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama released his budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year. Facing a Republican Congress, many declared the plan “dead on arrival.” Among the cited issues was Obama’s request for $582.7 billion in discretionary spending for defense, which many Republicans believed was not enough. Which of the following most accurately explains the interaction between the president and the Congress regarding the defense budget?

• The Congress has the enumerated power to raise revenue, but it is forced to work with the president because

  the president has the power to determine spending for each department in the upcoming fiscal year.

• The president can create a budget for defense spending, but Congress has the power to execute laws and

  operate the government, which can affect how much money is actually spent.

• Congress passes a budget for the entire federal government, including defense, but it must consider the

  president's proposal because the president may veto the bill.

• The president introduces a specific budget bill for defense spending, but Congress uses its power of

  legislative oversight to set up a negotiation process with the president.

Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of the political cartoon?

• State governments have used the Tenth Amendment to override the federal government’s mandates.

• State governments are unwilling to share their budgetary surpluses with other states.

• State governments prefer federal funding but do not want federal oversight over how the money is spent.

• The fiscal irresponsibility of state governments has led to increased federal regulation on their budgetary priorities.

Which of the following policies would the states most likely prefer according to the political cartoon?

• Federal mandates

• Regulatory preemption

• Block grants

• Categorical grants

Which of the following best explains how partisan differences between the president and Congress affect policymaking in the federal government?

• It would weaken the power of congressional party leadership in the House of Representatives because the rules require a majority of members to approve bills.

• It reduces the chances of bills becoming law because the president and the majority party in Congress are from different parties.

• It leads to fewer bills being introduced into Congress because it is less likely that these bills will make it through politically divided committees.

• It reduces the incentive to work across party lines because legislation that is vetoed can be overridden with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

“If, therefore, the legislature pass any laws, inconsistent with the sense the judges put upon the constitution, they will declare it void; and therefore in this respect their power is superior to that of the legislature.” Brutus 15 Which of the following cases is most related to the quote?

• Marbury v. Madison (1803)

• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

• McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

• United States v. Lopez (1995)