Ch 7- The Bureaucracy

Which of the following is an example of an agency exercising discretionary authority?

• A member of the Securities and Exchange Commission testifies in a Congressional committee hearing
• The Secretary of Veterans' Affairs appears in a CNN interview
• An engineer at the Department of Transportation writes a regulation increasing requirements for automobile safety
• A member of the Social Security administration discusses a citizen's social security benefits with them

Which of the following is considered to be the first step of the public policy process

• Resource allocation
• Policy implementation
• Agenda setting
• Policy approval

Congress can check the bureaucracy's powers through which of the following actions?

• Appropriation and oversight
• Rulemaking and discretion
• Implementation and approval
• Agenda setting and policy formation

All of the following are characteristic of political appointees EXCEPT

• Senior executive positions that are won as the result of campaign contributions
• Supervisory positions that are eliminated by the new/incoming presidential administraion
• Ambassadorships won in exchange for voting support during the presidential campaign
• Agency experts hired on the basis of elite educational attainment and specialized skills

Which of the following correctly pairs information about Cabinet departments with information about regulatory agencies?

• Courts created by Congress that help administer and resolve conflicts over specific federal legislation
• Courts created with the power to decide only those cases over which the Constitution gives them authority
• Federal trial courts with mandatory jurisdiction
• Federal courts with mandatory, appellate jurisdiction

Which of the following make up an Iron Triangle?

• Governors, members of Congress, and members of independent regulatory agencies

• The Supreme Court, the president, and the Senate

• Congress, state legislatures, and the bureaucracy

• State Department, Congressional committees, and private lobbying groups

Which of the following factors might explain the trend in federal spending since 2000?

• The creation of the Department of Homeland Security and costs associated with the war on terror

• The president's increased use of executive orders to fund counterterrorism

• Additional congressional investigations into executive branch wrongdoing

• Increased population due to immigration