Politics and Public Policymaking Rapid Review for AP U.S. Government

For a more thorough review of the terminologies below, refer to the following study guide:

Politics and Public Policymaking for AP U.S. Government

• Public policymaking occurs at all levels of government.
• Policymaking is a slow process involving several steps: agenda setting, policy formulation, policy adoption, policy implementation, and policy evaluation.
• Domestic policies are the social policies of the United States: crime prevention, education, energy, environment, health care, and social welfare.
• Crime prevention at the national level is the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
• Education falls under the authority of state governments; however, the federal government has played an increasing role in education.
• The Environmental Protection Agency was created in the 1970s to enforce environmental legislation.
• The government operates several programs aimed at promoting and protecting public health: the Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, the Veterans Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration.
• Social welfare programs include Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
• Economic policy can have an impact on national elections.
• Economic policy includes raising revenue, government spending, and formulation of the federal budget.
• The federal budget indicates the amount of money the federal government expects to receive and spend during a fiscal year.
• The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plays a major role in creating the budget.
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• Foreign policy involves all the strategies and procedures for dealing with foreign nations. The president is considered the leader in the development of foreign policy.
• The Department of State, headed by the secretary of state, is responsible for the execution of foreign policy.
• The Department of Defense provides military information to the president.
• Congress plays a role in the development of foreign policy by making recommendations to the president on foreign relations, approving treaties, and approving nominations of ambassadors.
• Current issues in foreign policy include nuclear proliferation, terrorism, international trade, and how to manage conflicts abroad.