| A | B |
|---|
| presidential succession | The order in which the office of president will be filled should the president resign, or die while in office. |
| State of the Union | A speech the president gives to congress every year in late January that sets forth programs and policies that the president wants Congress to put into effect as laws as well as addressing the economic issues. |
| Foreign policy | The nations' plan for dealing with other nations of the world. |
| Treaties | Written agreements made with other countries. |
| Diplomacy | The art of dealing with foreign goverment. |
| Diplomatic Notes | The president corresponds with the leaders of foreign nations in writing. |
| Reprieve | The president has the power to postpone the carrying out a person's sentence. This gives a convicted person the opportunity to gather more evidence to support his or her case or to appeal for a new trial. |
| Pardon | The president forgives a person convicted of a crime and frees him or her from serving out the sentence. |
| Commutation | The president makes a convicted person's sentence less severe. |
| Budget | A plan of income and spending. |
| executive department | A department in the executive branch of the federal government. |
| Secretary | The title of most cabinet members. |
| Ambassador | The highest ranking U.S. representatives in foreign countries. |
| Embassy | The official residence of an ammbassador in a foreign country. |
| seniority system | The custom of giving leadership of committees to members of Congress with the most years of service. |
| Minister | In a few smaller countries, the United States is represented by these officials. |
| Consul | An official who works to promote U.S. trade in a foreign country. |
| Consulate | An American consul's office found in most large foreign cities. |
| Passports | Allow U.S. citizens to travel abroad. |
| Visas | Allow people from other nations to come to the United States. |
| Counterfeiting | The making or distributing of fake money. |
| Civilian | A non-military person. (The secretary of defense) |
| Joint Chiefs of Staff | The highest ranking military officers of the Army, Navy, and Air force. |
| Independent agency | Agencies set up by Congress to help the president carry out the duties of office. |
| Regulatory commission | Independent agencies that have the power to make rules and bring violators to court. |
| Bureaucracy | The many departments and agencies at all levals of government. |
