Chapter Fifteen domestic policy

Introduction Domestic policy: all laws, government planning and government actions affecting daily life Federal level State level Local level Private sector

The Policymaking Process Agenda building- issue must get on Congress’ agenda (happens through interest groups/lobbyists, mass media, a crisis, technological change) Policy formulation- proposals are discussed among the President, Congress and Interest groups Policy adoption- out of the proposals one specific policy Is chosen by Congress and the President Policy implementation Policy is enacted by the executive branch and bureaucracy Policy evaluation- groups inside and outside the government determine the effectiveness of the policy and its implementation.

The Policy Process Figure 15-1

The Iron Triangle

How Does the President Influence Policy Bully pulpit- how the president can use the media to get the public on his side Lame duck/honeymoon period- lame duck is the period between a presidential election and the new president's inauguration honeymoon period is the president's first 100 days State of the Union- Presidents annual message to Congress where he proposes legislative programs. The message is also aired to the American people and the world.

What role does the court play in policy making Judicial activism- a doctrine holding that the Supreme court should take an active role by using its powers to check the activities of governmental bodies when those bodies exceed their authority Judicial restraint- a doctrine holding that the Supreme court should defer to decisions made by the elected representatives of the people in the executive and legislative branches

Examples of Domestic Policy Health Care Medicare, medicaid, Affordable Health Care Act Environmental Policy Energy Policy Poverty and welfare Immigration

Health Care Medicare Medicaid Helps those ages 65+ Second-largest domestic spending program Reimbursement caps Medicaid Helps “working poor” Spending has exploded: 46 million enrollees States pay part of cost One in three Americans have government health coverage

Environmental Policy Environmental movement Conservation Preservation Cleaning up the air and water National Environmental Policy Act (1969) Curbing air pollution: Clean Air Act (1990) Water pollution: Clean Water Act (1972)

Environmental Policy Endangered Species Act Endangered Species Act strengthened in 1973 Powerful tool for ecology movement Tennessee Valley Authority habitat Shifting to incentives for landowners

Tragedy of the Commons The water seeping from an abandoned coal mine on Kayford Mountain in West Virginia contains sulphur and other waste products that pollute local streams such as this one. (AP Photo/Mandel NGAN/Newscom)

Energy Policy Energy policy: laws concerned with how much energy is needed and used Energy and the environment Energy policy entangled with environmental policy EPA regulations Domestic power production can be at odds with clean air standards

Energy Policy Nuclear power—an unpopular solution Efficient energy source Fear of nuclear accidents and spent fuel issues restrict nuclear power in U.S.

Poverty and Welfare One solution: income transfers The low-income population 16% of Americans in 2011 Increased by 6 million between 2009-2011 The antipoverty budget $1 trillion in budget (one-third of expenditures) Medicaid has biggest portion

The Official Number of Poor in the United States Figure 15-6 Note: The data points represent the midpoints of the respective years. The number of individuals classified as poor fell steadily from 1961 through 1968. It then increased during the 1981–1982 recession. After 1994, the number fell steadily until 2000, when it started to rise again. The recession that began in 2008 spurred an increase to a fifty-year high in the number of poor Americans. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office (2007).)

Poverty and Welfare Basic welfare Welfare controversies Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Block grants New burden on states Welfare controversies Some object to any welfare But basic payments relatively low compared to other nations (2012 average = $700 monthly)

Poverty and Welfare Other forms of government assistance: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Food stamps Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Homelessness—still a problem Number increasing Estimates from 230,000 to 750,000

Immigration Continued influx of immigrants Minority groups will constitute “majority” by 2060 Advantages of immigration Attempts at immigration reform Issue during 2006 elections Arizona state law: constitutional? DREAM Act

The Range of Federal Public Policies Policies affecting colleges and universities: Title IX Veteran’s tuition benefits Student loan programs Other federal policies affecting daily life: Housing Agricultural industry Labor unions School improvement efforts Building highways and bridges