Transcript The President and the Executive Branch

The President and the
Executive Branch
Chapter 7
The President and the Vice President
Qualifications for President
1)
35 years old
2)
Native-born “American” citizen
3)
Resident US for at least 14 years
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Presidential Trends
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All but one have been Protestant
Christian
Most have college degrees
Many were lawyers, most came
from states with large populations
Past 50 years office has been open
to wider groups of people (women,
non-Protestant, African Americans)
The President and the Vice President
Electing a President
 Presidential elections every 4 years,
Constitution does not provide for direct
elections
 System based on the electoral college
 Each state appoints electors, who then
vote for one of the major candidates
 When you vote for president, not voting
for president, but elector who pledges
to vote for the candidate
 Electoral votes total of its U.S.
Senators and Reps. (AR 6, CA 55)
 Candidates need 270 of 538 electoral
votes to win the presidency
The President and the Vice President
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Term of Office
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Until 1951 no limits on how many terms President could
serve
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22nd Amendment (1951) limits president to 2 terms or
maximum 10 yrs if began during another President’s term
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Term lasts 4 years
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Salary $400,000 a year plus travel expenses, lives and
works in the White House
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Staff of 80 takes care of the President, family
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Camp David in Maryland serves as a retreat
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The President has many methods of paid travel
The President and the Vice President
Vice President
 Qualifications are the same as the President
 Vice Presidents rarely in the public eye, purpose
head of Senate, be prepared to take over if
something happens to the President
 9 Vice Presidents have taken over in U.S. History
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John Adams: “I am Vice President. In this I am nothing,
but I may become everything.”
The President and the Vice President
Presidential Succession
 8 Presidents have died during office, the Constitution
states vice president will take on the “powers and duties” of
the presidency
 1947, Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act, line
of succession after the vice president
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President
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Vice President
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Speaker of the House
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President Pro Tem
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Secretary of State
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Order Cabinet post created
The President and the Vice President
25th Amendment (1967)
 President leaves or dies, the vice
president becomes president, chooses
another VP
 Gives VP a role in determining
whether a president is disabled or
unable to do the job
 Only been used three times
 VP Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973 and
Pres. Nixon replaced by Gerald Ford
who replaced Nixon as president in 1974
 1985 Ronald Reagan needed surgery,
told Congress he couldn’t lead, VP
George H.W. Bush assumed the
presidency for about 8 hours
The President's Job
Constitutional Powers
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Executive Power –described in Article II
Main job is to carry out the laws passed by
Congress
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Other powers/ duties:
1.
Veto bills passed by Congress
2.
Call Congress into special session
3.
Commander in chief
4.
Receive leaders, officials of foreign countries
5.
Make treaties
6.
Appoint heads of executive agencies, federal
court judges, ambassadors, and other gov’t
officials
7.
Pardon people convicted of federal crimes
8.
State of the Union address every year discusses
the most important issues facing nation
The President's Job
Roles of the President
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Chief Executive
In charge of 15 cabinet
departments and 3 million workers
of the federal government
Gives executive orders (rule or
command that has the force of law),
executive orders deal with big
issues (integration of the armed
forces in 1948)
Appoints judges to the Supreme
and federal courts, pending
Congressional approval
Power to pardon, reprieve, or give
amnesty
The President's Job
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Chief Diplomat- directs foreign policy toward other
countries, decides how the U.S. will act
Commander in chief of all armed forces
President and Congress share power to declare war,
Congress has only declared war 5 times, president has sent
troops into action overseas more than 150 times
1973 - War Powers Resolution -president must notify
Congress within 48 hours when troops sent to battle, must
be brought home after 60 days unless Congress gives
approval for them to remain longer
The President's Job
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Legislative Leader
Influences Congress with legislation that
he would like to see passed
Makes speeches to build support for his
program and campaigns to get his ideas
supported by Congress
Head of State- President is living
symbol of the nation
Economic Leader- President plans the
federal government’s budget
Party Leader- gives support to fellow
party members by giving speeches, help
them in campaigns, raising money
Making Foreign Policy
A nation’s overall plan for dealing
with other nations is foreign policy
Goals of foreign policy
1. National security (keep country safe
from attack)
2. International trade
3. Promoting world peace
4. Promote democracy, preserve basic
human rights, encourage peaceful
governments
o Works with the State Department,
Defense Department, the Central
Intelligence Agency, and the
National Security Council
 Give the president advice on foreign
relations
 “The State Department wants to
solve everything with words and the
generals with guns”-President
Lyndon Johnson
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Making Foreign Policy
Tools of Foreign Policy
 Creating Treaties and Executive
Agreements
The Senate must approve treaties by
a 2/3 vote
President can go around the Senate
by issuing an executive agreement
 Appointing Ambassadors: the
president appoints ambassadors
(representatives to countries that
the U.S. recognizes)
 Foreign Aid: assists other countries
in times of crisis by providing
support
 International Trade: makes
agreements with other nations about
what products traded and the rules
for trading; issues trade sanctions or
embargos on countries
 Military Force: send troops to
foreign countries even if Congress
has not declared war
Presidential Advisers and Executive
Agencies
Executive Office of the President
 Created 1939 by FDR
 White House Office
 500 people work directly for the
President
 Most powerful the chief of staff,
assistant for domestic affairs,
lawyer to the president, press
secretary
 White House Office screens the flow
of information and people trying to
reach the President
 They decide who gets to speak to
the President
Presidential Advisers and Executive Agencies
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
 Prepares federal budget, monitors spending by hundreds of
government agencies
 National Security Council (NSC)
 Helps the President coordinate military, foreign policy
 Members include the vice president, secretary of state,
secretary of defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
group of the top commander of each of the armed forces
 The NSC supervises the CIA which gathers information
about gov’ts of other countries
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Presidential Advisers and Executive
Agencies
Council of Economic
Advisers (CEA)
 President names
members, Senate
approves them
 Give president
advice about
economic matters
(employment, tax
policy, inflation,
and foreign trade)
Presidential Advisers and Executive
Agencies
Cabinet – group of presidential advisers, not
specified in Constitution, head of 15 top level
executive departments
 Developed over time through custom and usage
 Make important policy decisions
 Meet when president finds necessary
 Heads of departments must be approved by
senate
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Cabinet Positions
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Department of State
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Plans and carries out the
nations’ foreign polices
Department of the Treasury
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Collects, borrows, spends,
and prints money
Department of Defense
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Manages the armed forces
Department of Justice
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Responsible for all aspects of
law enforcement
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Department of the Interior
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Manages and protects the
nation’s public lands and
natural resources
Department of Agriculture
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Assists farmers and
consumers of farm products
Department of Commerce
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Supervises trade, promotes
U.S. tourism and business
Department of Labor
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Concerned with the working
conditions and wages of U.S.
workers
Cabinet Positions
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Department of Health
and Human Services
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Works for the health and
well-being of all
Americans
Department of Housing
and Urban Development
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Deals with the special
needs and problems of
cities
Department of
Transportation
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Manages the nation’s
highways, railroads,
airlines, and sea traffic
Department of Energy
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Directs the energy plan
for the U.S.
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Department of Education
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Provides advice and
funding for schools
Department of Veterans
Affairs
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Directs services for
veterans
Department of Homeland
Security
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Established in 2002 in
response to 9/11, oversees
America’s defense
against terrorist attacks
Presidential Advisers and Executive Agencies
Vice President and the First Lady
 Vice presidents usually have little power
 Changed recently
 First Lady- wife of president
 Not mentioned in Constitution, take on causes
close to them
Presidential Advisers and Executive Agencies
Federal Bureaucracy –
agencies and employees of
executive branch
 Bureaucrats/civil
servants – people who
work for federal gov’t
 Executive branch carries
programs created by
Congress
1. Turn new laws into
action
2. Administer the dayto-day operations of
the federal govt
3. Federal agencies
regulate various
activities
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Presidential Advisers and Executive Agencies
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Executive Agencies
 Independent agencies responsible for certain specialized
areas
 NASA
Government Corporations
 50 independent agencies that act like private businesses
 Senate approves president’s choice of a board to run
corp.
 Charge fees for services, but not supposed to make a
profit
 Example – USPS (Post Office)
Regulatory Boards & Commissions
 President appoints members, approved by Senate
 To protect the public
 Make & enforce rules
 FCC – Federal Communications Commission
Presidential Advisers and Executive
Agencies
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Gov’t Workers
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Political appointees – chosen by president, proven
executive ability or important supporters of the
president’s election campaign
Civil service workers – approx. 90% of all national
govt workers, based on experience.
Civil service system – the practice of hiring workers
on the basis of open, competitive examinations &
merit.
Spoils system – before 1883 – jobs went to people as
a reward for political support (reformed under
Pendleton Act)
Merit system – civil service system, workers have
to meet standards, pass tests