US GOVERNMENT
Monday, June 8
SCHEDULE
•Finish Legislative Branch
Due Wednesday
•Executive Branch
•Who’s Who 2
Due Friday
•Test
•Vocab sheets 1-4*
*Instead of a third Who’s Who worksheet, there will be a fourth vocab sheet required
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
President
Vice President
Executive Office of the President
Cabinet – Heads of 15 departments
Departments
ROLES OF THE PRESIDENT
Constitution gives following roles…
•Chief of State: ceremonial head of
government
•Chief Executive: Term used to describe the
power of president, domestic and foreign
•Chief Administrator: Director of the entire
federal government
•Chief Diplomat: Foreign policy
•Commander in Chief: Armed Forces
•Chief Legislator: Sets shape of
congressional agendas
Other roles
•Chief of Party: Leader of the political
party that controls the executive branch
•Chief Citizen: Representative of all
people
WANT TO BE PRESIDENT?
Qualifications
•Natural born citizen
•35 years old
•Lived in the U.S. 14+ years
Benefits
•$400,000/yr + $50,000 expense
account
•House
•Office + staff
•Air Force One
•Camp David
2 terms maximum served
•Fines medical
•Travel and entertainment funds
•Retirement
TRANSFERRING POWER
• In the event of the President’s death, power is transferred to the VP
•If the President becomes incapacitated, they have the option to transfer power
VICE PRESIDENT
•According to the Constitution
• Presides over senate
• Helps decide question of presidential disability
• Only person that can’t be removed from office by the president
• Makes $237,000/yr + benefits
“…the most insignificant office
that ever the invention of man
contrived or his imagination
conceived.” –John Adams
“Take it to the office of the Vice
President. He doesn’t have anything
to do. It will keep him awake.” –
President Theodore Roosevelt, removing a tinkling
chandelier from his study that bothered him
“Honorable and
easy…. Tranquil and
unoffending” – Thomas
Jefferson
“The vice
presidency isn’t
worth a warm
pitcher of spit.” –
John Garner, VP for FDR
Only a heartbeat
away from the
presidency.
How much importance
would you place on the
VP candidate on the
ballot?
Would YOU want to be vice-president?
THE PRESIDENTIAL POWER
TWO VIEWS
“My belief was that it was not only [a
President’s] right but his duty to do anything
that the need of that Nation demanded
unless such action was forbidden by the
Constitution or by laws… I acted for the
public welfare… unless prevented by direct
constitutional or legislative prohibition”
-Theodore Roosevelt
“The President can exercise no power which
cannot be fairly and reasonably traced to
some specific grant of power or justly implied
and included within such express grant… either
in the Federal Constitution or in an act of
Congress. There is no undefined residuum of
power which he can exercise because it seems
to him to be in the public interest”
-William Howard Taft
Who would likely be a strict constructionist? Who would be a liberal constructionist?
What is your opinion? Should the president act more for the welfare of the people or only what
the constitution gives power to do?
PRESIDENTIAL POWERS
•Ordinance Power: Power to issue executive orders
• Executive order – directive, rule, or regulation that has the effect of law
•Appointment Power: Power to appoint, with senate approval
•Removal Power: Power to remove those appointed
•Power to make treaties with countries, with senate approval
•Executive agreements – Pact between President and head of forging states, no
senate approval needed.
•Power of Recognition – Acknowledges legal existence of other country/governments
PRESIDENTIAL POWER: COMMANDER IN CHIEF
Authority over all military matters
Can use military without declaration of
war
War-time powers of President can be
extended
War Powers Resolution
MORE PRESIDENTIAL POWERS
Legislative Powers
Judicial Powers (for Federal Offenses)
•Recommend legislation
•Power to grant reprieves and pardons
•Veto power
•Power of Commutation
• Sign into law
• Veto it (Can be overridden with 2/3 vote)
• Let it sit and become law (10 days)
• Pocket veto – Let it sit after congress ends
session
•Call Congress into session
•Amnesty – Pardons to a group of
violators
WEDNESDAY
Who’s Who 2 due
Bring your vocab sheet(s)! If you have questions we can
talk about them if time allows.
An additional Vocab Sheet will be assigned in place of the third Who’s Who