THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH US Government Introductory Question With a partner, make a list of what you believe the position of the President of the United States actually does. After that, complete the activity (in your notebooks…do not write on sheet). Please add other traits that you may value for a President. Be ready to explain why. In other words, make a job description for the POTUS and a list of desirable—or ideal—traits. We will tie this into the 2016 election/historical context of elections Brainstorming Question What are the qualifications to be the President of the United States? The President of the United States Presidential Qualifications Native-born U.S. Citizen Naturalized citizens can be in Congress but not become president At least 35 years of age Been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years Questions to Consider: Are the requirements fair? Would you change anything? What was the “birther” argument surrounding President Obama? Can Ted Cruz (born in Canada) run for President? Terms President has 4 year terms Constitution had no term limit, but Washington set precedent after refusing a third term Broken by FDR in 1940 FDR served 4 terms 22nd Amendment: Term Limit of Two Terms Presidential Salary What do you think the President of the United States is worth? Why? Salary $400,000 per year $50,000 expense account $100,000 travel account $19,000 entertainment account Gets salary of cabinet member once leaving office (about $191,000) WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS WORTH? WHY? Presidential Perks “THE BEAST” Other Perks Staff Appointments Image of the Free World Most Recognized Person in the World Everyone knows the POTUS…what about these other influential people? Presidential Powers Founding Fathers and the Presidency Remember the founders feared too much power, thus we created the checks and balance system even on our head of state. Can you think of any checks on the presidency? Party Leader Help party members win elections or appointed to office Campaigning for supporters Work with party Be active figure advocating ideas of your party Can you think of examples of how the president does this? Chief Legislator President can share thoughts on laws and propose ideas Can you think of any examples of how the president shares his ideas on legislation? What are some examples of legislation a president played a role in? Role in Legislature State of the Union Address Given in late January/early February in House of Representatives Outlines programs and policies the president would like Congress to enact Normally addresses the biggest concerns of the times Role in Legislature (continued) Creating a budget President sends budget to Congress about raising and spending money, as well as makes recommendations for programs and laws for the economy Congress considers this when creating the budget the president needs to sign off on Presidential Vetoes Influencing Public Opinion on Laws Commander-in-Chief President can give orders to all military leaders Not required to have military background to be president Are there any positives or negatives to an elected official running the military? Commander in Chief Simplified: All military officers answer to the president and president has final say in how war shall be fought Checks and balances: Only Congress can declare war President can still send forces to any part of world where US interests are threatened without Congressional approval However, War Powers Resolution declared all troops must be recalled by 60 days unless Congress permits extra stay Chief of State Represent the US at public events Promote American ideas and values or acknowledging others who do the same Can you think of any ways in which the president represents us? Chief Executive Enforce laws of the country Administer domestic and international policies Give executive orders Can you think of any ways in which the president carries out this role? Chief Diplomat Interact with foreign leaders and set foreign policy Can you think of any examples of the president working with foreign leaders? Which countries does the president tend to meet with? Chief Guardian of the Economy Looks at things like unemployment, high prices, taxes, business profits, and the general prosperity of the country. The president does not control the economy, but is expected to help it run smoothly. Examples of Responsibilities: Meeting with economic advisers to discuss ways to reduce unemployment Meeting with business and labor leaders to discuss their needs and problems Other Presidential Powers Appoint Supreme Court justices (Senate approval) Reprieve: postpones carrying out a person’s sentence Pardon: forgives a person for his or her crime and eliminates the punishment Commutation: reduce a person’s sentence Name the Role Today’s Class Presidential Succession The Executive Office Vice Presidential Snapshot The Line of Presidential Succession 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Vice President Speaker of the House of Representatives President Pro Tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General (Justice) Secretary of the Interior Secretary of Agriculture 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Labor Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Energy Secretary of Education Secretary of Veterans Affairs Secretary of Homeland Security DO YOU THINK THIS ORDER SHOULD BE CHANGED IN ANY WAY? IF SO, HOW? The Vice President Responsibilities Serve as president if president is unable to fulfill duties Must meet same requirements as president Preside over the Senate May not participate in debates Does not get a vote unless there is a tie Other roles given by president: represent US overseas, policy decisions, gathering support Salary $208,100 per year Today: Finish Cabinet Tomorrow: Book Work Thursday/Friday: Foreign Policy Monday: Indep Agencies/Reg Commissions Tuesday: Review Block: TEST Executive Departments Change over time Washington’s Executive Branch 5 Departments (Cabinet) Today’s Executive Branch 15 Departments (Cabinet) Each has distinct responsibilities Presidential Appointees (Senate must approve by majority vote) WHY DO YOU THINK WE HAVE ADDED 10 CABINET DEPARTMENTS? Presidential Advisers and Aides Executive Office covers a lot of areas Need for specialists in each field Example: National Security Council White House Office President’s closest personal/political advisers and a press secretary Other jobs include researchers, secretaries, speech writers, etc. Independent Agencies & Regulatory Commissions Independent Agencies Executive Branch covers many areas, including some outside of the cabinet posts Each commission was created by Congress to perform a specialized job Examples: NASA, US Commission on Civil Rights, CIA, EPA, Office of Personnel Management, etc. WHY ARE INDEPENDENT AGENCIES IMPORTANT IN THE UNITED STATES? Regulatory Commissions Special type of independent agency that has the power to make rules and bring violators to court Established because of a perceived need Example: Government monitoring of elections needed so Congress creates Federal Election Commission (FEC) HOW ARE REGULATORY COMMISSIONS DIFFERENT FROM GENERAL INDEP. AGENCIES? WHAT IS A PERCEIVED RISK (AND COMMON CRITICISM) OF REGULATORY COMMISSIONS? BRAINSTORM: CAN YOU THINK OF ANY EXAMPLES OF REG. COMMISSIONS IN YOUR LIFE? More Examples: News & Last Year Consumer Product Safety Commission Sets and enforces standards for products and conducts safety research Can recall goods Securities and Exchange Commission Enforces laws regulating buying and selling of stocks and bonds National Labor Relations Board Enforces federal labor laws and prevents unfair labor practices Regulatory Commissions (continued) Heads of commissions are appointed by president Congress feared presidential influence of commissions As a result, president only appoints a few commission leaders and Senate must approve all appointments Commissions run themselves for most part and have a lot of freedom and power Supporters: Public protection and focused on certain areas Opponents: Over-regulation and interference in lives DO YOU THINK REGULATORY COMMISSIONS ARE GOOD OR BAD FOR THE PUBLIC? The Federal Reserve Conduct the nation's monetary policy Supervise and regulate banking institutions Maintain the stability of the financial system Provide financial services institutions both domestically and internationally Maintain employment in the United States Keep prices stable Control interest rates through monetary policy Federal Bureaucracy Employees of agencies, commissions, and executive departments make up the federal bureaucracy Consists of almost 3 million workers People often believe regulations are confusing and that there are too many departments involved in the same areas Red tape: Symbol for government paperwork and working through the levels of bureaucracy Other people say that the complexity of our modern society requires many layers of oversight and management Cabinet Overview Department of Defense Runs armed forces and military bases globally Military endeavors Peacekeeping missions Relief efforts--overseas Secretary of Defense is always a civilian to ensure nonmilitary control over the armed forces Secretary’s assistants are military officers Joint Chiefs of Staff: highest-ranking military officers of each of the armed forces They advise the president on military action DO YOU THINK THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SHOULD HAVE A MILITARY BACKGROUND? Other Cabinet Posts: Highlights Homeland Security Created after 9/11 Primary goal: prevent terrorist attacks within the US Other roles: Federal assistance with natural disasters; Immigration Treasury Manages federal finances; collects taxes; produces postage stamps, currency, and coins; investigates and prosecutes tax evaders, counterfeiters, and forgers Justice Enforces the laws of the United States and ensures safety against both foreign and domestic threats Department of State—Key Terms Main function is to regulate Foreign Policy Ambassadors: Highest ranking US representatives in foreign nations Embassy: Official residence and offices of ambassadors in foreign countries Consul: Represents US commercial interests in foreign nations Consulate: Consul’s office, normally found in large cities Department of State’s Domestic Role Since it deals with international affairs, the state department keeps track of international travel Passports: formal documents that allow US citizens to travel abroad Visas: Allow foreigners to come to the United States DO YOU THINK THE UNITED STATES NEEDS STRICTER CONTROLS ON TRAVEL? Welcome Back! On a piece of paper, create three columns: Things I remember about the Executive Branch Questions I have about the content already discussed in class Questions I have about the Executive Branch that have not yet been discussed Review/Brainstorm Review What are the qualifications to become president? What is the presidential salary? What is the presidential line of succession? Brainstorm What are some perks to being the POTUS? What is the role of the president? Proposals Due Tomorrow! Must be Typed! Topic: Phrase or Sentence Background Knowledge: What do you already know 1-3 GOOD paragraphs Why this topic: Why does this intrigue you? Why do you want to spend the next three months looking into this topic? 1-3 GOOD paragraphs Stance: Is this an issue/event that can be analyzed or discussed in more than one way? What way would I argue if it was due today? Foreign Policy International Relations Foreign Policy is the government’s plan for interacting with the other countries of the world Importance: we live in an interdependent world where US actions impact the rest of the world and vice versa Friendly relations key, but must not compromise national security Foreign Policy President meets with leaders around the globe In US, in foreign nations, in neutral sites Diplomacy: Art of interacting with foreign governments Can build friendships, help security, promote US interests Make treaties (written agreements) with foreign nations Must be made with advice of Senate Must be approved by Senate Discussing National Interest 1. List three ideals that you believe America actively promotes on a global scale. 2. List three ways in which the United States helps other countries. 3. List three reasons as to why the United States would get involved in another country’s politics. Internationalism v. Isolationism Brainstorming Activity You will be tasked with deciding our nation’s approach to hypothetical situations and generalized descriptions of other countries. To help you determine our course of action, you should answer the following questions in your notes: What qualifies someone as an American ally? What disqualifies someone from being our ally? In what cases should we use economic, military, or other supports for a foreign nation? What is your general approach to foreign policy? List nations that the US should support completely, should not support at all, and should support in some regard only Stations Each station (total of 3) has points regarding a modernday nation or a hypothetical situation. Your job is to: Tell me what your foreign policy plan regarding this nation would be, assuming you were in the State Dept Explain why you would take that approach over others Explain what types of aid/sanctions you would be using with this nation Guess which nation I am describing We will then discuss as a class and see how our opinion changes (if at all) once I release the knowledge of what nation it is and add a framework/bias to our mindset Stations: Day 2 Yesterday, most of you claimed that three of the 6 nations should be partners with US, while 3 were more likely to be hostile or have rocky relationships. Today, you found out that the six nations were actually only three, with one being the good and the other being the bad about each. Your goal today is to reconcile differences and come up with a plan. Think about the pros and cons of each possible decision surrounding the policy choices. Discussion Questions Is the United States government too big? Why/why not? Do you believe bureaucracy is a good or bad thing for the people of the United States? Why/why not? Are government agencies and regulatory commissions necessary for the US to function?