Bell Work
Work on your Unit 4 vocabulary activity.
Don’t forget! It is due on test day.
The Executive Branch
Unit 4, Lesson 2
Learning Goal
As a result of what we do today, you will be able
to explain the 8 roles of the President and
create political cartoons or acrostics
explaining them.
Activity 1
Take a copy of the handout entitled
“Presidential Worksheet.”
Use your book and background knowledge to
answer questions about the President of the
United States.
The Executive Branch
The Executive Branch includes more than just
the President.
It includes the President’s cabinet, who lead a
variety of departments and agencies.
Undoubtedly, though, people think of the
President when they think about the
Executive Branch.
Constitutional Requirements
The President must…
1. Be at least 35 years old
2. Be a natural born citizen of the United States
3. Have lived in the U.S. for 14 years before
becoming President
Term
The President serves a 4 year term.
They can only be elected to 2 terms.
-22nd Amendment (1951)
President’s Pay
The President is paid….
1. $400,000 annual salary
2. $50,000 expense account
3. $100,000 nontaxable travel account
4. $19,000 entertainment account
President’s Travels
-Air Force One
-Marine One
Roles of the President
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Chief of State
Chief Executive
Chief Administrator
Chief Diplomat
Commander in Chief
Chief Legislator
Chief of the Party
Chief Citizen
Roles of the President
Chief of State – Ceremonial head of the
government.
Chief executive – Power to execute and enforce
laws.
Chief Administrator – Chief director of all
government agencies.
Roles of the President, cont.
Chief Diplomat – Represents the country in
foreign affairs.
Commander in Chief – Highest commander of
the U.S. military
Chief Legislator – Sets overall shape of
Congress’s agenda.
Roles of the President, Cont.
Chief of the Party – Leader of his political party
(not in the Constitution)
Chief Citizen – Represents all of the people.
Represents the public interest against the
many private interests.
The Cabinet
President chooses the Secretary of each Cabinet,
and the Senate must approve.
-Serves as the person in charge of the
department.
-Serves as an advisor from that department
Cabinet members are generally chosen for the
experience and qualifications, not their
political views.
Why does the Senate have to approve?
-Another way to check and balance power.
The Senate must also ratify treaties the
President negotiates and confirm Justices of
the Supreme Court whom the President
nominates.
The President’s Cabinet
Department of State – Hillary Clinton
Department of the Treasury – Timothy Geithner
Department of Defense – Leon Panetta
Department of Justice – Eric Holder
Department of the Interior – Ken Salazar
Department of Agriculture – Tom Vilsack
Department of Commerce – John Bryson
Department of Labor – Hilda Solis
Department of Health and Human Services – Kathleen Sebelius
Department of Housing and Urban Development – Shaun Donovan
Department of Transportation – Ray LaHood
Department of Energy – Stephen Chu
Department of Education – Arne Duncan
Department of Veteran’s Affairs – Eric Shinseki
Department of Homeland Security – Janet Napolitano
Bureaucracy
The Executive Branch of the government has a
rather large bureaucracy.
The bureaucracy consists of the many
administrators and officials in the various
departments and agencies.
Often, the bureaucracy is not very efficient
simply because of its size.
Size of the Bureaucracy
In time, the number of departments in the
Executive Branch grew because of the
increased workload of the government.
Presidential Succession Act of 1947
In the event the President dies or is
incapacitated, the order of succession is as
follows:
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House of Representatives
3. Senate President Pro Tempore
4. President’s Cabinet
(See page 359)
Presidential Powers
The President has the power to issue executive
orders without the approval of Congress.
He also has the power to appoint cabinet
members, Justices, federal judges,
ambassadors, U.S. marshals, and U.S.
attorneys, and military officers with the
approval of the Senate.
Treaties
The President, usually through the State
Department, can negotiate treaties.
The Senate must confirm a treaty by a 2/3
majority vote.
The Supreme Court can rule a treaty
unconstitutional if it violates the Constitution.
End of Today’s Notes
Activity
Using your notes and pp. 354-355, either draw
a political cartoon (there should be 8) or write
an acrostic (there should be 8) describing each
role of the President.