*Executive Branch
**Enforces the Laws
Qualifications
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*35 years of age
*Natural born citizen
*Live in the U.S. for at least 14 years
*4 year term – two terms only
Pay
• 400,000 per year
• 50,000 stipend
• Use of Air Force One, along with white
house staff and other officials
• Camp David
• White House
Succession
Vice President – Joe
Biden
• a heart beat away
from the presidency
• otherwise has limited
powers unless
president gives them
to him
• of all the VP’s, Gore
was a member of the
most Federal
Committees
The line of succession is currently:
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Vice President
Speaker of the House
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
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
Potential implementations –
Presidential Succession Act of
1947
• Following the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson became
President and so there was no Vice President
for fourteen months.
• There was no Vice President during the two
months in 1973 between Spiro Agnew's
resignation as Vice President and Gerald Ford's
confirmation as Vice President.
• In 1974, during the four-month period between
Gerald Ford's succession to the Presidency and
the confirmation of Vice President Nelson
Rockefeller.
Explain
• 25th Amendment
• Succession Act of 1947
• Speaker of the House
– John Boehner
• President Pro
Tempore – Patrick
Leahy
• Secretary of State –
John Kerry
• Secretary of Treasury
– Jacob Lew
• Secretary of Defense
– Chuck Hagel
Roles of the President
1. Chief of State- the ceremonial leader of the
Country
a. other countries either have Kings or
Queens for this reason only.
b. _not _constitutionally assigned role, but
goes with the powers of President..
c. The Vice President has filled in for this
role more times since the 1970’s.
Roles of the President
2. Chief Executive - the main administrative power
given to the President by the constitution
a. As head administrator he rules over15
cabinet posts and more than 50 other
departments.
b. There are more than 2.9 million employees in
the executive branch. It also involves a budget
of over 2.7 trillion dollars.
Roles of the President
3. Chief Diplomat- when the
president formulates our
foreign policy in our relations
with other states .
a. He uses hundreds of
ambassadors and embassies
all over the world
b. It is in this capacity that
his power as commander- inchief is often used .
Roles of the President
4. Chief Legislator - the
president becomes the
architect of public
policies (State of the Union
Address).
a. the constitution grants
the president power to
propose legislation
b. the President and
the Executive branch
propose more legislation
than any other source.
Roles of the President
5. Chief of Party- upon election , the President
becomes the leader of his party (whether
he already was or not).
6. Chief Citizen - your life is always under
the scrutiny of the public and the media you are a role model.
7. Commander in Chief
• Heads all the Military
Branches by sending
troops abroad
Chief Guardian of the Economy
• 8. He has to make
sure the economy
doesn’t tank!
Other important duties of the President:
Appoints Supreme Court Justices but the Senate
approves and can remove for Impeachable
charges
1. inefficiency
2. neglect of duty
3. wrongful conduct in office
4. Checks and Balances:
a. Veto
b. Appoints Supreme Court Justices, Federal Justices
and Cabinet members
c. Can “pack” the courts like John Adams tried to do
Presidential Powers
1. Growth of Powers
a. a need to see a single person in charge of
government
b. Some president’s strong personalities have
expanded their powers
c. the larger role of the government increased size.
d. Congress has delegated more authority
through laws they have passed.
e. The need for quick and decisive action in
emergencies.
.
Presidential Powers
2. Types of powers
a. Executive Powers
1. The primary duty is to enforce or execute
the laws of the United States.
2. The President does interpret the
meaning of law by the way they choose to
enforce it .
3. Ordinance Power - these are executive
orders that carry the weight of law.
Presidential Powers
2. Types of powers
4. Appointment Power - the president
appoints hundreds of administrators,
ambassadors, and judges. All of them
have to be approved by the Senate .
5. Removal Power - the President has the
power to remove any of those people
without congressional approval. (The
President can’t remove the Vice-President).
b. Diplomatic Power
1. Power to make treaties - needs 2/3
Senate approval
Presidential Powers
2. Types of powers
b. …….
2. Executive Agreements- agreements
between the President and other
heads of state .
3. Recognition Power- the president accepts
diplomatic delegations from other nations to
recognize the legitimacy of that
government.
c. Military Power
1. The President is the Commander-in-Chief
of the Armed forces.
Presidential Powers
2. Types of powers
c. …….
2. Congress controls the power to declare
war and finance the military
3. The President can move troops
anywhere in the world, thus showing force
where areas are threatened .
4. War Powers Resolution of 1973Congress passed this to limit the President
from getting our troops involved in military
battles without a declaration of war.
Presidential Powers
2. Types of powers
d. Legislative Powers
1. Recommends more legislation than any
other source.
2. Veto power
3. May call Special Sessions
e. Judicial Power
1. Reprieve - the power to postpone
sentencing or a legal action.
2. Pardon - it’s to free someone from
legal charges or actions.
3. Amnesty - a pardon given to a large
group.
President’s Cabinet
*Cabinet - Group of Presidential advisors
*Appointed by the President and approved
by the Senate
• Manage executive departments
Executive Branch
1. White House Offices
a. It is the nerve center of the Executive
Branch run by the White House Chief of Staff
and includes the President’s top advisor and
aids.
b. Each President has brought in his own
people since Andrew Jackson’s term.
2. National Security Council
a. Councils the President on domestic, foreign ,
and military that threaten the Nation’s
security.
b. Council Members
Executive Branch
1. White House Offices………
b. Council Members…..
1. President
2. Vice President
3. Secretary of State and Defense
4. Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
5. The Head of the Central Intelligence
Agency
6. Director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation
Executive Branch
3. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
prepares a budget proposal to present to
Congress for approval.
a. The Budget is an annual statement of
public policies put into dollar terms.
b. They become a watchdog on the execution
of the budget.
4. other offices
a. Council of Economic Advisors
b. Council of Wage and Price Stability
c. Council of Environmental Quality
d. Office of Science and Technology Policies.
Executive Branch
5. Cabinet offices
a. State Department - deals with foreign
policy and international affairs.
b. Treasury Department - includes the IRS,
custom department, secret service, the U.S.
Mint. Bureau of Printing and engraving, and
stamps
c. Interior Department - responsible for
conservation of public lands, resource
management, park services, bureau of Indian
Affairs, Bureau of land management, Fish and
wildlife department.
Executive Branch
5. Cabinet offices……
d. Attorney General (Justice Department) involved in anti-trust, Civil rights, government’s
chief council, law enforcement, FBI, D.E.A.,
and all federal courts.
e. Agriculture Department - Deals with farm
research marketing subsidies, credit programs,
quality labeling, USDA
f. Commerce Department - responsible for
tourism, trade, weights and measures, census,
weather, patents and copyrights.
Executive Branch
5. Cabinet offices……
g. Labor Department - deals with wages,
working conditions, employment opportunities,
and statistics.
h. Defense Department - in charge of the U.S.
armed forces and joint chiefs of staffs.
i. Health and Human Services Department runs the FDA, social security, federal health
and welfare programs, Medicare and Medicaid.
Executive Branch
5. Cabinet offices……
j. Transportation Department - runs the
federal aviation administration, the coast
guard, mass transit systems, transportation
safety, and the highway system.
k. Housing and Urban Development
Department - deals with federal housing and
aid to urban area programs.
l. Energy Department - deals with energy,
both regulating and developing programs in
conservation.
Executive Branch
5. Cabinet offices……
m. Education Department - responsible for
federal aid to education programs.
n. Departments of Veterans Affairs Affairsruns the administration of ex-service men’s
retirement benefits and medical programs.
o. Department of Homeland Security – to
identify and understand threats, assess
vulnerabilities, determine potential impact,
disseminate timely information to our
homeland security partners and the American
public
Electoral College
Formal selection of the President and Vice
President
1. Gave the responsibility to state legislators
to “appoint” electorates who would
confirm the office of the president
2. Based on the number of Congressional
Representation in each state (AZ – 11 )
3. They promise to make the same
decision as the majority of the state
4. The problem is the “popular” vote
sometimes does not win out
(Gore/Bush 2000)
5. There are 538 electors
6. To be elected president, one needs 270
electoral votes
7. The VP is chosen by the presidential
nominee
8. Approved by the Presidential Party
Convention
Electoral College
Congressional Districts
1. A Census every 10 years determines the
number of Congressional Representatives
each state has 2.Gerrymander
State Legislative Districts
1. 30 legislative districts
2. 30 State Senators
3. 60 State House of Representatives