EXECUTIVE
BRANCH
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EXECUTIVE BRANCH
• Article II of the Constitution
• Law Enforcing Branch of Government
• President of the United States (POTUS)
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DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT
• Chief Diplomat Responsible for dealing with
other countries
• Appoints Ambassadors official representative of
a country’s government.
• Each ambassador is sent to a different country as
a representative of the U.S.
• Ambassadors only sent to countries where the U.S.
recognizes, or accepts, the legal existence of the
government
• Makes Treaties formal agreement between 2 or
more countries.
President makes treaties with “the advice and
consent of the Senate”
• Senate must approve a treaty by 2/3 vote.
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EXECUTIVE AGREEMENTS an
agreement between the President
and the leader of another country.
Does not require the Senate approval
• Commander in Chief Leader of the
armed forces
• Only the President can order American
soldiers into battle
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THE WAR POWERS ACT LIMITS THE
PRESIDENT’S AUTHORITY TO WAGE WAR
• Requires the President to
notify Congress
immediately when troops
are sent to battle
• Troops must be brought
home after 60 days unless
Congress gives approval for
them to stay longer, or
Congress declares war
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PEACETIME ROLE TROOPS
CAN BE SENT TO OTHER
COUNTRIES TO MAINTAIN
PEACE
• President can also call out gov’t. troops to
keep order within the U.S.
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PRESIDENT'S TERM, SALARY, &
QUALIFICATIONS
• $400,000 YEAR taxable
• $50,000 year for expenses of official duties
• $100,000 non-taxable for travel expenses
• AIR FORCE ONE
• Great retirement benefits
• Must be a natural born citizen of US, 35
years old, & resident of US for 14 years
before taking office
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PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION
• President’s resignation or death VP takes
over
• VP vacancy President nominates a VP &
confirmed by majority of both Houses of
Congress
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VICE PRESIDENT’S ROLE
• Presides over Senate
• Helps decide if
president is disabled &
takes over
• Jobs assigned by
president
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IMPACT OF POLITICAL PARTIES
• Changed election process
• 12th Amendment was added to
Constitution in 1804 to solve the problem of
a tie
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ELECTING THE
PRESIDENT
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ORGINAL SYSTEM
ELECTORAL VOTE
• Old Electoral System State
would choose electors
• # of electors # of Senators
plus Reps per state
• Electoral vote Electors meet
in own states & cast votes for 2
presidential candidates
• Votes from all states counted
• Majority winner becomes
president
• 2nd place becomes vice
president
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ELECTORIAL COLLEGE
SYSTEM TODAY
• Election year every 4 years
• Political Parties choose their nominees for president in
conventions held in late summer
• Voters cast ballots on Tuesday after 1st Monday in November
• Voters are not actually voting directly for president & vice
president, they are voting for their party electors to win full
vote for state
• December electors cast the official vote for President & VP
• Electoral College includes 538 electors
• House & Senate members & 3 for District of Columbia
• Must get 270/538 votes to become elected President & VP
• Party whose candidates receive the largest popular vote in
any state wins all electoral votes of that state even if the
margin of victory is 1 vote
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ELECTORIAL COLLEGE ISSUES
• Winner-take all system makes it possible for a
candidate who loses the popular vote to win
the electoral vote
• 3rd party candidate could win enough
electoral votes to prevent either major-party
candidate from receiving a majority of the
votes
• People criticize the Electoral College system
whenever problems arise
• Some people want to do away with the
Electoral College entirely people would
directly elect president
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INAUGURATION
• New president, called president-elect until
inauguration
• Noon on January 20 in the year following
the presidential election
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THE CABINET
• Made up of 15 secretaries (appointed by
President), Vice president, Several top
officials
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THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE
• Executive Office of the President (EOP):
consists of individuals & agencies that
directly assist the president
• Give advice & information needed for
decision making
• Agencies of Executive Office Attorneys,
Scientists, social scientists, and other highly
technical or professional personnel
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WHITE HOUSE OFFICE
• White House aides perform whatever
duties the president assigns them
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FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
• CABINET DEPARTMENTS Executive
Departments
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
• Plans and carries out the nation’s foreign
policy
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
• Collects, borrows, spends, and prints
money
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DEPARTMENT OF THE DEFENSE
• Manages the Armed Forces
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
• Has responsibility for all aspects of law
enforcement
• Headed by the Attorney General
• Nation’s lawyer and represents the U.S.
in court
• Responsible for investigating the crime
whenever a federal law is broken
• Tracking down the lawbreakers
• Putting them on trial, and Punishing
them if they are found guilty
• FBI conducts investigations and arrests
suspects
• INS responsible for enforcing the
nation’s immigration laws.
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Manages and protects
the nation’s public lands
and natural resources
• Management and
conservation (protection)
of nations public lands
and national resources
• National Park Service
• Fish and Wildlife Service
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Assist farmers and consumers
of farm products
• Agricultural Research Service –
develop new crops and better
way to grow them
• Farmer’s Home
Administration—lend $ to
farmers
• Food Safety and Inspection
Service—helps maintain the
quality and safety of meat
• Food and Nutrition Service—
Distributes food stamps
• USDA’s Soil Conservation
Service—protects soil
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DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE
• Supervises trade, promotes United
States tourism and business
• Supervises International Trade
• Promotes Tourism
• Country’s economic well-being
• Bureau of the Census
• National Patent and Trademark
Office—keeps an official record of
inventions and product names
• National Institutes of Standards and
Technology—set standards for units of
measurement
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) —conducts
ocean research , weather, hurricanes,
floods
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DEPARTMENT
OF
LABOR
• Concerned with the working
•
•
•
•
conditions and wages of U.S.
workers
Pass laws against unfair labor
practices
OSHA (Occupational Safety and
Health Administration) —sets
health and safety guidelines
businesses must meet to keep
workers from harm
Unemployment Insurance
Service—provides financial
support to workers who were
forced to leave their jobs.
Bureau of Labor Statistics—
collects information about job
market and labor conditions.
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
• Works for the health and wellbeing of all Americans
• Provides financial support
• Social Security Administration
• Family Support Administration
• Public Health Service works to
keep American’s free from
illness
• Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
• Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) overseas the safety of
all food, drugs, and cosmetics
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
• Deals with the special needs
and problems of cities
• Operates programs that
distribute federal grants to
state and local governments
• Pays for projects to rebuild
slums, improving
neighborhoods, and building
low income housing
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
• Manages the nation’s
highways, railroads, airlines,
and sea traffic.
• Manages the country’s
airlines, highways, railroads,
and sea traffic
• National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration
• Federal Aviation
Administration oversees
airline industry
• United States Coast Guard
ocean-based police force
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Directs an overall energy
plan for the nation
• Directs an overall energy
policy for the nation
• Regulates the use of oil
and gas resources
• Nuclear power industry
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
• Provides advice and
funding for schools
• Distributes federal money
to states and school
districts to fund certain
programs
• Helps schools meet
special needs for students
with disabilities and
disadvantages
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS
• Directs services for
veterans
• Armed Forces Benefits:
• Inexpensive life insurance
• Financial Aid for
Education
• Medical care for injuries
or disabilities
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
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INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
• Executive Agencies Ind. agencies
responsible for dealing with certain
specialized areas of government
• National Aeronautics and Space
Administration(NASA)
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REGULATORY COMMISSIONS Ind. agencies
that protect the public by controlling certain
type of businesses and industries.
• FCC- Federal Communication
Commission regulates the TV, radio,
cable, and telephone industries
• Impartiality—President appoints and
Senate approves regulatory commission
board members
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GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS
Similar to a private corporation,
except that the government rather
than individuals own and operate it.
• Operate under instructions from Congress
• U.S. Postal Service
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CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM
• Spoils System practice of giving jobs as a
reward for party loyalty.
• Andrew Jackson (Election 1829) Merit
System  Pendleton Act (Civil Service Act)
1883 replaced the spoils system with the
merit system, govt. jobs given to those most
qualified.
• Divided workers into 2 groups
• 1-Classified Workers—Merit System, jobs given
to people that scored the highest on test
• 2-Unclassified Workers—Appointed
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Created the Civil Service Commission to
give test and award jobs to highest scores
• Civil Servants workers whose primary duty
is to serve the govt. and its citizens
• The Hatch Act (1939) Act forbids any civil
service employee to work in a political
campaign or to get involved in party
politics.
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CIVIL SERVICE TODAY 2
AGENCIES REPLACED THE CIVIL
SERVICE COMMISSION
• Office of Personnel Management
• Administers civil service tests
• Hires workers for govt. jobs.
• Trains new workers and decides on the
salary and benefits for each new job.
• Merit System Protection Board Deals with
promotion w/in the Civil Service
Commission
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©2017LearnedLessons