American Government
S ‘12
Study Guide for Executive Branch & Bureaucracy Unit
Students who are well prepared for our open note test over the Executive Branch
(including all aspects of the Presidency and the Federal Bureaucracy covered in class
and in We The People Chapters 23 and 24) will be knowledgeable about all of the
following terms, concepts and historical developments:
President’s Appointment Power
President’s Removal Power
Senate’s Confirmation Power
Cabinet Offices and Officers
Commander in Chief
Order of Succession
Administration
Bureaucracy
Civil Service
Independent Executive Agencies
Merit Systems Protection Bd.
Pendleton Act
Hatch Act
Office of Management and Budget
7 Roles of the President
War Powers Resolution of 1973
Treaty Making Power
Executive Agreements
Executive Orders
Pardon Power
Reprieve Power
Amnesty
SOTU Address
Veto Power
Spoils System
Article II, §2
Patronage
Rules/Regulations
“Presidential” Amendments (12, 20, 22, 25)
Government-Owned Corporations
Independent Regulatory Agencies
Executive Departments
Vice-President’s Duties
Additionally, you should be able to:
1. Explain the Executive Branch’s duties and powers in the overall scheme of the U.S.
Constitution, including relevant checks and balances.
2. List the various roles of the President, identifying essential functions for each
distinct role
3. Understand the organization of the Executive Branch
4. Understand how the Legislative and Judicial branches check and balance the
Executive Branch.
5. Explain how constitutional amendments have affected the office of President.
6. Explain the roles and functions of government agencies, including Cabinet
departments.
7. Trace the phases of historical development and growth of our federal
bureaucracy, including reasons underlying this continuing growth.
8. Explain the reasons underlying the Merit System, including procedural protections
for civil servants provided by the Merit Systems Protection Board.
9. Articulate the fundamental differences between members of the administration and
members of the civil service.
10. Explain the role of the federal bureaucracy in your daily life and understand how life
would be different if there were no bureaucracy.
Access Unit Review Flashcards at: http://www.quia.com/jg/1473009.html
The Executive Branch
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
(~2,000 Employees/~$390 Million per year)
White House Staff, plus . . . .
White House Office
The Cabinet
Council of Economic Advisers
Council on Environmental Quality
Domestic Policy Council
National Economic Council
National Security Council (NSC)
Office of Administration
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Office of Global Communications
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Office of National AIDS Policy
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Office of the United States Trade Representative
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
White House Military Office
OVER 60 INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Export-Import Bank of the United States
Farm Credit Administration
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Housing Finance Board
Federal Labor Relations Authority
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
National Capital Planning Commission
National Council on Disability
National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
Plus dozens of Boards, Commissions,
Committees and Quasi-Official Agencies
Today the Executive Branch employs
approximately 2.75 million civilians (not
including contractors), and about 1.5 million
active duty members of the Armed Services.
APPOINTMENT POWER
The President has direct/indirect authority to appoint about
4,000 high level federal employees. Demographic
representation often is an important issue. Because
Presidents usually do not personally know hundreds of
qualified appointees to fill the positions, interest groups, party
leaders and other interested individuals encourage the
President to appoint people they support.
CABINET MEMBERS



Advise the President
Administer a Department
In Line of Succession (Presidential Succession
Act of 1947)
After V.P., Speaker and Pro Tem
Oldest to newest departments:
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
Attorney General Eric Holder
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sibelius
Secretary of HUD Shaun Donovan
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
Administrator of EPA**, Lisa Perez Jackson
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Erik Shinseki
Secretary of Homeland Security** Janet Napolitano
Acting Dir. of Office of Mgmt. and Budget** Jeffrey Zients
* Not a natural born citizen and therefore unable to serve.
** A cabinet-level post not in the line of succession