The Executive Branch
President’s Job Description
• The President of the United States has many
roles to play.
• The President acts as the Chief of State – the
head of the government, and the face of the
nation.
• Chief Executive – the Constitution declares the
President as the executive or boss of the
government.
President’s Job Description
• Chief Administrator – President is in charge of 2.7
million civilian workers and a government that
spends $3 trillion dollars a year.
• Chief Diplomat – Meets and greets other world
leaders to discuss treaties, and joint solutions.
• Commander in Chief – Leader of the Armed
Forces and the 1.4 million men and women who
serve.
President’s Job Description
• Chief Legislator – Most important person in
shaping government policy.
• President recommends, and sometimes
demands Congressional actions.
• Chief of Party – leader of their political party
(Democrat, Republican).
President’s Job Description
• Chief Citizen – President must lead by example
when it comes to behavior, attitude, and
actions.
• The formal qualifications to become President
of the United States are clear:
– 35 years of age.
– Natural born citizen of the U.S.
– Resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.
President’s Job Description
• However, there are informal qualifications to
become President:
• President should have political experience.
• President should be likeable and intelligent.
President’s Job Description
• When elected, the President serves a fouryear term.
• Since 1951, with the adoption of the 22nd
Amendment, the terms are limited to two.
• Some critics of the amendment claim it is
unconstitutional by restricting citizens rights
to chose the President they want.
President’s Job Description
• Congress determines the salary for the
President.
• Since 2001 Presidents earn $400,000 per year.
• However, there are other benefits that go
along with the yearly salary.
President’s Job Description
• Presidents receive $50,000 a year for personal
expenses.
• Presidents and their families live in the 132room White House in Washington D.C.
• 18 acre estate, full service staff and workers as
well.
President’s Job Description
• Presidents also receive full access to Air Force
One.
• Camp David, a “get-away” complex in western
Maryland.
• Best healthcare available, and additional
entertainment funds as well.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• Which role of the presidency approves
deployment of military troops?
• What are the formal qualifications to become
President?
• Would you want to be President one day?
Why or why not?
Presidential Powers
• Powers of the President are discussed in
Article II of the Constitution.
• The description is not very detailed and this
has raised many questions.
• Should the President be more powerful then
Congress, or should Congress be more
powerful then the President.
Presidential Powers
• Power has grown for the President over the
past 200 years.
• The power of the President depended on the
personality of the President.
• Some President have used “executive powers”
to become more involved in American
business.
Presidential Powers
• The checks and balances system allows
Congress and the Supreme Court to limit the
President’s power.
• Congress can override vetoes – Congress
controls the “power of the purse” – Congress
can impeach the President.
Presidential Powers
• Presidents who use too much executive power
become what is called an “imperial presidency”.
• This is a presidency that is ruled too much like a
king, or an emperor.
• This is worrisome because the President would
not be acting for the people in this instance.
Presidential Powers
• Presidents have the power to issue what is
called executive orders.
• These are rules and regulations that are
similar to laws – but they don’t need
Congressional approval.
• Presidents also have the power to appoint
top-ranking officials in the government.
Presidential Powers
• Remember – the Senate must approve all
presidential appointments.
• President can also remove anyone that he
appoints.
• Critics claim this is unconstitutional – if Senate
approves appointments, then Senate should
approve removals.
Presidential Powers
• Presidents also have the power of executive
privilege.
• Under executive privilege the President can
refuse to disclose information to Congress or
the courts.
• However, executive privilege cannot be used
in criminal hearings.
Presidential Powers
• There are also informal powers that the
President has as well.
• For instance, the President can address the
American public at any time through the
media.
• These are considered the media powers of the
President.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• What part of the Constitution talks about the
powers of the executive branch?
• What is the fear of an “imperial presidency”?
• Use p. 402 in your textbook and analyze the
political cartoon on the right.
Diplomat and Chief
• Two of the president’s largest and most
important roles are Chief Diplomat and
Commander in Chief.
• A nation’s foreign policy is called diplomacy.
• Therefore, a diplomat is someone who deals
with foreign affairs.
Diplomat and Chief
• The president receives and meets with heads
of other nations.
• As Chief Diplomat, the president is also
responsible for making treaties.
• When the president makes a treaty, the
Senate must approve them before they are
become law.
Diplomat and Chief
• Not all treaties the president wants are
accepted by the Senate.
• For example, in 1920 the Treaty of Versailles
that ended World War I was rejected by the
Senate.
• The treaty called for the U.S. to join the
League of Nations – Senate did not want.
Diplomat and Chief
• Because of the possible rejection of treaties by
the Senate, the president sometimes uses an
executive agreement.
• An executive agreement is the same as a
treaty except it does not need Senate
approval.
• When presidents change, executive
agreements can change – they are not law.
Diplomat and Chief
• The U.S. only recognizes heads of nations they
consider legit and legal.
• The worst act of diplomacy the U.S. can do to
another nation is to not recognize them.
• This is called persona non grata and the U.S.
may recall their ambassador.
Diplomat and Chief
• Acting as Commander in Chief is also an
important role for the president.
• Even though the Constitution says Congress
must declare war – the president has a ton of
military control.
• It is possible for the U.S. to fight an
undeclared war – Korea and Vietnam.
Diplomat and Chief
• Operation Iraqi Freedom was an undeclared
war – but Congress agreed to allow President
Bush to do “what was necessary” to eliminate
Saddam Hussein as a threat.
• To prevent a president from abusing the
Commander in Chief power the War Powers
Resolution of 1973 was established.
Diplomat and Chief
• President Lyndon Johnson and President
Nixon operated fighting in Vietnam during the
1960s and 1970s.
• War was never declared prompting many
protests back home in the U.S.
• Some saw this action as abuse of military
power by the president.
Diplomat and Chief
• The War Powers Resolution of 1973 limited
the president’s war making powers.
• President can now only use military when, 1.
Congress declares war.
• 2. Congress authorizes military action.
Diplomat and Chief
• Or, 3. Country is attacked, in which president
has 60 days to use the military as he wishes.
• After 60 days, Congress must approve any
further action.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• What does diplomacy mean?
• What is the difference between an executive
agreement and a treaty?
• How does the War Powers Resolution of 1973
limit the president’s war making powers?
President Making Law
• The president as Chief Legislator initiates,
suggests, and demands Congress to make law.
• Every January, the president gives a speech
called the State of the Union Address.
• In this speech, the president gives Congress
his ideas on the direction of the country.
President Making Law
• The State of the Union Address is important to
hear what the president’s views are.
• To further show how important the president
is to the law making process look at the last
step of passing a bill.
• The president’s action is the final step in the
process.
President Making Law
• Remember, the president has four options
when a bill passed by Congress reaches his
desk.
• 1. President can sign the bill, and it becomes
law.
• 2. President can veto the bill and send it back
to Congress.
President Making Law
• 3. President can not sign it, and bill becomes
a law after 10 days.
• 4. President can use pocket veto, not sign it
and bill dies if Congress adjourns before 10
days.
• The president has power over what becomes a
law.
President Making Law
• Although veto is rarely used, just the threat of
a veto often forces Congress to change a bill.
• Besides a veto, president can use a signing
statement to change a bill.
• A signing statement is used after the president
signs a bill into law.
President Making Law
• The president can comment on the bill and
question it’s constitutionality, or determine
when it the law can be applied and not.
• President Bush used signing statements over
1,200 times – angered many Democrats.
• When a bill is vetoed, the entire bill is rejected
– not just parts of it.
President Making Law
• This has caused some people to support a
line-item veto.
• This would allow the president to veto specific
lines of a bill.
• Line-item vetoes are not allowed – must
become an amendment.
President Making Law
• The president also has other law making
powers, such as calling a special Congressional
session.
• This rarely happens though – usually president
threatens one to force a compromise.
• President also has special power when it
comes to criminals.
President Making Law
• President can reprieve – or postpone – a
death sentence.
• President can issue a pardon – or forgive
someone for a crime.
• Pardons must be accepted however, and they
are not always accepted – shows admission of
guilt.
President Making Law
• President can also commute a sentence –
which means to reduce it.
• The president can also grant amnesty – which
is a blanket pardon given to many people at
once.
• For example, President Carter granted
Vietnam draft dodgers amnesty in 1977.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• Explain how a veto is different from a pocket
veto.
• What is a line-item veto?
• Explain the president’s powers when it comes
to dealing with criminals.
Federal Bureaucracies
• The Federal Government is LARGE!
• It has to be large – it runs the entire nation.
• The Federal Government has to collect taxes,
organize government, run elections, regulate
businesses…a lot of work.
Federal Bureaucracies
• A bureaucracy is a complex structure that
handles the everyday business of an
organization.
• Every major organization has a bureaucracy –
MTV, The Air Force, McDonalds, the Roman
Catholic Church.
• Yes – that means the Federal Government has
a bureaucracy.
Federal Bureaucracies
• The features of the Federal Bureaucracy are as
follows.
• 1. It has a hierarchical authority – or a
pyramid of power.
• The top of the pyramid holds the heads of the
organization, the bottom holds the least
power.
Federal Bureaucracies
• 2. Job specialization – everyone within the
pyramid of power have specific roles they are
expected to do.
• 3. Formulized roles – the bureaucracy has
written procedures to minimize confusion.
Federal Bureaucracies
• The Federal Bureaucracy allows the large
Federal Government to run efficiently.
• The Federal Bureaucracy is made up of all the
people and agencies that make the Federal
Government function.
• Most of the bureaucracy lies within the
Executive Branch.
Federal Bureaucracies
• Because most of it belongs to the Executive
Branch, the president is also Chief
Administrator.
• There are three main groups of the
bureaucracy that make up the Executive
Branch.
Federal Bureaucracies
• 1. The Executive Office of the President.
• 2. The 15 Cabinet Departments.
• 3. Independent Agencies.
• All agencies in these groups are either staff
agencies or line agencies.
Federal Bureaucracies
• Staff agencies are support agencies – they
function by offering advice on how the Federal
Government should function.
• Line agencies actually perform the tasks and
do the work of the Federal Government.
• Examples are the National Security Council
and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Federal Bureaucracies
• The NSC advises the president on policy and
decision making.
• The EPA enforces anti-pollution laws, and
regulates corporations.
• The NSC is a staff agency, and the EPA is a line
agency.
Federal Bureaucracies
• Remember this about Federal Bureaucracies:
• 1. Each battles for larger share of budget.
• 2. Each wants to retain or expand staff.
• 3. Each wants to maintain goodwill of
Congress.
• 4. Each are concerned with goodwill of
President.
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• What is the Federal Bureaucracy, and what
does it do?
• What is the difference between staff agencies
and line agencies?
• What four things are important to the Federal
Bureaucracy?
Cabinet Departments
• Alexander Hamilton once said – “The true test
of a good government is its aptitude and
tendency to produce a good administration.”
• The President has many people help him do
his job successfully.
• However, none are more important than his
Cabinet.
Cabinet Departments
• Much of the work done by the Federal
Government is done by the 15 Cabinet
Departments.
• The Cabinet is also called the President’s
Advisory Group.
• Each Department is headed by a secretary –
except for one – the Department of Justice.
Cabinet Departments
• The Department of Justice is headed by the
attorney general.
• Each department head is the link between
presidential policy and their own department.
• They are responsible for making sure the will
of the President is being carried out.
Cabinet Departments
• Each department secretary is aided by an
undersecretary or a deputy secretary.
• Each secretary, or deputy secretary
appointment is made by the President and
approved by the Senate.
• Each department is also made up of subunits
– staff and line agencies.
Cabinet Departments
• Remember – staff agencies are advisory and
line agencies are action.
• Example – The Department of Justice is a
Presidential Cabinet.
• However, the Criminal Division is a subunit of
the Department of Justice.
Cabinet Departments
• And, the Counterterrorism Section and
Narcotics Section are subunits even further.
• Recall the pyramid of hierarchy that makes up
the Federal Bureaucracy.
• The subunits of the Cabinet Departments are
regionally placed to work throughout the
entire country.
Cabinet Departments
• Take the Department of Veteran’s Affairs as an
example.
• There are over 150 Veteran Medical Centers
around the nation, and 800 outpatient
Veteran medical offices.
• In fact, 90-percent of Cabinet employees work
outside of Washington D.C.
Cabinet Departments
• The Department of State is the oldest and
most prestigious of the Cabinets.
• The current Secretary of State is Hillary
Clinton.
• The Department of Defense is the largest with
700,000 civilian and 1.4 military members.
Cabinet Departments
• Department of Health and Human Services
has the largest budget of the Cabinets.
• It accounts for 25-percent of the total federal
spending.
• The youngest Cabinet Department is the
Department of Homeland Security –
established in 2002.
Cabinet Departments
• Important to know – the President’s Cabinet
serves as an advisory group to the President.
• However, the President does not have to take
their advice.
• President Lincoln’s quote – “7 nays and 1 aye –
well, looks like the ‘ayes’ have it.”
YOUR TURN TO WRITE
• What is the role of the President’s Cabinet?
• How many Cabinet Departments are there?
• What does it mean to say that each Cabinet
Department has subunits?
• What is the oldest department? Newest?