The Executive Branch
The President of the
United States
From our first President to the most recent, the
United States has had a wide array of men
leading our country.
George Washington (1)
Barack Obama (44)
We’ve had intellectuals…
…and Rednecks.
John Adams (2)
Andrew Jackson (7)
We’ve had rich men…
…and poor.
John F. Kennedy (35)
Abraham Lincoln (16)
We’ve had a whole line of Generals.
Washington (1), Jackson (7), Wm. H. Harrison (9)
Taylor (12), Pierce (14), A. Johnson (17)
Grant (18), Hayes (19), Garfield (20)
Arthur (21), B. Harrison (23), Eisenhower (34)
Eight Presidents have died in office.
Wm. H. Harrison (9), Taylor (12), Harding (29), F. D. Roosevelt (32)
Four of them were assassinated.
Lincoln (16), Garfield (20), McKinley (24), Kennedy (35)
One President got married in the White House.
Cleveland (21 and 23) – He was the only President
to win two separated terms in office.
Another one never married.
James Buchanan (15)
And we’ve had Nobel Peace Prize winners.
Woodrow Wilson (28)
Teddy Roosevelt (25)
Jimmy Carter (39)
Barack Obama (44)
…and we’ve had Presidents Impeached.
Andrew Johnson (17)
Bill Clinton (42)
One President even resigned amidst scandal.
Nixon (37)
Qualifications for Office
(from Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution)
(Same requirements for V.P.)
35 years old minimum age
Must have been born in the U.S.
U.S. Citizen
Live in the U.S. for last 14 years
4 year term (President Limited to 2 terms in office, plus a
maximum of 2 more years if he assumed the Presidency as VicePresident due to Presidential death, disability, or resignation.) 10
years max
Unofficial Requirements:
- male (no female presidents to date)
- white (only one of a racial minority to date)
- have previous political office (only five candidates of
a major political party have run for President since 1868 that
have not previously served in government. Most candidates
have been former Governors or Senators.)
- Christian (all have been some form of Christianity)
- Access to a lot of money (even if they aren’t
personally wealthy themselves)
Salary and Benefits:
$400,000 per year salary (Vice President makes $208,000/year)
$50,000 in non-taxable travel, entertainment, and other
official expenses
Use of limousines, airplanes (including Air Force One),
helicopters, bodyguards
Free housing including private movie theatre, bowling alley,
tennis court, swimming pool, 132 rooms
Free medical and dental care
Household staff of over 80 people
Retirement pension of $148,400 per year
After retirement: Free office space, $96,000 for office help, free
mailing service, bodyguards (though fewer than while in office)
(Side note: there has never been an attempt to assassinate or
kidnap a retired U.S. President to date)
President’s widow gets $20,000 per year in life insurance benefits
Duties of the President
Commander-in-Chief
- in charge of military
•When the president
acts in his capacity as
Commander-in-Chief
he is a civilian, not a
soldier
Head of State
- Ceremonial head of country
- grants pardons, amnesty, and
reprieves
- gives State of the Union
“from time to time”
Head of Government
- official leader of our government
- appoints people to lead government
agencies and departments (Senate
must approve all appointments)
- appoints judges (Senate must
approve all appointments)
-see’s that nations laws are carried out
Party Leader
- head of his political party
Chief Diplomat
- makes treaties with other nations’ governments
- makes executive agreements with leaders of other countries
- picks Ambassadors (Senate confirms appointments)
- determines foreign policy
Chief Economic Planner
- creates the national budget
Chief Legislator
- suggests bills Congress should introduce
- signs bills into law
- vetoes bills
Executive Order v. Law
Executive Order – President may give orders to anyone in
the Executive Branch. It does NOT require Congress to
approve or pass. It’s a rule, issued by the President, that has
the force of law
Law – Must be passed by both houses of Congress, but can
affect the whole country and apply to everyone.
Executive Agreement v. Treaty
Executive Agreement – President may make deals concerning
only Executive Branch agencies and personnel with the leader
of another government. It does NOT require the Senate’s
consent or approval.
Treaty – An agreement made between our country and another.
It affects more than the Executive Branch and does require the
Senate’s approval.
Mandate
- orders from one party to another; or
- the expressed will of the people
- What sort of things have Presidents and Congressmen done
claiming they had “a mandate from the people”?
Executive Privilege
- President does not have to share information (e-mail,
letters, phone conversations, or testimony) with Congress
- President immune to arrest or lawsuit while in office
- How might a President potentially abuse this privilege?
The Vice-President
Replaces the President in case of vacancy
President of the Senate (breaks tie votes only)
Advisor (cabinet member) to the President
Often selected to “balance the ticket” for a Presidential
election
•A vacancy in the Vice
Presidency can be filled
by the President
nominating someone, then
confirmed by a majority
vote in both the house and
senate
The Doomsday Plan
In case of disaster, our Government will go on…
Additional Doomsday Plans include:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Strategic Petroleum Reserve
- Stockpiled Food
- Portable Shelters
- Nuclear Triad
- Airborne Command Posts, Hardened Bunkers
- Evacuation plans, Disaster Training
- Entire government never together at any one time
Order of Presidential Succession
Est. by the 25th amendment in 1967
(List is located on page 359 of your textbook)
2. Vice President
3. Speaker of the House
4. President Pro Tempore
5. Secretary of State
6. Secretary of the Treasury
7. Secretary of Defense
8. Attorney General
9. Secretary of the Interior
10. Secretary of Agriculture
11. Secretary of Commerce
12. Secretary of Labor
13. Secretary of Health & Human Services
14. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development
15. Secretary of Transportation
16. Secretary of Energy
17. Secretary of Education
18. Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs
19. Secretary of Homeland Security
presidential succession defines who may become or act as President of
the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal
from office of a sitting president or a president-elect.
The Federal Bureaucracy
Bureaucrat
One of the vast millions of people who work for the Executive
Branch
Spoils System (1789-1883)
- Andrew Jackson: “To the victor go the spoils of war”
- President picks his followers to fill government jobs
Pendleton Act 1883 –Gov’t jobs should be rewarded based on merit
-President Chester Arthur creates due to
assassination of President Garfield
- Creates the Civil Service System
- Government workers must apply competitively for jobs
Hatch Act 1933
- Keeps Civil Service System politically neutral
- Government employees may not discuss or
promote politics on the job
Four types of Executive Offices
1. Executive Departments
- Lead by Cabinet Level Department Secretary
Department of State
- Handles relations with foreign governments
- Staffs Embassies around the world
- A U.S. Embassy is the official residence of
a U.S. Ambassador in a foreign country and
is considered sovereign U.S. territory
- U.S. Embassies are guarded by the U.S.
Marine Corps
Secretary of State - Hillary Clinton
Department of the Treasury
- Prints Money
-Operates the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
who collect taxes
Tim Geithner
Secretary of the Treasury
Department of Defense
- In charge of the Army, Navy and Marines, and Air Force,
and in time of war, the Coast Guard
- Each Service Branch has its own Department under the
DoD, except the Marine Corps, which is part of the Navy
Department
Sec. Def Robert Gates
Department of Justice
- Only Department to be lead by someone other than a
Department Secretary. Head of Justice Department is called
the Attorney-General, not “Secretary of Justice.”
- Operates Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF-E), U.S.
Marshall Service
Attorney General- Eric Holder
Department of the Interior
- Responsible for management of our natural resources
- Operates many government agencies including:
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
- National Park Service
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Department of Agriculture
- Protects the nation’s food supply
- Assists farmers
- Administers school lunch program
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Department of Commerce
- Regulates business and trade
- Administers NOAA, National Institute for Standards
and Technology, Patent and Trademark Office
Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank
Department of Labor
- Regulate and track the nation’s workforce
- Enforces minimum wage laws
- Operates the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), and the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA)
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Department of Health and Human Services
- Helps protect nation’s health
- Operates Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC-P), Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), Office of the Surgeon General, and Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services
DHHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD)
- Assists people in affording housing
HUD Secretary
Shaun Donovan
Department of Transportation
- Regulate our transportation system (airports, harbors,
highways, railways)
- Operates the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the
Maritime Administration, and the Federal Highway
Administration
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
Department of Energy
-Protects and regulates nation’s energy supply
-Operates the Atomic Energy Commission
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
Department of Education
- Regulates our nation’s schools
Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan
Department of Veterans Affairs
- Cares for our country’s veterans, administers
veterans’ health care and death benefits
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki
Department of Homeland Security
- Protects the nation against disaster or attack
- Administers the U.S. Coast Guard during peacetime,
FEMA, and coordinates intelligence information
between the CIA, FBI, DIA, and other intelligence and
law enforcement agencies
-Operates the Secret Service to bust counterfeiters and
guard the President
- Regulates immigration through the Immigration
Customs Enforcement Service (ICE)
Secretary of Homeland Security
Janet Napolitano
2. Independent Agencies
These are government agencies that are not controlled
by any specific Executive Department and report
directly to the President.
They include the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the
Social Security Administration.
3. Government Corporations
These are companies owned and operated entirely by
the U.S. Government.
They include the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
and the United States Postal Service (USPS).
4. Regulatory Commissions
Government Agencies designed to regulate various aspects
of American life, public safety, and business
They include the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
White House Chief of Staff
Bill Daley
highest ranking member of the
Executive Office of the President of the
United States and a senior aide to the
President.
Electing the President
• The Electoral College actually elects the
President and V.P., not the public.
• On Election Day in November, the public
decides who their electors will be.
• In December, those electors will then vote
for the President and Vice President.
2008 Electoral Map Results
Blue=Obama 365, Red=McCain 173
The number of Electors equals the number of
Congressmen for each state.
The only Federal Territory that gets to vote for
President is Washington, D.C. because the 23rd
Amendment allows them 3 Electors even though D.C.
does not have any Congressmen.
Today, the total number of electors is 538
In order to win the Presidency, a candidate must receive a
majority of electoral votes. 270 today
If no candidate has 270 or more EV, the House of
Representatives will select a President from the top 3
candidates with EV. The Senate will select a Vice President
from the top 3 Vice Presidential candidates with EV.
Terms
• Pardon - the release of an individual from
punishment
• Ambassador - title of a government’s official
representative in another country (work in
embassies)
• Civil Service System - the principle and practice
of government employment on the basis of open,
competitive examinations and merit
• Amnesty – The president can declare for illegal
immigrants to allow them to be here and not be
punished
That’s all the notes!!
(Whew!)