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 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.


• 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).


• 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.


• However, there are informal qualifications to become President:

• President should have political experience.

• President should be likeable and intelligent.


• When elected, the President serves a four-year 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.


• 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.


• Presidents receive $50,000 a year for personal expenses.

• Presidents and their families live in the 132-room White House in Washington D.C.

• 18 acre estate, full service staff and workers as well.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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 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 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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.


• 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?

Documents

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