The Executive Branch

“I don’t know whether you fellows ever had a load of hayfall on you, but when they told me yesterday what hadhappened, I felt the moon, the stars, and all the planets hadfallen on me”

-Harry S. Truman, the day after FDR’s death.

I. The Executive Branch: Not only the President and Vice President, also The Cabinet and Government Agencies

______of the Constitution: The Executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States.

  1. Presidential Oath

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” –Article II, Constitution

  1. Term of Office-______; Allowed two terms

•Based off George Washington’s Presidency

•FDR had 4 terms

•After his (FDR’s) death amendment made it only 2 terms or 10 years in office.

  1. Qualifications

Formal

•Natural born citizen

•At least ______

•At least 14 years residency in the US

Informal

•______background?

•______experience? Ex: Governor

•Educational background

•Occupations

•______

  1. Chief Executive 3 Main Powers
  1. ______or Removal of key executive branch officials
  2. Issuing executive ______
  3. Maintaining executive ______-Appointment and Removal Powers

•Constitution gives president to appoint people to fill top posts in the executive branch

•Some are checked by the Senate

•Federal ______

•______Members

•Ambassadors to Foreign Nations

•Top Military Advisors

•President can remove them at anytime

•Except Federal Judges (Lifetime)-Congress can impeach

-Executive Orders

•A formal Rule or Regulation

•Instructing Executive Branch officials on how to carry out their job

•Controversy

•______

-Executive Privileges

•President can withhold information from Congress or a court

•United States v. Nixon 1974

•______

•Limited the executive privilege and power

  1. Check and Balances Review

-The Executive Branch is given the power to carry out the laws. It has the following checks over the Legislative Branch:

•______power

•Ability to call special sessions of Congress

•Can recommend ______

•Can appeal to the people concerning legislation and more

-The Executive Branch has the following checks over the Judicial Branch:

•President appoints ______and other federal judges

  1. ______Powers

-______Leader- formulates the nation’s plan and procedure with dealing with other countries.

Negotiating treaties

•2/3 Senate Vote to approve

•Diplomacy- the art of negotiating with foreign countries

-______Agreements

•Agreements between President and Foreign Governments

•Ex: NAFTA North American Free Trade Association

-______Recognition

•Recognizing the legitimacy of a foreign country

•Ex: Harry Truman recognized Israel in 1948, Controversial today

  1. Military Powers

-______

-Congress has power to declare war

President has called out the armed forces over 200 times (executive orders) Only 5 has Congress declared war

-Post-Vietnam saw the War Powers Act follow

  1. Roles (Official and Unofficial)

1. Head of State—______

a. Represents the Nation

b. Performs ______duties (hosts kings, queens, gives awards)

2. Chief Executive

  1. Head of Executive branch (enforces laws and programs)
  2. Tools that enforces laws
  3. Executive order-detailed instruction w/force of law
  4. ______
  5. Remove officials they appoint
  6. Executive privilege- president’s right not to over document or testify on executive confidential business
  7. Grants reprieves-postponement from punishment and pardons-release from prison or removal of a crime/penalty from criminal record
  8. Grants amnesty- forgiving of a crime (no punishment)

3. Chief Legislator-Chief ______

  1. State of the Union Address-describes the Pres. ideas about how to solve problems
  2. May give political favors for support
  3. May threaten to veto a bill to get Congress to stop or make changes to bills

4. ______

  1. Submits an annual economic report (includes unemployment, GDP, etc.)
  2. Prepares budget every year
  3. Promotes high employment, production and purchasing power

5.______

  1. Gives speeches to help members running for reelection
  2. Fundraiser for party

6. Chief Diplomat-Foreign Policy Leader

  1. Directs ______
  2. Makes treaties-agreements between countries
  3. Executive agreements-agreements between heads of states which do not require Senate approval
  4. May refuse to recognize the legal existence of other countries

7. ______

  1. Can send troops
  2. Responsible for key ______decisions
  3. Authority to use ______weapons
  1. Powers have also increased by actions of past presidents
  2. ______purchased LA Territory--the Const. does not state a Pres. can acquire territory
  3. ______jailed opponents of the Union without trials and blocked ports
  4. ______state it is the President’s duty to “do anything that the needs of the nation demanded
  5. ______persuaded Congress to create new social and economic programs--Americans began to expect the Pres. To deal directly with the nation’s economic and political life
  6. ______has been a source of presidential power
  7. LBJ reported destroyers attacked the Gulf of Tonkin--Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
  8. Congress asked for President leadership from FDR during the Depression
  9. ______--TV and radio can give the President great power
  10. Limits on Presidential power
  11. Congressional ______of vetoes
  12. Congress can ______the president
  13. The Courts can limit the president with judicial ______
  14. The Bureaucracy may not provide needed information
  15. Public opinion may cause presidents not to run for re-election
  16. Removal from Office
  17. The president shall be removed from office if convicted in an impeachment trial
  18. ______
  19. ______
  20. ______
  21. Other high crimes and misdemeanors
  22. This also applies to the Vice President
  23. Two Presidents were Impeached
  24. ______
  25. ______
  26. Richard Nixon resigned before impeachment
  27. Line of ______
  28. The order successors to the presidency if the president is unable to serve as specified in the Constitution
  29. ______
  30. Speaker of the House
  31. President ______of the Senate
  32. Secretary of State
  33. Line continues by each of the 14 headsof the Cabinet departments, in the order

in which their offices were created byCongress

  1. Vice President
  2. 1st in line in______.
  3. Changed very much from earlier VPs
  4. Duties
  5. Presides over the ______
  6. Votes in ______(50-50)
  7. Role in 25th Amendment
  8. Helps decide the question of Presidential ______
  9. Debate whether VP is an Executive or Legislative position or both.
  10. Federal Bureaucracy
  11. ______- Large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of the federal government
  12. Bureaucrats- civil servants who work for the Federal Bureaucracy
  13. Federal government is the largest organization in the country .Consists of four main groups:
  14. The White House staff
  15. The Executive Office of the President
  16. Executive departments
  17. ______agencies
  18. White House ______
  19. Consists of about 400 people
  20. Chief of Staff-Rahm Emanuel
  21. President’s most loyal aid
  22. ______controls who talks to president and who does not
  23. Provide guidance and advice on issues
  24. Executive Office of the President
  25. About ______employees
  26. Perform a variety of specialized tasks for President .Ex:
  27. Office of______—aids president in developing budget proposal to Congress
  28. National Security Council (NSC)—advises president on foreign and defense policy
  29. Executive Departments
  30. Carry out work of government in broad areas of public policy
  31. President’s ______
  32. State
  33. ______
  34. Interior
  35. ______
  36. Justice
  37. ______
  38. Labor
  39. ______
  40. Health and Human Services
  41. Housing and Urban Development
  42. ______
  43. Energy
  44. ______
  45. Veterans Affairs
  46. Homeland Security-last in line of presidential succession
  47. ______Agencies
  48. Independent establishments are created by Congress to address concerns that go beyond the scope of ordinary legislation.
  49. These agencies are responsible for keeping the government and economy running smoothly.
  50. Ex: AMTRAK, NASA, FDIC, Social Security Administration, USPS (postal service)
  51. ______Commissions
  52. Independent of all three branches
  53. ______
  54. Appointed by the president, approved by the Senate
  55. Unlike Bureaucrats, They do not report to the president and cannot be ______by president
  56. Impact our daily lives