The American Presidency

1. The American Presidency Unit 16

2. MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE POWER, but has an impact on other branches of power

3. Powers of the President – Article II of the US Constitution LEGISLATIVE POWER • a bill passed by Congress to become a law, it has to go the the President's desk. • the President is given two options: he can either sign the bill into law, or he can veto the bill. The presidential veto rejects the bill and sends it back to Congress. The only way to override the veto is for two-thirds of both houses to vote to override it. • thispower comes from the United States President's check over the Legislative Branch.

4. Powers of the President – Article II of the US Constitution JUDICIAL POWER • power to appoint judges to federal courts of appeals and the United States Supreme Court. For each of the open positions, the President nominates a person, who then must be approved by the Senate, one of the Houses of the Legislative Branch. • Federal judges are appointed for life, so this compounds an already important decision.

5. Powers of the President – Article II of the US Constitution EXECUTIVE POWER • the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. He issues the final commands and directs the troops. (the President cannot declare war or decide on the funding for the military. That power rests with Congress.) • directs US foreign policy and functions as the Chief Diplomat for the nation. • negotiate treaties,which must be approved by the Legislative Branch

6. The United States Congress • the bicamerallegislature of • the federal government of the United • States, • consisting of two houses: • 1. the Senate and • 2. the House of Representatives. • Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election.

7. The seat of the Congress The Congress meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

8. Representation in the CongressThe House of Representatives • Each of the 435 population-based districts has representatives (The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435) + five delegates representing the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A resident commissioner represents Puerto Rico • They serve a two-year term. • "House" seats are apportioned among the states by population. →proportional representation

9. Who are representatives in the House? – Their duties • a representative must be at least 25 years old, • a United States citizen for at least seven years • an inhabitant of the state he or she represents. • DUTIES:representatives introduce bills and resolutions, offer amendments and serve on committees

10. Representation in the CongressThe Senate • one chamber of the federal government’s legislative branch • 100 Senators serve six-year terms. Each state has two senators, regardless of population. • approximately one-third of the total membership of the Senate is elected every two years

11. Who are Senators? – their tasks • a Senator must be at least thirty years of age • have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and, when elected, • be a resident of the state from which he or she is chosen. TASKS: • propose, author, and vote on federal legislation that touches upon all aspects of U.S. domestic and foreign policy. • provide advice and consent on executive nominations and treaties • conduct oversight of all branches of the federal government

12. Powers of the two houses • The US Constitution vests all legislative power in the Congress. The House and Senate are equal partners in the legislative process-legislation cannot be enacted without the consent of both chambers • however, the Constitution grants each chamber some unique powers.

13. Unigue powers • The Senate - approves treaties and presidential appointments. - has the sole power to try impeachment cases. • The House of Representatives • passes revenue-raising bills • has the sole power of impeachment

14. Study the following collocations • to win / lose the votes • to establish the criteria of ... • the change in the attitude of • to nominate somebody to... • to veto something • to pass a bill with a two-thirds majority • the process of impeachment • the sole power of impeachment 9. to try impeachment

15. Collocations – PART II 10. to perform the function of an indictment 11. to act as the prosecutor (the House) 12. to sit as a court (the Sentate) 13. Impeachment proceedings 14. a two-thirds vote for conviction 15. the grounds for impeachment (treason, bribery, misdemeanor=misconduct) 16. to bring impeachment action against somebody 17. to resign from office

16. Establish the proper word order to get the definition of impeachment. official Means or her and misconduct public office for aiming at his of a accusation removal from prosecution of

17. Impeachment Means of accusation and prosecution of a public official for misconduct, aiming at his or her removal from office. The grounds for impeachment Constitution, Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice-President and all civil officers of the Unied States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and on conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

18. Read the text of the Unit 15 (p. 70) and answer the questions. • What is the authority of the US President based on? • What kind of an impact does the President have on the Supreme Court of the USA? • How can the President communicate with the Congress? • How can the President take part in the legislation? • How can the President be removed from office? • What is impeachment? Which document is the legal basis of the impeachment procedure? • What is the role of the House of Representatives in the impeachment procedure? • Explain the role of the Senate related to the impeachment. • Which are the grounds of impeachment? • How often has the process of impeachment been completed in the history?

19. PART II – LEGISLATIVE PROCESS OF THE US CONGRESS Article I of the U.S. Constitution: Section I All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

20. PHASES OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS- sponsors + HR • a representative sponsors a bill (sponsor's signature must appear on the bill) = any member in the House of Representatives may introduce a bill at any time while the House is in session • the bill is then assigned to a committee of the HR for study - a public hearing - committee members hear witnesses representing various viewpoints on the measure → After hearings - the bill is considered in a session popularly known as the “mark-up” session (members of the committee study the viewpoints presented). →

21. PHASES OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS → Amendments may be offered to the bill, and the committee members vote to accept or reject these changes. → If released by the committee, the bill is put on a calendar to be voted on, debated or amended in the HR. → If the bill passes by simple majority (218 of 435), the bill moves to the Senate.

22. Examples of committees in HR The House’s committees consider bills and issues and oversee agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions. • Agriculture • Appropriations • Armed Services • Budget • Education and the Workforce • Energy and Commerce • Ethics • Financial Services

23. Examples of committees in HR • Foreign Affairs • Homeland Security • House Administration • Judiciary • Natural Resources • Oversight and Government Reform • Rules • Science, Space, and Technology • Small Business • Transportation and Infrastructure • Veterans’ Affairs, etc.

24. PHASES OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS-the Senate 3. In the Senate, the bill is assigned to one of the Senate committees - released, debated and voted on →a simple majority (51 of 100) passes the bill IN CASE OF DIFFERENCES: a Conference Committee made of House and Senate members works out any differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The resulting bill returns to the House and Senate for final approval. The Government Printing Office prints the revised bill in a process called enrolling.

25. Examples of committees in the Senat Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, and Transportation Energy and Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Finance Foreign Relations Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Judiciary Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans' Affairs

26. PHASES OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS- the President A bill must pass both bodies in the same form before it can be presented to the President for signature into law. → it is considered “enrolled” LAST PHASE: the President (10 days to react to the enrolled bill) a) may sign the measure into law, b) veto it and return it to Congress, c) let it become law without signature (2/3 majority of both Houses may override the veto), d) or at the end of a session, pocket-veto it

27. Pocket-veto is an absolute veto that cannot be overridden. The veto becomes effective when the President fails to sign a bill after Congress has adjourned and is unable to override the veto. The authority of the pocket veto is derived from the Constitution’s Article I, section 7, „…the Congress by their adjournment prevent its (a bill’s) return, in which case, it shall not be a law.”