The Executive branch

1. The Executive branch Chapter 6

2. Focus

3. Agenda • Qualifications and Terms of the Presidency • Powers and Roles of the President • Executive Departments and the Cabinet

4. I. The Presidency – Qualifications and Terms • Qualifications to be President • At least 35 years old • A native born citizen • Have lived in the US for at least 14 years • Terms and Conditions of the Presidency • The U.S. Constitution states that the President will serve a 4year term. Originally, the Constitution did not limit the number of terms a President can serve. No President served more than two until Franklin D. Roosevelt and he was elected to 4 terms. Today, the 22Amendment limits the number of terms to two. (10 year total) • The President is paid a salary of $450,000a year plus a nontaxable allowance of $50,000. • Common Traits • All have been male • All but one have been Caucasian (white) • Most have been wealthy • Many have been lawyers before their presidency • Most have had prior political experience at state or national level

5. The Vice President • Qualifications to be Vice President • SEE THE PRESIDENT’S QUALIFICATIONS • Terms and Conditions • The Vice President serves a four year term, just like the President. • The most important duty a Vice President is to serve as President in his absence. The Vice President also serves as the head of the SENATE. He can’t take part in debates and may only vote in the case of a tie. • The President has died 8 times while in office and one resigned. The Vice President has been sworn in as President 9times.

7. Presidential Succession • The _25th_ Amendment says that if the President dies or leaves office that the new President must nominate a new Vice President. That nomination must be approved with a majority in both houses. • The _20th_ Amendment gives Congress the power to set up _Presidential Line of Succession__.Succession is as follows: • __Vice President_________ • __Speaker of the House___ • __ President Pro Tempore • __ Department heads per the creation of the Executive Department___

8. II. Powers and Roles of the President • The Five Main Roles of the President + 1 • Chief Policy Maker/Legislator • Commander in Chief • Chief Diplomat • Chief Executive Officer • Chief of State • Chief of Really Cool Powers

9. 1. Chief Policy Maker/Legislator • (a) Every year the President delivers ____A State of the Union Address___in late January. In this speech the President suggests new laws he wants put into effect. This speech deals with the country’s most pressing concerns. • (b) The President also sends a budget to Congress suggesting how they should spend money on programs on the coming __Fiscal Year___. • The President also influences laws he wants by using the __VETO____power. It then takes Congress a 2/3 vote to overturn this action. The president also influences what bills Congress introduces.

10. 2. Commander in Chief • a. The President is in charge of U.S. troops during war or peacetime. The President is in constant contact with U.S. military leaders and has the final say in planning how a war is to be fought. • b. Only Congress can declare war, but the President can send troops abroad if U.S. interests are threatened. In 1973, Congress passed the _WAR POWERS ACT_,which only allowed the President to do this for 60-90 days.

11. 3. Chief Diplomat • a.) __Foreign Policy_____is the government’s plan for interacting with other countries. The President tries to secure friendly relations with foreign countries while preserving national security. • b.) The President appoints __DIPLOMATS__ to represent the U.S. in other countries. • c.) The President also meets with other foreign leaders. The interaction with other countries is known as _DIPLOMACY_____________. • d.) The U.S. also makes written agreements with other countries called __TREATIES_____.Many officials work on these agreements but the President has the final responsibility. The Senate must approve the treaty with a __2/3__vote, but the President makes sure it is carried out.

12. 4) Chief Executive Officer – Running the 15 Executive Departments – See Below • 5) Chief of State – Social type issues dealing with events inside the US – Ex. Meets the Super Bowl Champs Pittsburgh Steelers or give Congressional Medal of Honor for those who demonstrate “exemplary values of courage, sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism.”

13. 6) Chief of Really Cool Powers a.)____Appoints Supreme Court Justices, and other federal judges___ b.) ___REPRIEVE_____________________- postpones the carrying out of a person’s sentence. c.)____PARDON____- forgives a person of his or her crime and eliminates the punishment. d.) ___COMMUTATION_______- the power to reduce a person’s sentence.

14. III.) Executive Departments and the Cabinet • The president’s right hand man is the _Chief of Staff__- He/She is at the president’s side more than any person. Job includes arranging meetings, press conferences, etc. • The President has a group of close advisers and aides known as the __Cabinet__.The President needs many advisers and specialists to help formulate decisions. The Executive Depts. makes up this group. • Under George Washington there were __5__ departments in the cabinet, today there are _15__.The President appoints cabinet heads, but Senate must approve. • Usually the title given to a head of a department is __SECRETARY__,but the Department of Justice is headed by the _ATTORNEY GENERAL__.

15. Department of State • Foreign policy is the special responsibility of the Department of State. Today the Secretary of State is ___Hillary Clinton_______________. • Ambassadors_alsoserve in this department. They are highest-ranking U.S. officials in foreign countries. They work in an __EMBASSY_____in a foreign land. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGUI7kDLsQo • CONSULS_represents U.S. commercial interests in other countries. A consulate is their office, and they can be found in most large foreign cities. • The Dept. of State also must keep track of people traveling to and from the United States. It does this by issuing __VISAS______and ____PASSPORTS____.Visas allow foreigners to come to the U.S. Passports allow Americans to travel to other countries.

16. Department of Defense • The Department of Defense is in charge of the nation’s armies. Aside from war, it’s also responsible for organizing relief efforts. • The Secretary of Defense is always a __CIVILIAN__.This ensures nonmilitary control of the armed forces. The Secretary has high-ranking military officials to help and these assistants are known as the ___JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF___.This group advises the President on military affairs.

17. Other Departments • Department of Homeland Security _was established after the terrorist attacks in 2001. Its primary job is to prevent further terrorist attacks. • Department of the Treasury__promotes economic stability in the U.S. and the rest of the world. PRINT MONEY AND COLLECT TAXES • Department of Justice__enforces laws in the United States. TOP COP AND LAWYER FOR THE U.S.

18. e.) Independent Agencies and Regulatory Commissions – There are certain jobs that the 15 Departments do not do or that need to be outside of these departments’ power so we have these • There are independent agencies that specialize in certain aspects of the government. Ex.__NASA –space exploration, CIA – Central Intelligence Agency. • _REGULATORY COMMISSIONS____are types of agencies that have the power to bring violators to court. These are special in that they can bring violators to court and/or pay fines. • All the employees of these agencies compose the federal __BUREAUCRACY__.Almost 3 million people work in the bureaucracy. • f.) EXECUTIVE PRIVILAGE - The Power of the President to withhold information from Congress for the purpose of securing National Security

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