THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IN THE USA

1. THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IN THE USA Unit 12

2. The American President, the Vice President, EOP and the Cabinet+Legislative process in the Congress

4. Constitution of the USA – Article II Section 1 - The President The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows: …

5. Powers of the President Read the text p. 106 & 107 and complete the table by describing the tasks of the President:

6. 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 President's desk. • the President is given two options: • sign the bill into law • 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.

7. Powers of the President – Article II of the US Constitution JUDICIAL 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.

8. Powers of the President – Article II of the US Constitution EXECUTIVE POWER • the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. - issues the final commands and directs the troops - 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,that must be approved by the Legislative Branch

9. Other functions in the executive branch – Complete the table.

10. PART II - 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.

11. Read the text p. 110 – 111 and make notes about the steps of impeachment procedure • House of Rep. makes impeachment resolutions • House Judiciary Committee decides … • The entire House of Rep. … • If approved, … • The HJ Committee drafts … • Ifat least one article approved, • The House of Rep. appoints … • The Senate conducts … • The Senate deliberates --- and votes …

12. ADDITIONAL PART– 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.

13. 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). →

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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.”