The Executive Branch

The President, the Vice President and Cabinet Officers

 

Objectives:

1)      Explain how the President is elected and his qualifications

2)      Describe the powers given to the President by the Constitution

3)      Explain the Cabinet System and detail the major offices found under the President

 

 

President – The Chief Executive

 

  • Article 2 of the Constitution – very brief in nature, especially considering the fact that the Executive Branch is the largest branch in the government, with thousands of people working for the President
  • Qualifications (VP is under the same):

·        35 years old

·        resident of the US for 14 years

·        natural born citizen (not naturalized)

  • Term: 4 years

·        Originally, could be elected an unlimited number of terms.  Washington’s 2 terms set the president, and no president challenged that idea until 1940, when FDR was elected for a 3rd term

·        22nd Amendment (1951) – President limited to 2 terms in office

·        Term originally began on March 4th, but now begins on Jan 20th (and has since the passage of the 20th Amendment in 1933)

·        “Lame-Duck Session” – period between the election in November and the inauguration in January.  During this time, the outgoing president is known as the “Lame-Duck”, and he often tries to give jobs to his political friends

  • Elected by the Electoral College – the popular vote winner in a state receives all that state’s electoral votes.  The Electoral College was set up by the founding fathers as a way to protect the people form themselves.  Originally, the people didn’t even go to the polls, as the electors were chosen by state legislatures until around the Civil War.  The number of electors each state has is equal to the number of representatives and senators due that state.  The only exception is the electors (3) for Washington DC, even though the residents of DC are not represented in either the House or the Senate.
  • If a candidate does not receive at least 50% of the Electoral College votes, the House of Representatives will choose the winner.  This has happened in a few elections, most recently in 1876.

 

 

 

 

Powers given to the President

 

·        Chief Executive – although the president is only one man, the executive branch is actually the largest branch of the federal government, consisting of over 3 million people, all dedicated to doing the same task: ENFORCING THE LAWS.  Cabinet Officers are responsible directly to the president, and each department enforces different types of laws.

·        Chief Diplomat – the president is responsible for dealing with other countries on behalf of the United States.  He appoints ambassadors, signs (or has his representatives sign) treaties with other countries (subject to approval of the Senate) and directs our overall foreign policy.

·        Commander in Chief – The president is authorized to use the military at his discretion, as long as Congress approves the use of those troops in a declaration of War (the president can use troops without congressional authorization for a period of 180 days under the 1972 War Powers Act)

·        Legislative Leader – Although the President does not make the laws, he does “suggest” the laws to be made to Congress.  The State of the Union Address, which is required of the President every year, is a great opportunity to put the President’s plan in front of the American public, many of whom will support it, and thus will call on their local congressman to support it.

·        Head of State – The president is the living symbol for the country.  When other leaders visit, they see the President and the White House as a representation of all of us.

·        Economic Leader – although the President does not raise or lower taxes, he is responsible for the creation of the Federal budget, our spending plan for the year.  This budget, which today numbers thousands of items and is the size of a large book, is then taken apart by Congress and passed piece by piece, after much debate.

·        Party Leader – the President makes policy for his political party, regardless of other views within the party.  For example, President Bush is calling for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, something Vice President Cheney opposes (his daughter is a lesbian).  The President’s position is the official position of the Republican Party, regardless of anyone else’s views.

 

Presidential Advisors

Cabinet – the heads of the Executive Departments

(all created by Congress under the elastic clause)

 

Department of State (1789)

o       Secretary of State (Colin Powell)

o       Responsible for foreign affairs (dealings with foreign countries)

 

Department of the Treasury (1789)

·        Secretary of the Treasury (John Snow)

·        Collects, borrows, spends and prints money

·        Responsible for the IRS (taxes), the US mint (coins) and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (paper money)

 

Department of Defense (1789)

·        Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld)

·        Called the “War Department” from 1789 to 1947

·        Responsible for managing the armed forces

 

Department of Justice (1870)

·        Attorney General (John Ashcroft)

·        prosecution of criminal acts under federal laws

 

Department of the Interior (1849)

·        Secretary of the Interior (Gale Norton)

·        Manages the nation’s public lands

·        Responsible for US dealings with the American Indians

 

Department of Agriculture (1889)

·        Secretary of Agriculture (Ann Veneman)

·        Assists farmers and others in rural parts of the country

 

Department of Commerce (1903)

·        Secretary of Commerce (Don Evans)

·        Supervises trade and promotes tourism and business

 

Department of Labor (1913)

·        Secretary of Labor (Elaine Chao)

·        Deals with labor unions, benefits and workers wages

 

Department of Health and Human Services (1953)

·        Secretary of Health and Human Services (Tommy Thompson)

·        Works for the health and well being of all Americans

 

Department of Housing and Urban Development (1965)

·        Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Alphonso Jackson)

·        Deals with the special problems associated with cities

 

Department of Transportation (1966)

·        Secretary of Transportation (Norman Mineta)

·        Manages the nation’s highways, railroads, airlines and sea traffic

 

Department of Energy (1977)

·        Secretary of Energy (Spencer Abraham)

·        Directs the overall energy plan for the nation

 

Department of Education (1979)

·        Secretary of Education (Rod Paige)

·        Responsible for federal funding for schools

·        Also responsible for the implementation of NCLB

 

Department of Veterans Affairs (1989)

·        Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Anthony Principi)

·        Directs services for all veterans (those who have served in wars)

 

Department of Homeland Security (2002)

·        Secretary of Homeland Security (Tom Ridge)

·        Oversees America’s defenses against terrorism

 

 

Other Executive Agencies

 

The executive branch controls many other agencies and businesses, such as the ones listed below.  These are not private businesses, but also are not under the cabinet officers.  They are run independently, and their directors are responsible directly to the President.

 

A)   US Postal Service

B)   NASA

C)   Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

 

Be sure to understand how government workers are classified as “Civil Service” workers (know what the term means) and the difference between the merit system and the spoils system for government jobs.  See page 185 for help with these topics.

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