Executive Branch Chapter 6 Section 1
The president of the United States carries with it a responsibility so personal as to be without parallel No one can make decisions for him Even those closest to him never know all the reasons why he does certain things and comes to certain conclusions. To be President of the United States is to be lonely, very lonely at times of great decisions. -Harry S. Truman
Presidential Requirements At least 35 years old Native-born US citizen Resident of US for at least 14 years (US Constitution, Article II, Section 1)
Background Past Presidents have all been: White (except Obama) Male Protestants (except for Kennedy) Other interesting facts: 1 st Pres: George Washington 1 st VP: John Adams 1 st Pres. to die in office: William H. Harrison
Term of Office Term of Office Four years Two-term limit or 10 years (if began during another s term) Franklin D. Roosevelt & 22 nd Amendment(1951)-Roosevelt was elected to a 4 th term in 1944. Congress passed the 22 nd Amendment, which limits each president to two elected terms in office or a maximum of 10 years.
Election Process Two steps of Election of President: Popular Election: citizens vote for electors Electoral College: electors vote for president
Electoral College 538 Electors (Washington, D.C. has 3) The number of electors each state receives is the state s number of senators + number of representatives How many electors does Alabama get? Meet at state capitals after popular election Most states use winner-take-all method (candidate who wins popular election receives all of the electors votes) Must win 270 votes to be elected (one more than half) Only five U.S. Presidents have lost the popular vote and still won the election: John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford B. Hayes, (1876) Benjamin Harrison (1888), George W. Bush (2000), and Donald Trump (2016)
What are the consequences of president being elected by Electoral College, rather than popular election?
Salary/Benefits $400,000/year $50,000 expense account/year $100,000 nontaxable travel expense account $19,000 for entertainment White House (gym, bowling alley, heated pool) Camp David (estate in Maryland) Presidential Fleet of special cars, helicopters & planes
Presidential Succession (1947 Presidential Succession Act) In 1947, Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act, which established a line of succession after the vice president if the president dies or leaves office. Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro Tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General Secretary of the Interior Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Labor Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Energy Secretary of Education Secretary of Veterans Affairs Secretary of Homeland Security
25 th Amendment There were still questions about how to handle this situation, so 20 years later, in 1967, Congress passed the 25 th Amendment. If President dies or leaves office, VP becomes President and chooses another VP **(Senate & House must approve)
25 th Amendment, continued Has only been used 3 times: 1973 VP Spiro Agnew resigned and was replaced by Gerald Ford 1974 Nixon resigned; Ford became president and appointed Nelson Rockefeller as VP 1985 Ronald Reagan underwent surgery, he appointed George H.W. Bush as acting president
Chapter 6, Section 2 The President s Job
Frankly, being President is rather an unattractive business unless one relishes the exercise of power. That is a thing which has never greatly appealed to me. -Warren Harding
Constitutional Powers Veto, or reject, bills Call Congress into special session Serve as Commander in Chief Receive foreign leaders Make treaties (requires Senate approval) Make appointments Cabinet Supreme Court judges Ambassadors Pardon or reduce penalties of those convicted of federal crimes (This comes from Article II of the Constitution.)
Chief Executive Roles of the President Gives executive orders, a rule or command that has the force of law. (Ex. Harry Truman issue executive order to integrate the armed forces in 1948) May give pardon, reprieve or amnesty. Pardon: declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment Reprieve: delay person s punishment until higher court hears case Amnesty: pardon toward group of people Chief Diplomat Directs foreign policy Commander in Chief In charge of the army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard Has power to order troops into action **Only Congress can declare war. This is an example of checks and balances. Also, president must get approval from Congress if troops are there for more than 90 days.
Other Roles, cont. Legislative Leader Most of the bills Congress considers come from the President and his legislative program, or the laws that he wants Congress to pass Head of State Living symbol of nation (Ex. Lighting national Christmas tree) Economic Leader Plans federal budget Party Leader Gives speeches for other party members running for offices and helps raise money
Chapter 6.3 Making Foreign Policy
We must have a policy to guide our relations with every country in every part of the world. No country is so remote from us that it may not someday be involved in a matter that threatens the peace...who knows what may happen in the future? Our foreign policy must be universal. -Harry Truman
The President and Foreign Policy Foreign policythe nation s overall plan for dealing with other nations
Foreign Policy Basic Goal National securityability to keep the country safe from attack or harm Other goals International trade Promoting world peace Promote democracy
Tools of Foreign Policy Creating treaties/executive agreements Appointing ambassadors Foreign aid International Trade Military Force
Creating Treaties & Executive Treaty- formal agreement between the governments of 2 or more countries Ex. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Executive agreementagreement between the president and the leader of another country Agreements
Appointing Ambassadors Ambassador- official representative of a country s government Must be: Appointed by the president Approved by the Senate Nikki Haley US Ambassador to the UN
Foreign Aid Money, food, military or other assistance sent to other countries Example: Marshall Plan (program used to rebuild Western Europe after WWII) George Marshall won the Nobel Peace Prize for developing the Marshall Plan.
International Trade Ability to make agreements with other nations about the exchanging of products Trade sanctions- efforts to punish another nation by imposing trade barriers Embargo- agreement among a group of nations that prohibits them all from trading with a target nation
America s longest embargo CUBAN EMBARGO 1962-present
Military Force As commander in chief, president may use military to carry out certain foreign-policy decisions Ex. Washington used troops to put down Whiskey Rebellion; Clinton ordered cruise missiles to be launched at terrorist facilities in Afghanistan & Sudan in 1998; Bush used military to invade Iraq in 2003
Chapter 6.4 Presidential Advisors
Executive Office of President president s administration Created by FDR s administration in 1939 2,000+ employees $100m budget Responsibilities Prepare reports on special projects Help write bills Check on other agencies
Other Important EOP Agencies Office of Management & Budget Prepares federal budget and monitors spending National Security Council Assists president with military and foreign policy Office of Administration Council of Economic Advisers Gives presidents advice about economic matters
White House Office ~500 people President s political advisors Examples: Deputy Chief of Staff Assistant for Domestic Affairs Counsel (lawyers) Press Secretary
Cabinet 15 departments Not mentioned in the Constitution Heads must be approved by Senate Examples: Department of State Department of Treasury Department of Defense Newest: Department of Homeland Security