Executive BranchChapter 7Section 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)

BackgroundPast Presidents have all been: White (except Obama) Male Protestants (except for Kennedy)

Other interesting facts: 1st Pres: George Washington 1st VP: John Adams 1st Pres. to die in office: William H. Harrison

Term of OfficeTerm of Office Four years Two-term limit or 10 years (if began during another’s term) Franklin D. Roosevelt & 22nd

Amendment(1951)-Roosevelt was elected to a 4th term in 1944. Congress passed the 22nd 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 representativesHow 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)

What are the consequences of president being elected by Electoral College, rather than popular election?

Salary/Benefits $400,000/year White House (gym, bowling alley,

heated pool) Camp David (estate in Maryland) Presidential Fleet of special cars,

helicopters & airplanes

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

25th AmendmentThere were still questions about how to

handle this situation, so 20 years later, in 1967, Congress passed the 25th Amendment.

If President dies or leaves office, VP becomes President and chooses another VP

**(Senate & House must approve)

25th 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 7, Section 2The 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.)

Roles of the President Chief Executive

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 7.3

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 policy- the nation’s overall plan for dealing with other nations

Foreign Policy Basic Goal

National security- ability 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 Agreements

Treaty- formal agreement between the governments of 2 or more countries Ex. NATO (North

Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Executive agreement- agreement between the president and the leader of another country

Appointing Ambassadors Ambassador- official representative of a country’s

government

Must be: Appointed by the president Approved by the Senate

John BoltUS 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 EMBARGO1962-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 7.4

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