Chapter 6 Section 1(pgs.160-162) The Presidency Essential Question: What are the Qualifications to become the President and the duties of the Vice President?

The Presidency (pg.160-161) The president is the highest elected American official Presidents are elected to 4 year terms The 22 Amendment in 1951 set a two-term limit for presidents The president’s salary is $400,000 with a $50,000 nontaxable allowance plus a yearly travel allowance Common traits amongst presidents include: men, white, Christian, college graduate, former lawyers, former state or national political officers In 2008, Barack Obama became the first African American president There are 3 requirements to be the president 1) Must be a native-born U.S. citizen 2) Must be at least 35 years old 3) Must have been a U.S. resident for at least 14 years

The Vice Presidency (pgs.161-162) The vice president must meet the same constitutional requirements as the president and also serves 4-year terms The vice president’s salary is $208,100 with a $10,000 taxable allowance By the Constitution, the vice president is always the presiding officer of the Senate, but not a member of it. They only vote when there’s a tie Recent presidents have given their vice presidents much greater responsibilities than described in the Constitution

The Rules of Succession (pg.162) By the Constitution, the vice president becomes the president if the acting president is unable to fulfill their duties. This has happened 9 times 8 by death 1 by resignation (Nixon) The 25 Amendment allows for new president to nominate a new vice president The nomination must be approved by Congress majority vote The 20 Amendment states that presidential succession is to occur if both the president and vice president are unable to fulfill their duties Presidential Succession: the order in which the office of president is to be fulfilled if it becomes vacant 3rd in line to the president is the Speaker of the House 4th in line to the president is the President Pro Tempore in the Senate 5th in line and afterwards are the member’s of the president’s cabinet in the order in which their department was created

Chapter 6 Section 2 (pgs.164-166) Powers and Roles of the President Essential Question: What are some leadership roles and powers of the president?

The President’s Roles (pgs164-166) Legislative Leader, Commander in Chief, and Foreign Policy Leader are 3 very important roles the president takes on Legislative Leader (pg.164) The President works closely and often with Congress to help address many of the nation’s most pressing problems This includes suggesting new laws, proposing a federal budget that includes both how the government should raise and spend money, recommend laws and programs that help the economy and the president’s personal goals for the nation The president delivers a State of the Union Address at least once a year. State of the Union Address: a yearly report by the president to Congress describing the nation’s condition and recommending programs and policies A president’s State of the Union Address usually occurs in January and is delivered in the U.S. Capital Building to all Congress members and broadcasted live for all Americans Vetoing laws Congress creates gives the president powerful influence on Congress’ decisions

Commander in Chief (pg.165) The president is the leader of the U.S. military (armed forces) The president has final say in how a war is fought The president can send U.S. troops to any part of the world that they feel the U.S. interests are threatened War Powers Resolution Act of 1973 limited the president’s sending troops out for more than 60 days unless approve by Congress

Foreign Policy Leader (pgs.165-166) Foreign Policy: a country’s plan for dealing with other countries of the world The president’s responsible for maintaining and improving U.S. relations with foreign countries while protecting national security The president often visits foreign countries and talks to leaders of foreign countries to strengthen America’s relations with other countries The president appoints representatives (diplomats) for the U.S. Government to represent the U.S. to particular foreign countries for diplomacy matters Diplomacy: the art of dealing with foreign governments The president is allow to make treaties with foreign countries. Treaties: written agreements between nations The Senate approves all treaties by 2/3rds vote The president is responsible for making sure the treaty is executed

More Presidential Powers (pg.166) By constitutional power, the president appoints Supreme Court justices and other federal judges These justices appointments must be approved by the Senate by a majority vote The president can reprieve, pardon, and commutation federal criminals depending upon their crimes Reprieve: a postponement in the carrying out of a prison sentence Pardon: an official act by the president or by a governor forgiving a person convicted of a crime and freeing that person from serving out his or her sentence Commutation: the art of making a convicted person’s sentence less severe

Chapter 6 Section 3 (pgs.168-170) Executive Departments and the Cabinet Essential Question: What are some executive departments and their responsibilities?

Executive Departments and the Cabinet (pgs.168-169) The Executive Office and the Cabinet (PGS.168-169) Executive Office of the President: the president’s close group of advisors and aides The president depends upon this group for advice on the many complex and various issues they deal with People who work at the White House include the president’s closest personal and political advisors, a press secretary, researchers, clerical staff, secretaries, and other assistants Under George Washington, America’s 1st president, the executive branch only had 3 departments. Today there are 15 departments Each executive department has a specific/ distinct area of responsibility

The Executive Office and the Cabinet (pgs.168-169) The leaders of each of these departments are part of the president’s cabinet The president can only appoint/ nominate cabinet members The Senate must approve the appointments by a majority vote Most department leaders/ cabinet members office title is secretary Secretary: an official who heads an executive department in the federal government However, the Department of Justice department leader is called the attorney general Attorney General: the chief legal officer of the nation or of a state

Departments of State and Defense (pg.169) The Department of State and Defense maintain U.S. relations with the rest of the world Department of State (pg.169) They’re responsible for handling U.S. foreign policy The leader is title the Secretary of State. Abroad, the Department of State oversees ambassadors and their embassies, consuls and their consulates Ambassador: the highest-ranking officials representing a government in a foreign country Embassy: the official residence of an ambassador in a foreign country Consul: an official who works to promote U.S. commercial interests in a foreign country Consulate: the office of a consul

Departments of Defense and State (pg.169) At home, the Department of State tracks international travelers through passports and visas Passports: formal documents that allow U.S. citizens to travel abroad Visas: Documents that allow people from one country visit another country Department of Defense (pg. 169) They’re in charge of U.S.’s armed forces/ military The Secretary of Defense is always a civilian This ensures nonmilitary control over the nation’s armed forces The Secretary of Defense’s assistants include military officers The highest-ranking officer in each branch of military form the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Chiefs of Staff: the group made up of the highest ranking officers from the army, navy, air force, marines, and national guard that advises the president on military affairs They advise the president on military affairs

Other Executive Departments (pg.170) Executive departments can be reorganized if needed or created if necessary by Congress The Department of Homeland Security was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks Department of Homeland Security: executive department of the federal government established after terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 to protect the United States against future terrorist attacks The department’s primary mission is to prevent terrorism, but they also assist with natural disasters (Ex. Hurricane Katrina) The Department of Treasury promotes economic prosperity and stability by managing federal taxes, currency, and federal crimes involving money The Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing American laws, and ensuring public safety against foreign and domestic threats, and ensuring fair and impartial justice for all Americans

Chapter 6 Section 4 (pgs.171-173) Independent Agencies and Regulatory Commissions Essential Question: What are the different types of duties the executive department’s independent agencies perform?

Independent Agencies (pg.171) Independent Agencies: agencies in the executive branch of the federal government formed by Congress to help enforce laws and regulations not covered by the executive departments The executive branch has more than 65 independent agencies They perform specialized duties that often don’t fit within any of the 15 departments of the executive branch NASA is one of these independent agencies Some agencies like the Office of Personnel Management and General Services Administration assist all 3 branches of government Why are independent government agencies important?

Regulatory Commissions (pgs.172-173) Regulatory Commission: independent agencies created by Congress that can make rules concerning certain activities and bring violators to court These agencies are usually established by Congress due to a perceived need Leaders of these commissions are appointed by the president These appointments must be approved by the Senate Congress allows these leaders serve long terms to ensure no commissioner has been too heavily influenced by one president Since these commissions are independent, they can enforce a lot of power in their particular areas Opponents of these commissions say they’re too powerful and over-regulate/ interfere too much in daily lives Proponents of these commission say they’re needed to protect the public What makes a regulatory commission different from other independent agencies?

The Federal Bureaucracy (pg.173) Bureaucracy: the many departments and agencies at all levels of government Almost 3 million people worked in the U.S’s bureaucracy from Washington D.C., cities throughout the U.S., and foreign countries and includes politicians, engineers, doctors, clerks, etc. Several different departments often regulate the same area leading to confusion, numerous paperwork, and long delays Bureaucracy are often defended by pointed out they’re needed to deal with the complexity of modern lifestyles What does the bureaucracy use to carry out activities, and what is often the result?