Executive Branch

Executive Branch The President’s power can best be understood as shared with other branches of government as part of the Madisonian system of checks and balances. The founding fathers envisioned a Presidency that would have fewer responsibilities than today’s Presidency.

Executive Branch “two Presidencies” refers to national security and domestic policy. The President has to balance both of these jobs at all time. Which is more important? A large number of studies have concluded that the news media are slightly biased toward the Democrats.

Executive Branch What is the principal reason that Presidents have trouble getting things done is that? other policymakers with whom they deal have their own agendas, interests, and sources of power.

Executive Branch Richard Neustadt: Argued Presidential power is probably best understood as the power to persuade. Wrote presidential power thesis. Argued presidents would be best advised to accomplish their agenda early in their 1st term as president.

Executive Branch 25th Amendment: -clarifies what happens if the president becomes disabled. the recuperated President can reclaim the Oval Office through a set procedure.

Executive Branch The President has the constitutional authority to make treaties with other nations, subject to the agreement of 2/3 Senate. A primary resource available to Presidents for controlling the bureaucracy is control of the federal budget.

Presidential cabinet Consists of the head of each executive department, plus any additional government officials the President designates. Presidential advisors, not in Constitution What is the role of the cabinet?

Executive Branch The part of the executive branch of government that the President sees daily and relies heavily on for information, policy options, and analysis is the White House Staff. Some work for White House, not the president.

Veto Power A Presidential veto of legislation passed by Congress can be overturned by a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate to override the veto. The pocket veto can only be used when Congress is adjourned.

Constitution and the President The Constitution gives the President the power to influence the legislative process through his responsibility to recommend legislation and make appointments. The primary obstacle to party unity in Congress is the lack of consensus on policy issues among party members.

Executive Branch Presidential coattails refers to presidential favors to those who support the President’s policies. A mid-term election is a Congressional election that is not accompanied by a Presidential election.

Executive Branch The political resource that has the most potential to turn a situation of stalemate between the President and Congress into one supportive of the President’s legislative proposals is public approval.

Presidential Powers The President’s powers as the nation’s chief diplomat: extending diplomatic recognition to a nation mediating disputes between nations other than the Untied States negotiating treaties with other nations negotiating executive agreements which do not require Congressional approval

The War Powers Resolution may be considered unconstitutional because its use of the legislative veto may be considered a violation of the doctrine of separation of powers. Passed in 1973 due to presidents going to war without Congress approval.

Federal Budget Social Security payments are an example of an entitlement program. An “uncontrollable” expenditure in the federal budget is defined as an expenditure that is required by current law or a previous government obligation to people automatically eligible for some benefit. The biggest uncontrollable expenditure in the federal budget is the Social Security system.

Budget Before the President submits her budget to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) coordinates the requests of executive agencies. According to the Constitution, all federal appropriations must be authorized by Congress.

Budget One of the important purposes of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is to force Congress to consider the budget as a whole rather than in terms of individual appropriations. The main purpose of the Congressional Budget Office is to advise Congress on the consequences of its budget decisions.

Budget An authorization bill is an act of Congress that establishes a discretionary government program or an entitlement, or that continues or changes such programs. Failing to meet its own budget timetable, Congress has frequently resorted to continuing resolutions, which are laws that allow agencies to spend at the previous year’s level.

Civil Service The rationale for all civil service systems is based on the merit principle. The Hatch Act, passed in 1940, prohibits federal Civil Service employees from active participation in partisan politics. The Interstate Commerce Commission and the Federal Reserve Board are examples of independent regulatory agencies.

Regulatory Agencies Independent regulatory agencies have powerful rule-making, dispute-settling, and enforcement authority. Once a policy decision has been made, such as by passing a legislative act or issuing an executive order, the bureaucracy is responsible for its implementation.

An obstacle to the successful implementation of public policy is unclear policy goals and poorly designed policies. The authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem is called administrative discretion.

Executive orders are issued by the president. Congress tries to control the bureaucracy through rewriting laws and budgets and holding hearings. An “iron triangle” consists of a bureaucratic agency, an interest group, and a Congressional committee or subcommittee.

Issue networks are a growing participatory force in bureaucratic decision making whose members’ interest in issues is intellectual or emotional rather than material. Federalist #70 suggests a Hamiltonian view of government that backs strong and energetic executive power.

Presidential press conferences are not very useful means of eliciting information. One solution to the problem of the proliferation of regulatory agencies and policies has been deregulation. As the oversight powers of Congress in regard to the bureaucracy have become more vigorous, they have also become more fragmented.

Administrative discretion is greatest when rules do not fit a case. The use of government authority to control or change some practice in the private sector is known as regulation.