7.2- The President’s Job

Duties of the President The Constitution is the basis for the president’s power, it is listed in Article II

Duties of the President The President’s main job is to execute, or carry out laws passed by Congress President Obama signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

Duties of the President The Constitution gives the president power to: Veto or reject bills passed in Congress

Duties of the President Call Congress into special session

Duties of the President Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces

Duties of the President Receive leaders and other officials of foreign countries President and the Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso at the White House February 2009

Duties of the President Make treaties with other countries (Senate approves)

Duties of the President Appoint heads of executive agencies, federal court judges, ambassadors, and other top government officials (Senate approves)

Duties of the President Pardon or reduce the penalties against people convicted of federal crimes Richard Nixon was pardoned by Gerald Ford on September 8, 1974

Duties of the President The State of the Union Address is a speech given by the President before a joint session of Congress to discuss important issues facing the nation

Chief Executive The president’s most important job is to carry out the nations laws; to do this he is in charge of 15 cabinet departments and 3 million civilians who work for the federal government

Chief Executive The president appoints the head of the cabinet departments and other large agencies, with the Senate’s approval Hillary Clinton testifying at her Senate confirmation hearing January 13, 2009

Chief Executive Executive Orders are rules or commands issued by the President that have the force of law President Harry S. Truman used an executive order in 1948 to racially integrate the armed forces http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/executive-orders

Chief Executive The president appoints judges to the Supreme Court and other courts; this is important because the Supreme Court determines whether a law is constitutional

Chief Executive The Constitution also gives the president power to grant pardons, which are declarations of forgiveness and freedom from punishment

Chief Executive He can also issue a reprieve, orders to delay a person’s punishment until a higher court can hear the case

Chief Executive Or grant amnesty, a pardon to a group of people

Chief Diplomat Directs the foreign policy, or strategy of the US, makes key decisions about how the US acts towards other countries in the world

Commander in Chief The president is commander in chief of the nation’s armed forces; this gives presidents the ability to back up their foreign policy decisions with force, if necessary

Commander in Chief The president is in charge of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard; the top commanders of these branches are subordinate to the president

Commander in Chief The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war but only the President can order soldiers into battle

Commander in Chief The War of 1812 The Mexican War The Spanish-American War World War I World War II Congress has declared war only five times, presidents have sent troops into action overseas more than 150 times since 1789

Commander in Chief In 1973, after the Vietnam War, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution According to this law, the president must notify Congress within 48 hours when troops are sent into battle and they must be brought home within 60 days unless Congress gives approval for them to remain longer or declares war

Legislative Leader Every president has a Legislative Program, these are new laws he wants Congress to pass

Warren G. Harding was the first to give a speech on the radio (1920) Legislative Leader He makes speeches to build support for these laws and meets with key senators and representatives to persuade them to support the proposed laws Harry Truman was the 1st President to give a speech on TV (October 5, 1947) Warren G. Harding was the first to give a speech on the radio (1920)

Head of State The president is the living symbol of the nation In this role, he greets foreign visitors and carries out ceremonial functions for Americans such as lighting the national Christmas tree and giving out medals

Economic Leader The president tries to help the country’s economy prosper; voters expect the president to deal with unemployment, rising prices, and high taxes

Economic Leader The president plans the federal government’s budget each year, he meets with officials to decide what programs to support and what programs to cut back

Party Leader The president is the leader of their political party Members of the party work hard to elect the president, in turn he gives speeches for party members who are also running for office The President also helps the party raise money