The President The Executive Branch

Terms to Understand First Bureaucracy – complex organization Can be applied to the Federal Govt. and many other things TVHS is also an example Budget Deficit – when the Federal government spends more than it makes

Intro to the President History Article II of the Constitution King Issues No repeat of King George Article II of the Constitution Where the requirements, powers, and responsibilities of the Presidency are explained

Basics of the President Requirements: Natural born citizen 35 years old Youngest elected JFK (43) Youngest served Teddy Roosevelt (42) Resident of the US for at least 14 years Salary & Benefits $400,000 per year + $50,000 expense allowance Air Force One, Secret Service, live in White House, & Pension (First Lady gets $40,000 per year)

Electing the President Electoral College – group of people chosen from each state (and DC) to elect the president and the vice president Each state has a specific number of electors Colorado has 9 The popular vote in each state determines how many of the electors vote for each candidate (president and vice president) The president and vice president become the people with the majority of the electoral votes

Presidential Terms Presidential term is 4 years Originally no term limit was enforced Washington only served 2 terms so most presidents followed his example FDR served 4 terms 22nd Amendment Passed in 1951 Limits the president to 2 terms or 10 years

Powers Commander-in-Chief Make Treaties Appoint ambassadors, Supreme Court Judges, and other officials Enforce Laws Veto Grant Pardons Pardon – grant legal forgiveness for a crime, prevents or ends punishment

Unofficial Powers Executive Privilege –the right of the President to keep information secret from Congress to protect national security Executive Agreement – an agreement between the President and a foreign government with out approval from the Senate Imperial Presidency – a presidency characterized by greater power than the Constitution allows

Checks on Presidential Power Legislative Approve/reject presidential recommendations Override Veto Sets guidelines for how the President can implement things Creating or eliminating departments Judicial Interpreting the constitution Overruling any “unconstitutional” action by the president

Presidential Power and Public Opinion The power of the President will depend a lot on how the public feels about him and what he is doing. President’s are going to have more power (and support) going into a war Think WWII and FDR If a war lasts too long the President will loose that power Think of Vietnam This same idea will transfer to any policy or action the President takes during his time in office

The Cabinet Cabinet – group of top advisors to the president. Members Includes the VP, the heads of the executive departments, and any other advisors the President may choose Members Selected by the President approved by the Senate Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and Attorney General are the most important Members can not hold any other elected office

The Cabinet cont. Organization Function There are 15 executive departments, each department head is part of the cabinet Ex. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Education Function To advise the President and help in one or more of his roles Ex. Secretary of State helps president plan and execute foreign policy

Foreign Policy Foreign Policy – plan for how the US will deal with other countries Purpose is to protect US interests Major Players The President Has the primary responsibility of deciding Foreign Policy Uses the State Department, National Security Council, CIA, and Department of Defense Congress Declares war and approves treaties, funds, & appointments Other Groups Domestic Groups, Public Opinion, Mass Media, Other Countries, Foreign Companies

Foreign Policy cont. Tools of Foreign Policy Diplomacy – the process of reaching a peaceful agreement with other nations through discussion Diplomat – representative of a government who conducts relations with other governments Alliances – potential enemies know that countries in an alliance will protect each other, can promote trade Foreign Aid – can be used to acquire assets or as a promise to stop certain behavior Intelligence – information about what other governments are doing and what they are capable of

Presidential Succession Presidential Succession – plan for what happens if a President is unable to perform his duties President Vice President Chooses a new VP Speaker of the House This is only temporary…a new election will be called to permanently replace the President and VP President Pro Tempore

Order of Succession VP Speaker of the House President Pro Tem Sec. of State Sec of Treasury Sec. of Defense Attorney General Sec. of the Interior Sec. of Agriculture Sec. of Commerce Sec. of Labor Sec. of Health and Human Services Sec. of Housing and Urban Development Sec. of transportation Sec. of Energy Sec of Education Sec of Veterans Affairs Sec. of Homeland Security