1. 2.6 Chief Executive and Chief Legislator
“The Executive Power shall be Vested in a President of the United States of America”
US Constitution Article II

2. Executive Power
Enforce the provisions of all federal laws and administers a huge federal bureaucracy that spends more than 3 trillion dollars a year, and has over 2.7 million employees.
Include
Enforce laws, treaties, and court decisions
Issues executive orders to carry out policies
Appoints officials and remove officials
Assumes emergency powers
Presides over the cabinet and executive branch

3. Appointment Power Appoints all of the following
Cabinet members and their top aides
Heads of independent agencies
Ambassadors and other diplomats
All federal judges, us marshals, and US attorneys
All subject to confirmation by a majority of the senate
Limited by unwritten rule of senatorial courtesy

4. Senatorial Courtesy Unwritten rule that says
The Senate will not approve an appointment that is opposed by a majority party senator from the state in which the appointee would serve.

5. Removal Power
Presidents have the power to dismiss most of the officials they appoint
Cannot dismiss federal judges, or commissioners of independent regulatory agencies

6. The Cabinet 14 executive department heads
And the attorney general for a total of 15
Employee nearly 2/3 of the civilian employees of the federal government
Often have divided loyalties
To the president who appointed them and
To institutional goals of their own department

7. The cabinet continued
President’s often have trouble controlling their cabinet
Interest groups often form close ties with cabinet departments
The careers of civil servants extend beyond a single administration, as a result have a strong loyalty to their department
Congress competes for influence of the cabinet departments

8. Executive Office of the President
Office of Management and Budget
The National Security Council
The council of Economic Advisors

9. Office of Management and Budget
OMB
Largest office within the Executive Office of the President
Primary responsibility to assist the president in overseeing the preparation of the federal budget

10. National Security Council
NSC
Composed of the president’s principal foreign and military advisors
Includes the VP, secretary of state, secretary of the treasury, secretary of defense, national security advisor, and others as necessary
Principal function to advise and assist the president on national security and foreign policies

11. Council of Economic Advisors
CEA
Group of 3 leading economists who advise the president on economic policy
Prepares the annual economic report of the president.

12. The White House Staff Key presidential aides Chief of staff
Press secretary
Highest ranking member of the EOP
Duties include
Selecting and supervising key White House Staff, and managing the flow of people and information into the Oval office

13. White House Staff Cont Must be personally loyal to the president
Appointed and dismissed without senate approval
Primary responsibility is to provide the President with policy options and analysis

14. Chief Legislator

15. Informal Powers Foreign Policy Bargaining and persuasion
Executive orders
Signing statements

16. Legislative powers of the President
Not referred to as legislator in chief in the Constitution
Given the following legislative powers by the Constitution
Required to give a State of the Union address to Congress, identify problems, recommend policies and submit specific proposals (legislative agenda)
Expected to propose comprehensive legislative program to deal with national problems
Budget and accounting act of 1921 requires the president to prepare and present a federal budget

17. Legislative powers cont.
Bring issues to the attention of Congress
From time to time
Veto congressional legislation

18. Veto Power Constitutional power to reject a bill passed by congress
Can be overridden by a 2/3 vot3e of both houses of congress
Presidential options when a bill is sent to him
Sign it into law
Veto the bill, congress may vote to override this veto
Pocket Veto: Wait 10 days, if congress is still in session after 10 days the bill becomes law, if congress is not in session at the end of the 10 days the bill does NOT become law

19. Using the Veto Congress is usually unable to overcome a veto
Less than 10% are overridden
Use the threat to get congress to modify a bill before it is passed
Vetoed bills are often revised and passed in another form
Congress often adds “riders” that the president wants into objectionable bills to reduce the chance of a veto

20. Line Item Veto President must accept or veto the entire bill
Many state governors have a line-item veto, that allows them to veto specific parts of a bill
In 1996 congress passed a line item veto act
Gave the president the ability to strike out specific dollar amounts or individual items from major congressional appropriations (spending) bills.
Intended to help reduce wasteful spending

21. Line item veto cont.
SCOTUS ruled that it was an unconstitutional expansion of the veto power
To give the president a line item veto power would take a constitutional amendment

22. Working with Congress
Prefer to establish cooperative and bipartisan relationships
Strategies to influence Congress and legislation
Assigning legislative liaisons from the EOP to lobby legislators
Working with both the majority and minority parties
Using the media to focus public attention on important issues
Using high presidential approval ratings to persuade legislators to support presidential programs
Bargaining with wavering legislators by offering concessions and pork that will benefit a member’s district

23. Divided Government What is it????
Frequent result of elections in the past 50 years
Consequences
Heightened partisanship and made it difficult for moderates to negotiate compromise
Slowed the legislative process and thus created gridlock
Contributed to the decline in public trust

24. Divided government cont.
Poses a particular problem for presidents making federal appointments
Fosters stricter scrutiny, narrows the field of potential candidates and may spark character attacks of the appointees

25. Attempts to overcome divided government
Uses the media to generate
Public support
Threatening to veto objectionable legislation
Making deals with congressional leaders
Building coalitions with key interest groups
Increasing reliance on the White House Staff

26. Which example best demonstrates a legislator acting as a trustee of his or her constituency?
A) a legislator uses he or her best judgement
B) a legislator does whatever is best for his or her re election
C) a legislator follows the public opinion of his or her constituency---Consider this: this would be what a delegate does
D) a legislator does what is in the best interest of his or her party.

27. In the house of Representatives a bill goes to the rules committee
A) after it goes to a conference committee
B) after it is approved by its full committee
C) after it is debated in the full house
D) before it is amended or rewritten in its full committee—Consider this: subcommittee consideration is what precedes full committee consideration