1. The President and the Executive Branch
Chapter 6

2. Section 1 – The President and the Vice President
A. Constitutional requirements to become the US President:
1) Must be at least 35 years old
2) Native-born American citizen
3) Resident of the US for at least 14 years
B. General Backgrounds:
1) College Education
2) Law background
3) Most come from states with larger populations
4) Christian
5) Men

3. C. Electing a President
-Every 4 years
- President elected by the Electoral College
- The amount of Electors is equal to the amount of total Senators and Representatives from each state.
- Electoral College has 538 total votes (435 in House of Reps, 100 Senators, 3 from Washington, D.C.)
- In almost every state, the electoral votes are a “winner take all” system (Maine and Nebraska are only states that allow split)
- To win President, 270 electoral votes are needed

4. -Criticisms of Electoral College
1) If candidate barely wins popular vote in each state, they get all electoral college votes for the state
2) Candidates tend to focus on bigger states because they hold more weight because of more electoral college votes
3) Total popular vote from whole US doesn’t always determine next President

6. D. Term of Office
- 4 year term that can be renewed 1 time
- 22nd Amendment limited to 2 elected terms in office
- Salary and Benefits –
1) $400,000/year
2) lives in White House with more than 80 member staff
3) use of Camp David, private mountain retreat in Maryland
4) special fleet of cars, helicopters, and airplanes (Air Force One) while traveling

9. E. Vice President
- Elected alongside President
- Qualifications are same as for President
- Little power other than presiding over Senate, can break tie. As dictated in Article 1 of the Constitution.

10. F. Presidential Succession
- 8 Presidents have died in office
- Presidential Succession Act (1947) – declared succession in case of death of President in office (p. 168)
1) Vice President
2) Speaker of the House
3) President Pro Tempore of the Senate
4) Secretary of the State
5) Secretary of the Treasury
6) Secretary of Defense
7) Attorney General
- 25th Amendment- states that if President dies in office, the VP takes over and they choose a new VP, with approval of Senate and House of Reps.

11. Assignment:
Write an ad seeking candidates for president of the United States. Your ad should show the kinds of experience, abilities, and qualities that you think a president should have.
In addition, include the constitutional requirements to the job. (starts on page 166)
Draw a picture and include a catchy headline

12. Section 2 – The President’s Job
Constitution is the basis of the president’s power
“Executive Power shall be vested in a President…”
Main job is to execute laws passed by Congress
Also has the power to:
Veto bills
Call special sessions of Congress
Make treaties
Make appointments
Grant pardons and reprieves

14. State of the Union Address- discusses most important issues facing the nation
Roles of the President (some listed in the Constitution, some are not)
Chief Executive: 1) In charge of 15 cabinet departments and over 3 million civilians who work for the fed gov’t 2) Can issue executive orders, 3) Can grant amnesty
Chief Diplomat: directs foreign policy

15. Commander in Chief: Gives the president ability to back up foreign policy with force
Top commanders in all branches are subordinate to the president
Only the president can order troops into battle
War has only been officially declared 5 times, but troops have been sent overseas over 150 times since 1789

16. Legislative Leader: Most bills Congress considers come from the executive branch
Only members of Congress can introduce bills, but its expected that the president proposes legislation
Every president has a legislative program
Often disagree on what should be adopted

17. Head of State: President is the living symbol of the nation
Economic Leader: Plan the federal gov’t budget and tries to help our economy prosper
Party Leader: Leader of his or her political party

18. Section 3 – Making Foreign Policy
A. Four goals of Foreign Policy (nations overall plan for dealing w/ other nations)
1) National security – ability to keep the country safe
2) International trade – trading is important to helping create jobs in the US
3) Promoting World Peace
4) Promote Democracy around the world

19. B. Foreign Policy Advisory Group
State Dept, Defense Dept, CIA, National Security Council
Have helped make the president very powerful in foreign affairs.
Give the president important advice (sometimes conflicting)

20. C. Tools for Foreign Policy
Creating Treaties and Executive Agreements
Treaty- formal agreement between gov’ts of 2 or more countries, needs Senate approval to be finalized
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)- mutual defense treaty btw US, Canada, and European nations
Executive Agreement- agreement between the President and the leader of another country, no Senate approval needed

21. Appointing Ambassadors
150 ambassadors who must be approved by the Senate.
Only sent to countries where the U.S. recognizes, or accepts the legal existence of the government.
Foreign Aid
This is money, food, military assistance, or other supplies sent to other countries.
International Trade
Trade Sanctions- efforts to punish another nation by imposing trade barriers
Embargo- an agreement among nations that prohibits them all from trading with a target nation.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Military Force

22. Section 4 – Presidential Advisers and Executive Agencies
A. Presidential Cabinet – group of advisers that includes the heads of the 15 top-level executive departments (p. 183)

23. John Kerry Jack Lew Ashton Carter Sally Jewell Thomas Vilsack
Department Title:
Department Description:
Department Head:
Dept. of State (1789)
Plans/carries out foreign policy
John Kerry
Dept. of Treasury (1789)
Collects, borrows, spends, prints money
Jack Lew
Dept. of Defense (1789)
[Originally War Dept. (changed in 1949)] Manages armed forces
Ashton Carter
Dept. of Justice (1870)
Responsible for enforcement of laws
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
Dept. of Interior (1849)
Manages/protects the nation’s public lands and natural resources
Sally Jewell
Dept. of Agriculture (1889)
Assists farmers & consumers of their products
Thomas Vilsack
Dept. of Commerce (1903)
Supervises trade, promotes US tourism and business
Penny Pritzker
Dept. of Labor (1913)
Working conditions/wages
Thomas Perez
Health/Human Services (1953)
Health/well being of Americans
Sylvia Burwell
Housing/Urban Development (1965)
Deals w/ special needs & problems in cities
Julian Castro
Dept. of Transportation (1966)
Manages highways, RR, airlines, sea traffic
Anthony Foxx
Dept. of Energy (1977)
Directs overall energy plan
Ernest Moniz
Dept. of Education (1979)
Advice and funding for schools
Arne Duncan
Dept. of Veterans Affairs (1989)
Directs services for veterans
Robert McDonald
Dept. of Homeland Security (2002)
Oversees defense against terrorism
Jeh Johnson

24. White House Staff: screens info & people trying to reach the president
B. Executive Office of the President (EOP)- created by FDR in 1939 to help the president do his job
White House Staff: screens info & people trying to reach the president
*Chief of Staff
Deputy Chief of Staff
Assistant for Domestic Affairs
Counsel to the President (Lawyer)
Appointments Secretary
Assistant for Public Relations
Assistant for Legislative Affairs
Press Secretary

25. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) National Security Council (NSC)
Prepares the federal budget and monitors spending
National Security Council (NSC)
Helps coordinate military and foreign policy
Office of Administration
Administrative services to all executive offices
Responds to requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act
Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
Advises the president on matters such as employment, tax policy, inflation, and foreign trade

26. The VP
Most presidents have delegated little power to them, but over the past few decades they have acquired more responsibility
The First Lady
The Constitution does not mention the spouse of the President, however over time they have developed a role in our nation
Eleanor Roosevelt- young and disadvantaged
Nancy Reagan- drug abuse prevention
Hillary Clinton- health care for all Americans
Michelle Obama- healthy eating among youth

27. 1) Turn new laws into action by deciding how to apply them
C. The Federal Bureaucracy – the collective agencies and employees of the executive branch
Bureaucrat/civil servant
They carry out programs passed by Congress by doing 3 basic jobs:
1) Turn new laws into action by deciding how to apply them
2) Departments and Agencies administer day-to-day operations of the fed gov’t
3) Regulate, or police, activities of broadcast companies, labor unions, banks, airlines, nuclear power plants, etc.

28. D. Government Workers
Before 1883 many federal jobs fell under the spoils system
“To the victor belongs the spoils”
Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 (Pendleton Act)- placed limits on the number of new jobs a President could hand out to friends and backers
Merit system- hiring based off qualifications