The Executive Branch
Presidential Roles
Six of the President’s eight roles are granted
by the Constitution
Chief of State
President is representative of all the people
of the nation
Chief Executive
President is head of the executive branch
Chief Administrator
President manages the Federal government
Chief Diplomat
As the Chief diplomat, the President sets the
nation’s foreign policy
Commander in Chief
As Commander in Chief the President directly
controls all U.S. military forces
Chief Legislator
In his role as Chief Legislator, he suggests
legislation and has the power to veto
Chief of Party
Not defined by the Constitution
In this role the President is the unofficial head
of his political party
Chief Citizen
Another role not defined by the Constitution
In this role the President is expected to work
for and to represent the public interest
Qualifications
Natural born citizen
At least 35 years old
Lived in the United States for at least 14
years
22nd Amendment
Limits the President to two terms of 4 years
each or up to 10 years if he/she assumes the
presidency after the death of a president
Benefits
A nice house
A salary of $400,000 per year (taxable)
An expense account of $50,000 per year
(taxable)
Travel expenses of $100,000 a year (tax free)
More Benefits
A pension, on retirement equal to the pay of a
cabinet member (taxable), $183,500
Support staff and Secret Service protection
on leaving the presidency
A White House Staff of 400-500 persons
Still More Benefits
A place in the country- Camp David
A personal airplane- Air Force One
A fine chef
ELECTION
On Tuesday following the first Monday in November every
4 years, the popular election for president is held.
Voters cast a ballot for a slate of electors who are pledged
to a particular presidential candidate.
These are the 538 members of the Electoral College.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE
Monday after the second Wednesday in December
the Electoral College members meet in their
state capitals to cast votes for President and
Vice President.
Sealed votes are sent to Washington, DC to be
opened in January before a joint session of
Congress.
WINNER
The candidate that receives a majority of the
538 Electoral College votes wins the election.
The Inauguration is held on January 20th.
FLAWS OF ELECTORAL
COLLEGE SYSTEM
The winner of the popular vote is not
guaranteed the presidency. (Has happened
4 times)
Electors are not required to vote in accord with
the popular vote.
Any election might have to be decided in the
House of Representatives and Senate.
Vice President
Official duties as stated in the Constitution
Preside over the Senate
Help decide the disability of the President
If the President tells Congress that he cannot do his job
If the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet tell
Congress that the President is disabled
Presidential Succession Act of 1947
If the Vice President is unable to serve the
Speaker of the House and then the President
Pro Tempore are the next in line
After that it is the Cabinet in order that the
department was created
Growth of Presidential Power
Over time the Presidency has become very powerful
A number of reasons have contributed to this
The President stands as the single strong leader of the
executive branch
Americans have looked to the President for leadership on
complex issues
As commander in chief, the President has been asked to
take decisive action in times of national emergency
Congress has granted the executive branch the authority to
carry out many of its laws
The President has used mass media to capture public
attention
Executive Power
The President has the power to:
Enforce the law
Administer the law
Issue executive orders (ordinance power)
Appoint and remove executive officials
(appointment power)
Diplomatic and Military Powers
The President is in charge of foreign affairs
for the United States
May make executive agreements with the heads
of other nations
May send troops into combat without
congressional authorization for 60 days
May extend and withdraw recognition of other
countries
May make treaties with other nations with
senatorial approval
War Powers Act of 1973
This act placed these restrictions on the President’s
ability to use military force
Must report in writing to Congress within 48 hours after he
introduces U.S. troops into areas where hostilities have
occurred
Within 60 days after troops are sent, Congress must
provide for the continuation of hostile action by U.S. troops
If Congress does not provide this authorization, the
President must withdraw troops
If Congress passes a concurrent resolution directing the
removal of U.S. troops, the President must comply
Legislative Powers
These are the Legislative Powers of the
President
May recommend legislation
May veto legislation with a regular or pocket veto
May allow a bill to become law either with or
without a signature
Judicial Powers
The President’s judicial powers include:
May grant a reprieve on a sentence
May grant a pardon for a crime
May commute the length of a sentence or the
amount of a fine
May grant amnesty to a group of law violators
The Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A large, complex structure that handles the
everyday business of an organization
Founded on three principles
Hierarchical structure
A few top officials and units have authority over a large
group of managers, who in turn supervise many more
workers
Each bureaucrat has a specific job
Operates under a set of formalized rules
Pyramid Structure of the Bureaucracy
President
Executive Office
of the President
Cabinet Departments
Independent Agencies
Agency/Administration Commission
Authority/corporation
Executive Office of the President
EOP is a complex organization of agencies staffed
by most of the President’s closest advisors and
assistants
EOP largest unit is the Office of Management of the
Budget (OMB)
This agency prepares the federal budget
Budget is for the fiscal year, a 12 month period used by
government or business for financial management
Government’s fiscal year begins on October 1
EOP
The Executive Office of the President
includes these other agencies
Council of Economic Advisors
White House Office
Office of national Drug Control Policy
National Security Council
Executive Departments
Much of the Federal Government’s work is
carried out by the executive departments or
the Cabinet
Each department head is called a Secretary,
except for the Justice Department whose
head is called the Attorney General
There are 15 Executive Departments
Independent Agencies
Three types of Independent agencies
Independent Independent Government
Executive Regulatory Corporations
Agencies Commissions
Organized like Regulate parts of Carry out
executive the economy business-like
departments Are quasi- activities
Do not have legislative and
cabinet status quasi-judicial
Exist outside of
presidential control
The Civil Service
The Civil Service is the group of public
employees who perform the government’s
administrative work outside the military
Pendleton Act of 1883 created the Civil
Service as a remedy to patronage and the
spoils system
Today most of the people who work for the
Federal Government are members of the
Civil Service and are hired and promoted
based on their job performance
Taxes
Congress is given the power to tax but it is
not without limitations
Taxes must be for public purposes only
Direct taxes, except for income taxes, must
be apportioned according to State population
Indirect taxes must be the same everywhere
Congress may not tax any governmental
function of a State or its local governments
Types of Taxes
Progressive tax
The higher the income, the higher the tax rate
Federal income taxes are progressive taxes
Each U.S. income earner must file an annual tax
return
Business pay corporate taxes
Regressive Taxes
Taxes in which the rate is the same for
everyone
Social insurance taxes are regressive taxes
Social Security, Medicare are examples
These are also payroll taxes, meaning that
employers withhold them from paychecks and
send the money to the government
State sales tax is also regressive
Other Taxes
Excise
Placed on the making, selling, and using certain goods and
services
Estate
Must be paid on the assets of a person who has died
Gift
Gifts over $12,000 in one year are subject to this
Custom Duty
A tax laid on goods brought into the United States from
another country
Deficit and Public Debt
Deficit
This occurs when the government spends more
money than it brings in
Surplus
When the government takes in more money than
it spends
Public Debt
The total amount owned by the govenment