Chapter 6, Section 3 Review

2. What is the Executive Office of the President, and what are its duties?

*It is a large group of presidential advisers and assistants. *They perform presidential administrative work, offer counsel in specific areas, work to manage the economy, and protect national security. *They are the White House Office, the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Office of Management and Budget.

18. How many cabinet positions are there today?

16

1. Who forms part of a President's administration?

All the people that work for the executive branch, from the mailman to the president himself.

6. What is the position held by the person who manages the White House staff? What is his/her role?

Chief of Staff. His/her role is assigned by the president. Some presidents only want them to focus on managing the everyday operations of the White House Office. For other presidents, the Chief of Staff is the primary presidential advisor. He/she controls who has access to the president and helps design political strategy.

3. How was the executive Office of the President formed?

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, when President Roosevelt created new government programs and agencies, he needed help managing these agencies. He asked Congress to authorize a new organizational structure.

15. How can a vice presidential candidate help balance the ticket?

He or she can appeal to a different type of voter than the presidential candidate, increasing the number of votes for the ticket.

13. In what instances can a vice president perform the duties of the president?

In case a president has to be hospitalized due to an illness, due to a president's death, or if a president resigns.

14. List the roles of the vice president in the 1800's and compare them to the roles of the vice president today.

In the 1800's, the vice president's job consisted only in doing what was outlined in the Constitution. He also helped elect the president. Today, vice presidents take a more active role. Some seat on meetings with the Executive Office of the President, visit foreign nations, and work in anything needed in the executive branch. Because they have a larger role today, they have their own staffs.

8. When, and why, was the National Security Council created?

It was created during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. During this time they thought it was necessary to have a strategic plan against the Soviet Union that included talks with them (diplomatic effort), being prepared to go to war (military preparedness), and gathering secret information (secret intelligence).

5. Who forms part of the White House Office? What is its size?

Key personal and political staff. The size is determined by the president. Some presidents have had a lot of people working as part of the White House Office while others had less.

17. How was the first cabinet formed?

President George Washington began meeting with the secretaries of state, war, and treasury, and the attorney general to ask for their advice. From that moment on, all the presidents followed George Washington's lead and began meeting with the heads of the executive departments.

11. What are the two elected positions in the executive branch?

President and vice president.

12. What duties are assigned to the vice president in the Constitution?

President of the Senate, opening and counting the electoral votes in presidential elections, and serving as president if the president cannot do the job.

19. How have the cabinet, and the degree to which a president relies on it, has changed over time?

The cabinet has grown from 4 to 16 members. In recent years, presidents have relied less on their cabinets for advice because, today they have other advisory bodies such as the Executive Office of the President.

4. How do people that work in the Executive Office of the President get their position?

They are appointed by the president and approved by the senate.

10. What is the purpose of the Office of Management and Budget?

They help the president develop the federal budget, make sure that the agencies in the executive branch put it into practice, and purchase (buy) goods, services and property for the entire government.

7. What are the duties of the National Security Council?

They make sure that top military leaders, foreign affairs leaders and intelligence officials in the administration gather together to coordinate ways to protect the nation.

9. What is the role of the Council of Economic Advisers? How they get their work position?

They study the economy to see how economic events can affect the president's economic policy and how the president's policy is affecting the economy. Then, they advise the president on what to do. The people that work in the Council of Economic Advisers are appointed by the president and approved by the senate.

16. What is the role of the executive departments (cabinet)?

To advise the president and help make policy in their area of expertise.