AP Government and Politics - "The Executive Branch: Article II"

Governor Morris of Pennsylvania

"Make him too weak: the legislature will usurp his powers. Make him too strong: he will usurp on the legislature"

Popular leader (FDR)

"Preeminently a place of moral leadership"

First Lady

-Ceremonial duties (Turkey) -East Wing (Charity)

State

-Foreign Service -Passport and Visa Office -Bureau of African Affairs

Health and Human Services

-Public Health Service -Social Security Administration -FDA

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

-budget (to be matched with Congress's_ -Monitor Congressional Spending -Reorganize the Bureacracy -Vetting Cabinet Appointees -over 500 employees = most career civil servants (bipartisan)

Commander-in-chief

-civilian control of the military (26/46 = military experience) -assignment of troops with congressional declaration of war -assignment of troops without formal declaration of war (War Powers Act)- not viewed as legitimate by presidents ("not because of War Powers Act" at end of letters)

Vice President

-constitutional duties (President of Senate- not a priority) -Presidential duties

Electoral College (How does it work?)

-each state elects a number of representatives to the Electoral College equal to the number Congress members (2 Senators + # House of representatives) -538 electors = 270 votes for president to win -few weeks after general election, meets in State capitals and casts official vote -President of Senate announces presidency on January 6th

Chief of Staff

-organizes staff -controls access to president -policy push with Congress -goes everywhere with president

Press Secretary

-press briefings/conferences --can answer as many or as little questions about president and topics

Chief of state

-representative of the nation -symbol of America -hosts distinguished guests -can sign a bill, decide NCCW, whenever!

Popular Leader

-role model -teacher (explaining why things are happening) -restores domestic Tranquility in crisis (should we be frightened or are we safe?) -economic manager even though Congress manages money -speaks for all of America (president fails = criticism)

Party Leader

-shapes party platform (reshapes party beliefs to match theirs) -expectation of loyalty from party members -campaigning for party candidates -mobilization of public opinion

Chief legislator

-state of the union address -recommends bills to Congress for action (President can not introduce bills) -presentation of annual budget -calling special sessions of Congress -let's time for adjournment when Houses disagree (not constitutionally used) -power to veto Congressional bills (regular and pocket)

Chief Executive/Administrator

-takes care that laws be enforced -head of executive bureaucracy -implementation of policies through executive orders -impoundment of funds -appointment and removal of major executive officials -unlimited authority in granting pardons, reprieves, and commutation -use of executive privilege (rarely used)

White House Office Staff (WHO)

1. Advises president 2. creates policy options 3. organizes information 4. writes speeches 5. organize schedule 6. control access to President

Homeland Security

1. Coast Guard 2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 3. Secret Service (mainly for finding counterfeit money (Department of Treasury) but also for protecting president) 4. Customs Service

Defense

1. Department of the Navy 2.Joint Chiefs of Staff

Labor

1. Employment Standards Administration 2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Energy

1. Fossil Energy

Housing and Urban Development

1.Agency for Community Planning and Development 2.Bureau of the Census

Eeducation

1.Assistant Secretary for Secondary Education 2.Faith-Based & Community Initiatives

Treasury

1.Bureau of Printing and Engraving

Justice

1.Drug Enforcement Agency 2.Antitrust Division 3.Civil Rights Division

Interior

1.Environmental Protection Agency 2. National Park Service 3. Bureau of Indian Affairs

Agriculture

1.Forest Service 2.Soil Conservation Service 3.Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

Transportation

1.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2.Federal Aviation Administration

Commerce

1.Office of Innovation and Improvement 2.National Bureau of Standards 3.Patents and Trademarks Office

Andrew Jackson

1829-1837 -wanted to maximize the powers of the presidency

Franklin D. Roosevelt

1937-present -began what we consider the modern presidency -popular perception of the President as the center of the government

Treaty

A formal agreement between two or more sovereign states -approval of 2/3 Senate to be ratified -in Constitution

ad hoc structure (Clinton)

A method of organizing a president's staff in which several task forces, committees, and informal groups of friends and advisers deal directly with the president. -groups were dynamic as things were completed (figure heads in charge changed that reported to president)

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

A mini-bureaucracy created in 1939 to help the president oversee the executive branch bureaucracy. -Brownlow Commission -expands executive bureaucracy to help carry out laws

Legislative Vetoes

A procedure that allows one or both houses of Congress to reject an action taken by the president or an executive agency. In 1983 the Supreme Court declared legislative vetoes unconstitutional, but Congress continues to enact legislation incorporating the veto.

Beauracracy

A set of complex hierarchical departments, agencies, commissions, and staff that exist to help a chief executive officer carry out his or her duties. May be private organizations or governmental units

-direct, only important information -quick -better collaboration/specialization

Advantages of pyramidal structures

Department of Defense

Advice and execution of military actions

Department of Justice

Advise on legal matters

Office of Policy Development

Advises the Presdietn on domestic policy matters -policy issues--> writes up bills sometimes

22nd Amendment

Amendment that created a 2 term limit on presidents. -caps presidency to ten years

Office of Management and Budget

An office that prepares the president's budget and also advises presidents on proposals from departments and agencies and helps review their proposed regulations.

peaceful transfer of power with president and successor having breakfast before oath

Another thing that first presidents did that set the stage of legitimacy in America?

EOP employees (1573 employees- $92 million)

Appointed by the President with Senate Approval

Parliamentary system

Choose cabinet from inside the legislature (cabinet ministers) Always have a unified (same political party for executive and legislative branches)

-quick -many perspectives -presidents get all information -one team, no rank

Circular system advantages

-overwhelm president with all information -no matter rank, all people can go (ex: low level stuff) -Jealousy competing for face-to-face time with president

Circular system disadvantages

the Cabinet

Collectively a weak body that has a tradition of fighting and competition

State Dining Room and Oval office

Come from tax dollars -when President is working

1. military power can overpower states to make him/herself king 2. President can be used by the Senate (minions/favorities) and vice versa (treaties) 3. Bribery to ensure reelection

Concerns of the Founders

20th Amendment

Congress begins on January 30th; President starts on January 20th (originally around March 4th) "Lame-duck" Amendment

Prime ministers

Consequences if they do not follow political party

-Natural born -35 y/o -14 years resident of the USA

Constitutional Qualifications to Run for President -eligibility clause

Department of Interior

Control of public land and natural resources

Department of Homeland Security

Coordination of our nation's intelligence

25th Amendment

DISABILITY 1) Succession of VP if president dies or become incapable to do his job.(2) if there is no VP, president must appoint one, and congress must approve

23rd Amendment (1961)

District of Columbia receives electoral votes -3 Electors (based if they were representative in Congress)

No (President can hire and fire; hired based on trust, loyalty, and propinquity)

Does the WHO need Senate Conformation?

correct but not close (few vetoes)

During the time of the first presidents, Congress was ______ but _______

Keep secret from Congress/judiciary for national security threat (leverage for president)

Example of President using executive privilege

$500 or higher

Federal grant

chief executive

Few issues inspired as much debate as defining the ________ for the Framers

executive agreements

Formal government agreement entered into by the president that does not require the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.

Department of Education

Formulation and administration of federal assistance to schools

Department of State

Formulation and execution of foreign policy

Department of Veterans Affairs

Formulation and operation of programs to benefit veterans and their families

Department of Energy

Formulation of a national energy plan

Department of the Treasury

Formulation of economic, financial, tax, and fiscal policies

Department of Housing and Urban Department

Formulation of policies concerning housing needs and community development

Department of Labor

Formulation of policies promoting the welfare of wage earners

Department of Health and Human Services

Formulation of policies protecting the health and welfare of all citizens

Department of Agriculture

Formulation of policies to maintain farm incomes and expand markets for goods

Department of Transportation

Formulation of transportation policies

anarchy; monarchy

Framers feared of ______ (too weak) and ______ (too strong) in equal measure when developing a chief executive position

Reconstruction

From ________ to ______, Congress was the principal federal institution (not during war time)

no

Has any president been elected in their 30s?

-term limits (George Washington set stigma of two terms) -minimal activism (no political parties) -appointment (simple qualifications) -modesty (greeting all Americans)

How did the first presidents give legitimacy to the government?

half of Cabinet and VP write letter to Congress for approval to strip president of powers

How is a president declared long term disabled?

500 ($35.4 million)

How many employees are in WHO?

26 of 46

How many presidents have military experience?

two (Buchanan/Cleveland)

How many presidents have not been married at the time of their presidency?

two (JFK and Biden)

How many presidents were not protestant? -Catholic

12 (more than all presidents before him combined)

How many vetoes did Jackson make? -did not like shrinking to Congress

two; consitutionality

How many vetoes did Washington make and why?

very little

How personally does the president know his cabinet secretaries?

based on the order of the establishment of each department

How was the order determined for the Presidential Succession Act of 1947?

Johnson, Clinton, Trump (twice)

Impeachment with Conviction -none convicted

Lincoln

Implied powers as commander-in-chief -did things without Congress approval because of war time

Council of Economic Advisors

Information on the the state of the economy and writes economic messages to Congress and the public -writes presidential speeches on economics for president -advice

NO

Is the cabinet mentioned in the Constitution besides the 25th Amendment?

No (weak body in giving advice to the president - tradition)

Is the cabinet the president's closest advisors?

NO

Is the president required to have or even keep a cabinet

Executive orders

Issued because the presidents main responsibility is enforcement of laws

to expand and grow department

Job of advisors president hires?

-chief of staff -press secretary -vice president -first lady

Key Individuals of WHO

Hatch Act

Law enacted in 1939 to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns. This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate.

Presidents

No consequences if they do not follow political party

Regroup after Jackson when Congress remerges

No name presidents -only in for one term

Presidential football (and biscuit)

Nuclear codes that President holds as a result of the chief executive/administrator role

protocol and succession (keeps fighting at a minimum)

Only important part of cabinet?

-VP -Speaker -President Pro Tempore -Secretary of State -etc.

Order of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947

War Powers Act

Passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in deploying troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period. -Congress funds

Fancy food; utilities (electric, gas, water, etc.)

Payed out of president's pocket

$499 or lower

Person gift for President

designated survivor

Person in line of succession chosen to not attend specific meetings and events to ensure continuance of government -during State of the Union

-not fully representative of peoples' votes -faithless electors -winner of popular vote is not winner of electoral college (5 times) -concentrated campaigning in large states

Present issues of the electoral college

Impoundment (Impoundment Control Act of 1974)

Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated.

Nixon

Presidential resignation

$400,000/yr; $50,000

Presidential salary and amount of expense account

four years (two term limit)

Presidential term

Insiders (from parliament); outsides (former state governors or businessmen)

Prime ministers are ______. Presidents are ______.

-3/5 Compromise -23rd Amendment -12th Amendment

Problems with Electoral College: -popular representation and slaves -District of Columbia = no representation in Congress -voting pf the vice president (initially second place winner- 1796/1800 election = issues) Solutions?

Department of Commerce

Promotion of trade and technical advancement

Andrew Jackson

Refused to back down to Congress- "Tribune of the People" (Congress = very big headed too at the time)

Prime Ministers

Remain in power as long as his or her party maintains the majority in the legislature

electoral college

Representatives (equal to senators + representatives in Congress) of each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect a president.

single executive with significant powers

Result of Framer's debate of chief executive

executive order

Rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law. All executive orders must be published in the Federal Register.

-eliminate electoral college (constitutional amendment) -pass law against against faithless electors (Washington state) -proportional vote (51% electors/49% electors) -elector votes based on congressional district, not winner takes all (Maine/Nebraska)

Solutions to present issues of electoral college

-plural executive -single executive with a council to check his powers -elective monarchy

Suggestions of Framers for chief Executove

presidents

Tend to outlast cabinet secretaries

first presidents

The Job of the _______ was to give legitimacy to the government.

cabinet

The formal body of presidential advisers who head the fifteen executive departments. Presidents often add others to this body of formal advisers.

Pardons

The government's authority (president in the federal government) to cancel someone's conviction of a crime by a court and eliminate all sanctions and punishments resulting from conviction.

issue networks

The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas.

impeachment

The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, vice president, or other "civil officers," including federal judges, with "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors." This is the first step in the constitutional process of removing such government officials from office.

State of the Union Address

The president's annual statement to Congress and the nation. -role = chief legislator

Signing statement

The presidents beliefs on a law being passed and how they will enforce it

Iron Triangles

The relatively stable relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among an agency, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees.

Chief Diplomat

The role of the president in recognizing foreign governments, making treaties, and effecting executive agreements. -makes President look strong

25th Amendment

Vice President succeeds President in case of removal from office or death

Parliamentary systems

What are most democracies in the world?

Residents (no cameras or secret service)

What are the top two floors of the White House for?

2/3

What fraction of presidents studied the same thing in college?

Congress reemerges

What happens during 1837-1937 after Andrew Jackson?

House chooses president (1 vote per state), Senate chooses Vice President

What happens if electoral college is tied?

-painting -tearing down every bed -all moved out -move in next family

What has to be done in four hours when one President is moved out and another is moved in?

large states

What kind of states did most presidents come from?

policy not constitutionality

What were Andrew Jackson's vetoes based on?

Legislature (insiders)

Who chooses prime ministers?

People from unrepresented groups (African Americans, Women, Hispanics, Disabled Community) -"Kitchen Cabinet"

Who else gets appointed for executive cabinet?

people of... -private businesses -universities -"think tanks" -law firms -umions -Congress ALL HAVE EXPERIENCE IN FIELD

Who gets appointed for executive cabinet?

FDR; Eisenhower

Who set the term limits after serving three four year terms? Who was the first president subject to term limits?

President (commander in chief)

Who takes over the government during war time?

Alexander Hamilton

Who wanted an elective monarchy?

George Washington had restraint and did not seek power

Why did the Framer's develop such a strong executive even though they are fearful of one?

Better success if they are elected into office for political agenda

Why is it important that the President as the Party Leader campaigns for party candidates?

1. president's can only appoint 1% of cabinet department (president doesn't hire, president can't fire- not a lot of control over career civil servants that may not be supportive of the president= contention) 2. advice may be skewed based on the needs of the department 3. propinquity (those closest to president = most influential)

Why is the cabinet as a group of advisors weak?

National Security Council

a committee in the executive branch of government that advises the president on foreign and military and national security

executive agreement

an agreement between the president and the leader of another country -binding -not approval of Congress, only notification -partially radical

plural executive

an executive branch in which power is fragmented because the election of statewide officeholders is independent of the election of the governor

Line item veto

an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature -only governors have power (Constitutional amendment would give president the power) -Clinton used it

Kitchen Cabinet

an informal group of advisers to whom the president turns for counsel and guidance; members of the official Cabinet may or may not also be members of the Kitchen Cabinet

Brownlow Commission

committee that in 1937 recommended sweeping changes to the executive branch of the United States government. -growth in federal bureaucracy = larger executive

Electoral College (why?)

compromise of founding fathers for electing the president -argued between Congress or people choosing the president -Congress = corruption, people = not filly informed/dangerously powerful president

8 presidents -JFK, Lincoln, McKinley, Garfield = assassination -Taylor, Harrison, FDR, Harding = natural causes

death in office

-president's lack knowledge of what is happening -skewed opinion of chief of staff -information cut-off (President can misdirect solution) -less perspectives

disadvantages of pyramidal structure

Organization of the White House

how president chooses to organize staff -reflects personality based on family / type of organization

Presidential Succession Act of 1947

law specifying the order of presidential succession following the Vice President -Act of Congress

president will not regain powers

long term Disability in presidency

-president -vice president -secretary of state -Secretary of defense -Secretary of Homeland Security -Director of the CIA -Joint Chiefs (state)

members of the national security council

Balancing the ticket (VP)

occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes.

EOP

performs services for the president

Impoundment Act

president must inform congress of intention not to spend or delay of spending money -45 days President can use media to advantage (bully pit) and pressure Congress

duties of national security council

previews legislation to advise on the impact to national security

12th Amendment (1804)

separation of votes for President and Vice President

temporary power transfer

short term Disability in presidency

Circular White House Office Structure

staff and advisors report directly to the Oval Office -president in center of wheel -open door

VP to president -new president chooses VP which must be approved by Congress

succession

propinquity

the more we see and interact with people, the more likely they are to become our friends and have influence

pyramidal white house staff

tiered/hierarchy system -things at bottom of pyramid can be reported up to "chain of command" for help or to deal with issue -as many layers/levels as a president likes -goes up to chief of staff which then goes to president

Andrew Jackson

war hero -shows that if you were a popular president, you can expand powers -"Trail of Tears"

Lincoln

was the only one during the Congress Reemergence era that expanded Presidential power -did not receive popular vote