Executive Branch
What is an executive order?
A rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.
Domestic Policy
A set of plans for dealing with national problems.
Administration
A team of executive branch officials.
How many independent agencies are there ?
About 60
Executive agreements
Agreements with other countries that do not need Senate approval.
Cabinet
An important group of policy advisers to the President.
Bureaucracy
An organization of government departments, agencies, and offices.
What is a bureaucracy?
An orginization of government departments, agencies, and offices.
What are the requirements for being President?
At least 35 years old, natural-born citizen of the United States, and must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.
What are the seven roles of the President?
Chief of State, Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Commander-in-Chief, Chief Legislator, Chief of Party, Chief Guardian of the Economy
What are the three types of independent agencies?
Executive agencies, Regulatory Commissions, and Government Corporations.
Treaties
Formal agreements between nations.
Who is the only person to serve as President without having been elected by the nation's voters?
Gerald Ford
What does the President do as Chief Diplomat?
He decides what American diplomats and ambassadors shall say to foreign governments. He makes the foreign policy of the United States with the help of advisers. Examples of this include travelling to meet with foreign leaders, entertaining foreign diplomats, an writing messages to foreign leaders.
What does the President do as Chief Legislator?
He has power to influence Congress in lawmaking by signing bills or vetoing bills. Examples include inviting members of Congress to lunch at the White House, signing a bill of Congress, and making a speech in Congress.
What does the President do as Chief of Party?
He helps members of his political party get elected or appointed. Examples include choosing the leading party members to serve in the Cabinet and speaking at political rallies.
What does the President do as Chief of State?
He is an inspiring example for the American people. Examples include giving awards, congratulating astronauts, greeting visitors, making patriotic speeches
What does the President do as Chief Guardian of the Economy?
He is concerned with unemployment, high prices, taxes, profits, and general prosperity of country. Examples of this include meeting with economic advisers and meeting with business and labor leaders.
What does the President do as Commander-In-Chief?
He is in charge of the U.S. armed forces: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. He decides where troops will be stationed, where ships will be sent, and how weapons shall be used. All military generals and admirals take their orders from the President. Examples include inspecting navy yard, deciding to bomb foreign cities, and calling out troops to stop a riot.
What does the President do as Chief Executive?
He is the "boss" to the millions of government workers in the Executive branch; He decides how the laws are going to be enforced and how officials and advisers will help run the Executive Branch. Examples include appointing Cabinet heads, holding meetings, and reading FBI reports.
What is the Attorney General?
He is the head of the Department of Justice.
What is the Cabinet?
It is an important group of policy advisers to the President. The department secretaries and the Attorney General form the core of the Cabinet.
What makes up the Executive Office of the President?
It is made up of people the President chooses to help make foreign and domestic policy.
What is the main job of the Executive Office of the President?
It is not to carry out laws directly, but it is to advise the President on important matters.
What does the OMB do?
It is the Office of Management and Budget and it decides how much the President's policy goals will cost. It also prepares the budget that is sent to Congress.
Foreign policy
Plans for guiding our nation's relationships with other countries.
What is the latest department to be created? Why?
The Department of Homeland Security was created the most recently as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
What were the first three executive departments of the government?
The Department of State, Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Defense.
What are the three main parts of the Executive branch led by the nearly 2,000 members of the administration?
The Executive Office of the President, the executive departments, and the independent agencies.
What are two examples of Special Advisory Groups?
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the National Security Council (NSC)
To help a bureaucracy, what occurs?
The President appoints a team of executive branch officials, or an administration.
Executive Branch
The branch of government for executing or enforcing the laws.
Ambassadors
The official representatives to foreign governments.
Describe what the Vice President does.
The only duty given to the Vice President by the Constitution is to be the presiding officer over the Senate. The President decides what the Vice President will do. These roles include heading special commisions, making trips, and working with Congress. If President passes away, the Vice President becomes President.
Executive Privilege
The right to keep some information secret from Congress and the courts.
Describe Regulatory Commissions.
There are 12 regulatory commissions formed by Congress and each one makes and carries out rules for a certain business or economic activity. Examples include the Federal Communications Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
What are the Executive Departments and what do they do?
They are 15 departments that form the largest part of the executive branch and they do much of the work connected with carrying out the nation's laws and running government programs. Each executive department helps fulfill one or more of the President's duties.
Describe the White House staff and what they do.
They are at the center of an administration. It includes the President's most trusted advisers and assistants. They give the President advice and information about National Security, the economy, and other subjects. They help guide bureaucracy towards meeting the President's goals.
Describe Government Corporations.
They are like private businesses in that they try to make a profit. Most of them are public services that may be too risky or expensive for a private business to undertake. Examples include the United States Postal Service.
What are special advisory groups and what do they do?
They are special groups included in the Executive Office of the President that help the President make decisions on domestic and foreign policy.
What are department secretaries?
They are the heads of the other departments.
Describe Executive agencies.
They are under the direct control of the President, who can choose or remove their directors. Examples include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
On what basis are most federal government workers hired today?
Under the civil service system, most government workers are hired on the basis of merit.
