THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
US Government
Brainstorming Question
What are the qualifications to be the President of the United
States?
The President of the United States
Presidential Qualifications
Native-born U.S. Citizen Born within the United States Naturalized citizens can be in
Congress but not become president
At least 35 years of age
Been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years
Terms
President has 4 year terms
Constitution had no term limit, but Washington set precedent after refusing a third term Broken by FDR in 1940 FDR served 4 terms
22nd Amendment: Term Limit of Two Terms
Salary
$400,000 per year
$50,000 expense account
$100,000 travel account
$19,000 entertainment account
Gets salary of cabinet member once leaving office (about $191,000)
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS WORTH?
WHY?
The Line of Presidential Succession
1. Vice President 2. Speaker of the House
of Representatives3. President Pro Tempore
of the Senate4. Secretary of State5. Secretary of the
Treasury6. Secretary of Defense7. Attorney General8. Secretary of the
Interior9. Secretary of
Agriculture
10. Secretary of Commerce11. Secretary of Labor12. Secretary of Health and
Human Services13. Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development14. Secretary of
Transportation15. Secretary of Energy16. Secretary of Education17. Secretary of Veterans
Affairs18. Secretary of Homeland
SecurityDO YOU THINK THIS ORDER SHOULD BE CHANGED IN ANY
WAY? IF SO, HOW?
Silent Debate
Everyone needs a piece of paper and a partner (each partner needs a blank piece of paper)
Select member A or B (Write on top of paper with group member names)
You will be graded independently on arguments in debate and following directions—remember this will be silent until further notice
Procedure
Each member will give thoughts about topic at hand SILENTLY (Initial your work)
I will then tell you to switch papers and give you a few minutes to respond to your partner’s thoughts on paper SILENTLY
You will then trade off again, allowing member to respond to your response on paper SILENTLY
After several SILENT swaps, I will allow you to finally speak to one another about the topics at hand, then we will proceed to an entire group discussion on the two issues
What your paper should look likeTopic A/B (Group Member 1; Group
Member 2)GM1: Opinion on issueGM2: Response to issueGM1: Response to GM2GM2: Response to GM1
This should be a running dialogue of debate between the two members
Today’s Topics
Topic A What should the presidential salary be and why?
Consider: Current salary, job requirements, etc. Make sure you explain why you feel this way
Topic B How should we decide who becomes president if
the president were to resign? Why use this manner? Consider: Current system, public opinion, national
issues, etc. Feel free to give suggestions for changes but make
sure you explain why
SIMPLIFIED EXAMPLE
GM1: President is grossly overpaid—he gets free travel, free housing, and has a huge staff to help him
GM2: Overpaid? Think about all the stress with the job; if anything, he is greatly underpaid. Could you imagine being the leader of the free world?
GM1: $400,000 is fair when you have cooks to make meals, a plane to fly you wherever you want, and Congress to actually make laws
Review/Brainstorm
Review What are the qualifications to become
president? What is the presidential salary? What is the presidential line of
succession?
Brainstorm What are some perks to being the
POTUS? What is the role of the president?
Presidential Perks
Other Perks
Staff Appointments
Image of the Free World
Most Recognized Person in the World
News Clip
Everyone knows the POTUS…what about these other influential people?
Presidential Powers
Founding Fathers and the Presidency
Remember the founders feared too much power, thus we created the checks and balance system even on our head of state.
Presidential roles: Legislative proposals Commander-in-Chief International Relations
Role in Legislature
State of the Union Address Given in late January in House of
Representatives Outlines programs and policies the
president would like Congress to enact Normally addresses the biggest concerns of
the times
Role in Legislature (continued) Creating a budget
President sends budget to Congress about raising and spending money, as well as makes recommendations for programs and laws for the economy
Congress considers this when creating the budget the president needs to sign off on
Presidential Vetoes
Influencing Public Opinion on Laws
Commander in Chief
Simplified: All military officers answer to the president and president has final say in how war shall be fought
Checks and balances: Only Congress can declare war President can still send forces to any part of world
where US interests are threatened without Congressional approval
However, War Powers Resolution declared all troops must be recalled by 60 days unless Congress permits extra stay
International Relations
Foreign Policy is the government’s plan for interacting with the other countries of the world
Importance: we live in an interdependent world where US actions impact the rest of the world and vice versa
Friendly relations key, but must not compromise national security
Foreign Policy
President meets with leaders around the globe In US, in foreign nations, in neutral sites
Diplomacy: Art of interacting with foreign governments Can build friendships, help security, promote
US interests
Make treaties (written agreements) with foreign nations Must be made with advice of Senate Must be approved by Senate
Other Presidential Powers
Appoint Supreme Court justices (Senate approval)
Reprieve: postpones carrying out a person’s sentence
Pardon: forgives a person for his or her crime and eliminates the punishment
Commutation: reduce a person’s sentence
The Difficulty of Foreign Policy Over the next few slides, we will discuss
whether or not you believe the US should be an ally of the unknown country given and make recommendations for our foreign policy makers.
Consider US interests, national security, and the other topics discussed in class today.
Country A
Possesses Nuclear Weapons CIA report shows current government
sold weapon secrets to US enemies Provided a safe haven to Al-Qaeda and
other groups Many insurgent attacks against
embassies and bases of US allies within their borders
Country B
Current government speaking to the Taliban and discussing future
Accepted money from Iranians Shiite majority in country (US relations
much better with Sunni led states) Current leader relations with US far
worse than they were at start of reign
Country C
US actively involved in creating their government
Strategically located in the Middle East Has a democracy Documentation that Islamic states are
trying to gain influence in country, which the US does not want to happen
Former political leaders still active in their society and the US fears their potential takeover
Country D
Possesses nuclear weapons Helped the War on Terror by capturing
many terrorists Receives great economic benefit by
working with the United States (9 billion dollars in 2010)
Possesses a democracy and is strategically located in the Middle East
US concerned that Islamic theocracy could overthrow government
The Vice President
Responsibilities
Serve as president if president is unable to fulfill duties
Must meet same requirements as president
Preside over the Senate May not participate in debates Does not get a vote unless there is a tie
Other roles given by president: represent US overseas, policy decisions, gathering support
Salary
$208,100 per year
$10,000 expense account
Executive Departments
Presidential Advisers and Aides Executive Office covers a lot of areas
Need for specialists in each field Example: National Security Council
White House Office President’s closest personal/political advisers
and a press secretary Other jobs include researchers, secretaries,
speech writers, etc.
Change over time
Washington’s Executive Branch 5 Departments (Cabinet)
Today’s Executive Branch 15 Departments (Cabinet) Each has distinct responsibilities Presidential Appointees (Senate must
approve by majority vote)
WHY DO YOU THINK WE HAVE ADDED 10 CABINET DEPARTMENTS?
Research Project
In pairs, you will be assigned a Cabinet department and it is your job to research
their role in the United States government.
You may select your own partner for this project.
Group topics will be randomly selected.
Project Requirements
Name of Department Head of the Department Seal of the Department Date created
Why was it formed? Which president created Department?
Focus of the Department (ex: International Relations, Domestic Trade, International Finance, etc.)
Roles of the Department (what all do they do?) Programs and/or Bureaus within that
department
Cabinet Overview
Department of State—Key Terms Main function is to regulate Foreign Policy
Ambassadors: Highest ranking US representatives in foreign nations
Embassy: Official residence and offices of ambassadors in foreign countries
Consul: Represents US commercial interests in foreign nations
Consulate: Consul’s office, normally found in large cities
Department of State’s Domestic Role
Since it deals with international affairs, the state department keeps track of international travel
Passports: formal documents that allow US citizens to travel abroad
Visas: Allow foreigners to come to the United States
DO YOU THINK THE UNITED STATES NEEDS STRICTER CONTROLS ON TRAVEL?
Department of Defense
Runs armed forces and military bases globally Military endeavors Peacekeeping missions Relief efforts
Secretary of Defense is always a civilian to ensure nonmilitary control over the armed forces Secretary’s assistants are military officers
Joint Chiefs of Staff: highest-ranking military officers of each of the armed forces They advise the president on military action
DO YOU THINK THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SHOULD HAVE A MILITARY BACKGROUND?
Other Cabinet Posts
Homeland Security Created after 9/11 Primary goal: prevent terrorist attacks within the US Other roles: Federal assistance with natural disasters
Treasury Manages federal finances; collects taxes; produces
postage stamps, currency, and coins; investigates and prosecutes tax evaders, counterfeiters, and forgers
Justice Enforces the laws of the United States and ensures
safety against both foreign and domestic threats
Independent Agencies &Regulatory Commissions
Independent Agencies
Executive Branch covers many areas, including some outside of the cabinet posts
Each commission was created by Congress to perform a specialized job
Examples: NASA, US Commission on Civil Rights, CIA, EPA, Office of Personnel Management, etc.
WHY ARE INDEPENDENT AGENCIES IMPORTANT IN THE UNITED STATES?
Regulatory Commissions
Special type of independent agency that has the power to make rules and bring violators to court
Established because of a perceived need Example: Government monitoring of
elections needed so Congress creates Federal Election Commission (FEC)
More Examples
Consumer Product Safety Commission Sets and enforces standards for products and
conducts safety research Can recall goods
Securities and Exchange Commission Enforces laws regulating buying and selling of stocks
and bonds
National Labor Relations Board Enforces federal labor laws and prevents unfair labor
practices
Regulatory Commissions (continued) Heads of commissions are appointed by president
Congress feared presidential influence of commissions As a result, president only appoints a few commission
leaders and Senate must approve all appointments
Commissions run themselves for most part and have a lot of freedom and power Supporters: Public protection and focused on certain
areas Opponents: Over-regulation and interference in lives
DO YOU THINK REGULATORY COMMISSIONS ARE GOOD OR BAD FOR THE PUBLIC?
Federal Bureaucracy
Employees of agencies, commissions, and executive departments make up the federal bureaucracy Consists of almost 3 million workers
People often believe regulations are confusing and that there are too many departments involved in the same areas Red tape: Symbol for government paperwork and
working through the levels of bureaucracy Other people say that the complexity of our modern
society requires many layers of oversight and management
Discussion Questions
Is the United States government too big? Why/why not?
Do you believe bureaucracy is a good or bad thing for the people of the United States? Why/why not?
Are government agencies and regulatory commissions necessary for the US to function?