1. Ch. 7
The Executive Branch

2. The President’s Job: Ch. 7.2
The President’s main job is to carry out the laws passed by Congress.
The Constitution gives the president power to veto, call Congress into special session, serve as commander-in-chief, and receive foreign officials.
The president can also make treaties, appoint judges and top government officials, and pardon convicted criminals

3. Jobs of the President
The Constitution also requires the president to give Congress an update of the nation with the “State of the Union” address.
The president discusses the most important issues facing the nation and describes new legislation he would liked passed.

4. Vocabulary Executive Order – Command that has the force of law
Executive Agreement – agreement between president and leader of another country
Pardon – Declaration of forgiveness
Reprieve – Delay of Punishment
Amnesty – pardon to a group of people 4

5. 7 Roles of the President Chief Executive Chief Diplomat
Commander-in-Chief
Chief Legislator
Head of State
Economic Leader
Party Leader

6. Chief Executive
As Chief Executive, the president is in charge of 15 cabinet departments and more than 3 million government workers.
The president appoints the heads of cabinet departments and large agencies (Senate must approve)
Ex. Dept. of Defense, State Dept., Dept. of Treasury

7. Chief Executive
The president does not have any legislative powers (can not make laws), but he can issue executive orders—rules or commands that have the force of law.
Can be good for the nation—Ex. Order 9981 (1948) desegregates military
Can be detrimental to the country—Ex. Order 9066 (1942) Japanese American Internment camps

8. Chief Executive
The president can appoint federal judges, including Supreme Court justices.
This is important because the way the Supreme Court interprets laws greatly affects life in the U.S.
Most presidents will appoint justices who share views similar to their own
Influence will be felt long after they leave the White House

9. Chief Executive
Besides the power of appointment, the president does have some judicial powers.
The president can grant pardons, or declarations of forgiveness and freedom from punishment
The president can also issue a reprieve, an order to delay a person’s punishment until a higher court can hear the case.
Can also grant amnesty, a pardon toward a group of people.

10. Which of the following is a check by the executive as Chief executive?
Vetoes Bills
Appoint judges
Issues executive orders
Appoints officials 10

11. Chief Diplomat
The president is responsible for directing foreign policy, or the country’s strategy on how we deal with foreign nations and the relationships we build
Directs the U.S. in making key decisions about how we conduct ourselves in the world
Makes treaties

12. Chief Diplomat Makes foreign policy decisions with foreign leaders
Makes treaties
Makes executive agreements
Agreement between president & leader of another country
Does not require Senate approval 12

13. Commander-in-Chief
As commander-in-chief, the president is in charge of all branches of the armed forces.
Congress and the president share the power to make war. Only Congress can declare war, but only the president can order soldiers into battle.
Can order troops to end disturbances within the U.S

14. Commander in Chief
Congress has declared war only 5 times, yet presidents have sent troops into action over 150 times.
After the undeclared Vietnam War, Congress passed the War Powers Act (1973)
The President must inform Congress he is sending troops into battle immediately & he must bring them home after 60 days unless Congress grants an extension or declares war 14

15. Chief Legislator Leads Congress in lawmaking
Can write a bill but someone in Congress must introduce
Gains support for legislation through the mass media 15

16. Chief Legislator
Only Congress may introduce bills, but the executive branch proposes most legislation.
All presidents have a legislative program that they want Congress to pass.
The speeches they give to key members of Congress and the public is done so to build support for their programs.
The presidents’ staff works on the laws with members of Congress. Ex. Patriot Act or tax cuts

17. Chief Legislator The president and Congress often disagree.
A main reason for that the president represents the whole nation. Congress members only represent their states or districts
Another reason is that the president can only serve two terms. Many Congress members win reelection many times and remain in office sometimes for decades.
As a result, the president often wants to move faster on programs than members of Congress do. (Status Quo v. Change)

18. Head of State/Chief of State
The president is the living symbol of the U.S.
As head of state, the president is responsible for hosting visiting foreign leaders and carrying out ceremonial functions. Ex. Awarding medals or throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game.

19. Economic Leader
As a country’s economic leader, it is the presidents’ job to ensure that the economy is prospering.
The president must plan the federal budget and try to deal with problems such as unemployment, rising prices (inflation), and high taxation.
Makes sure the nation prospers
Makes sound fiscal policy

20. Party Leader The president is the face of his or her political party.
Members of the political party work hard to elect the president into office.
In return, the president gives speeches to raise campaign money and help fellow party members win political office in the Senate, House, and Governor’s seats.

21. Judicial Leader Appoints judges who serve for life
Can pardon an individual
Power to give pardons
Pardons are forgiveness and freedom from punishment
Commute sentences – person keeps the charge but doesn’t have to serve sentence
Can give amnesty to a group
Can delay punishment through a reprieve 21

22. What is Amnesty? Command that has the force of law
Declaration of forgiveness to a felon
Delay of punishment
Pardon to a group of people 22

23. Examples of Presidential Amnesties
In 1795 President George Washington issued an amnesty to all participants in the Whiskey Rebellion, which involved a protest by farmers in Pennsylvania against paying federal taxes
The power of amnesty was also used by Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter for more than 10,000 individuals who had resisted the draft during the Vietnam War.

24. Bill Clinton’s Pardons “Pardongate”
Carlos A. Vignali had his sentence for cocaine trafficking commuted, after serving 6 of 15 years in federal prison.
Roger Clinton, the president's half-brother, on drug charges after having served the entire sentence more than a decade before. Roger Clinton would be charged with drunk driving and disorderly conduct in an unrelated incident within a year of the pardon.
138 more pardons in the last months of office.
Bush did the same thing – 189 total plus 11 commutes.

25. How long is a Senator’s term?
2 years
4 years
6 years
8 years 25

26. What is the main purpose of Congress?
Make Treaties
Make Laws
Approve executive appointments
Approve Treaties 26

27. Making Foreign Policy: Ch. 7.3
Foreign policy is a nations’ overall plan for dealing with other nations.
There are many goals our country tries to achieve:
National Security
International Trade
Promotion of World Peace
Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy

28. Foreign Policy Bureaucracy
The Executive Branch includes a large foreign policy bureaucracy.
It includes:
- State Department
- Department of Defense
- Central Intelligence Agency
- National Security Council (NSC)

29. Congress v. the President
The president and Congress share the power to conduct foreign affairs.
The president is the chief diplomat and commander-in-chief, but Congress has the power to declare war, prohibit certain military actions, and spend or withhold money for defense.

30. Congress v. the President
The Constitution does not make clear how the executive and legislative branches can use their powers.
Because of this, the branches compete for control of foreign policy.

31. Tools of Foreign Policy
Treaties and Executive Agreements
Treaties are formal agreements between the governments of two or more countries.
Some treaties, such as NATO (April 1949), are agreements among nations for mutual defense; NAFTA was made as an economic free trade agreement.
The Senate must approve a treaty by a 2/3 vote.
President can however make an executive agreement with the leader of another country without Senate approval. Deal with routine matters

32. Tools of Foreign Policy
Appointing Ambassadors
An ambassador is an official representative of a country’s government.
The president appoints ambassadors, with Senate approval.
Ambassadors are only sent to countries where the U.S. accepts the government as legally in power.

33. Tools of Foreign Policy
Foreign Aid
The U.S. gives foreign aid in the form of money, food, military assistance, or other supplies to help other countries.
Ex. The Marshall Plan which helped rebuild Western Europe after World War II. $13 Billion total.

34. Tools of Foreign Policy
International Trade
The president makes agreements with other nations about what products may be traded and the rules of trade.
Sometimes the rules include trade sanctions – efforts to punish another country by imposing trade barriers.
Another punishing tool is an embargo, an agreement among a group of nations that prohibits them all from trading with the target nation.

35. Tools of Foreign Policy
Congress takes the lead in imposing tariffs on imported goods and in joining international trade groups
One such trade group is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

36. Tools of Foreign Policy
Military Force
As commander-in chief, presidents may use the military to carry out some foreign policy decisions that could involve deploying armed forces or launching missile attacks.
Powerful tool, but must be used with care.
Ex. Iraq and Afghanistan; Vietnam