The Presidency

I. T he Roles of the President A.Chief of State B.Chief Executive C. Chief Administrator D. Chief Diplomat E. Judicial Role

The Presidency The Roles of the President F. Commander in Chief G. Chief Legislator H. Chief of Power I. Chief Citizen J. Party Leader –T–The President often performs most, if not all of these roles in any given day

II. Qualifications, Term of Office, and compensation A. Qualifications 1.Must be a “natural-born” citizen 2.Must be at least 35 years of age 3.Must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

II. Qualifications, Term of Office, and compensation B. Term of Office 1.A presidential term is four years 2.Until 1951, the Constitution placed no limits on the number of terms a President could serve 3.The 22 Amendment. (1951) 1.Set the limit to two terms 2.Could finish the term of another President, but for less than half of a term. 3.1 day less than 10 years

II. Qualifications, Term of Office, and compensation C. Compensation 1.The President’s salary is $400,000 a year (set by Congress) 2.The President also receives an expense account 3.The White House-house and office. 4.The use of Camp David

Presidential Succession 1.Vice President 2.Speaker of the House 3.President pro tempore of the Senate 4.Secretary of State 5.Secretary of Treasury 6.Secretary of Defense 7.Attorney General *All the rest of the Cabinet Secretaries in the order in which the departments were created

Presidential Succession Until the 25 th Amendment, the Constitution declared that the powers and duties of the office, not the office itself were to devolve to the Vice-President

Presidency Disability The Vice President also takes over if the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office (President informs Congress in writing) The Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet members inform the Congress in writing, the President is unable to carry out his/her duties

The Organization of the Presidency The Executive Office of the President Four Major policy making bodies 1. The National Security Council-(NSC) The committee that links the president’s key foreign and military policy advisors. President, Vice-President, Sec. of Defense, Sec. of State, Sec. of Homeland Security, and Joint Chiefs of Staff.

2. Council of Economic Advisors-(CEA) The council has three members, each appointed by the President, who advise him/her on economic policy. (inflation, unemployment and other economic matters) 3. The Office of Management and Budget- (OMB) Its major responsibility is to prepare the President’s budget. Composed of a handful of political appointees and more than 600 career officials

4. The Office of Policy Development- (OPD) This group helps the President set and carry out domestic policies

The Cabinet

II. The Cabinet An informal body made up of people who: 1.Advise and speak on behalf of the president on various areas of American interests, and 2.Head an executive department. Today there are 14 secretaries and the attorney general who head the executive departments, and constitute the cabinet.

The Cabinet (continued) These secretaries advise the President and help shape policy but the President still makes the final policy decisions. They are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

The Cabinet 1.Dept. of State 2.Dept. of Treasury 3.Dept. of Defense 4.Dept. of Justice 5.Dept. of Interior 6.Dept. of Agriculture 7.Dept. of Commerce 8.Dept. of Labor 9.Dept. of Health and Human Services 10.Dept. of Energy 11.Dept. of Transportation 12.Dept. of Housing and Urban Development 13.Dept. of Education 14.Dept. of Veterans Affairs 15.Dept of Homeland Security

The White House Staff The White House staff consists of key aides the president sees on a daily or regular basis. 1)Chief of Staff 2)Press Secretary 3)Congressional Liaison people 4)Appointment Secretary

White House Staff (continued) These are the people who owe almost total loyalty to the president and to whom he/she turns to for advice on the most mundane and most serious matters in the running of the government.

Some presidents have been detail men, others delegate ( Carter-Reagan) Sometimes the White House staff are called presidential handlers. The two key members of the White House staffs are the Chief of Staff and the Press Secretary These two people can limit access to the president and help explain presidential decisions.

Presidential Powers I.Executive Powers- the president must execute, put into effect, enforce and carry out all provisions of federal law. 1.Direction of Administration 2.Power of Appointment 3.Removal of Power

II. Diplomatic Powers- power to make treaties with other nations, appoint ambassadors and receive foreign diplomats. 1. Treaty Power 2. Executive Agreements 3. Power of Recognition

The Four Steps of a Treaty 1.The President and/or the Secretary of State meet with Foreign leader. 2.They negotiate the treaty. 3.The President and Foreign Leader sign the treaty. 4.The treaty is sent to the United States Senate for approval. (a treaty needs 2/3rds majority to pass)

III. Military Powers- the president is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. The president always has the final authority for any and all military matters. 1. War Powers Resolution- limit President’s military powers. 2. Wartime Powers

IV. Legislative Powers- The president can greatly influence and even lead the fight for passage of legislation. 1. Power to recommend legislation. 2. Power to veto legislation.

V. Judicial Powers- the president is given limited but very important judicial powers. 1. appointment- judges and justices 2. reprieve- postponement 3. pardon- forgiveness for a crime 4. amnesty- general pardon to a group 5.commutation- reduction of sentence