The Executive Branch The Presidency

The Executive Branch The Presidency

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Formal Qualifications: 35 years old Natural Born Citizen U.S. resident for 14 years

The Executive Branch: The VICE Presidency Formal Qualifications: Same as the President WHY? In the event the president cannot perform his duties, the vice president takes over

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Salary and Benefits

The Executive Branch: The Presidency History of Salary: PositionSalary President 1789$25, , , , , ,000

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Benefits: Receives $50,000/year for expenses and up to $100,000/year for travel Salary cannot be changed during term Free lodging at the White House and Camp David

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Benefits: President and family receives finest medical care possible and personal protection (secret service)

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Benefits: President has plane (Air Force One) and a personal helicopter (Marine One) at his disposal

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Elections

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Elections: Elections held every 4 years President elected by an electoral college Candidate with most electoral votes wins the election

The Executive Branch: The Presidency How to get elected?? The president Original = The person with the most votes in the electoral college wins! Change: With the 12 th amendment, the electors choose the President based on the majority How to get elected?? The VICE president Original = Runner up (2 nd place in the election) Change: The president and political party decide

The Executive Branch: The Presidency What is the electoral College? Group of delegates who cast a vote for the presidential nominee. Why was it created? It was created to make voting easier and protect against American ignorance

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Does the Electoral College take away the idea of “We the People?”

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Terms of Office

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Term of Office: 4 years = 1 presidential term Constitution originally placed no limit on number of Presidential terms George Washington established a tradition when he stepped down after 2 terms

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Term of Office: 1940: FDR became the 1 st President to not step down after 2 nd term – was elected 4 times 1951: 22 nd Amendment added to Constitution  Limits President to 2 consecutive terms

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Presidential Succession Presidential Succession: 1947: Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act which indicates the order of succession to the Presidency

The Executive Branch: The Presidency The Vice President Speaker of the House President pro tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General Secretary of the Interior Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Labor Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Energy Secretary of Education Secretary of Veterans Affairs Secretary of Homeland Security Line of Succession:

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 8 U.S. Presidents have died while in office:

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 7 Major Roles of the President 1.) Chief Executive  Carries out the nation’s laws  Issues Executive Orders (rule or command the President issues that has the force of law; usually during time of crisis)  Appoints cabinet members, ambassadors, judges, heads of govt. agencies

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 2.) Chief Diplomat  Responsible for making treaties with other countries with Senate approval  Meets with foreign leaders  Can make Executive Agreements with leaders of other countries  Has the force of law but does not require Senate approval  Responsible for appointing ambassadors with Senate approval  An official representative of a country’s government

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 3.) Commander in Chief President is final authority over all military matters oFounding Fathers believed in civilian control over the military; person elected by the people has final say over all military matters President can use military in times of war or peace President Barrack Obama with his Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Executive Branch The Presidency 3.) Commander in Chief, cont.. Stretching of this power by former Presidents has led to legislation limiting the President’s power over the military President Truman sent troops to fight in Korean War, but we never declared War ( ) Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon sent troops to Vietnam, but we never declared war ( )

The Executive Branch The Presidency 3.) Commander in Chief, cont…. 1973: War Powers Act passed by Congress  President must notify Congress when troops sent anywhere  Troops must be brought home after 60 days unless Congress declares war, or gives approval for troops to stay

The Executive Branch The Presidency 4.) Political Party Leader Supports party members in election campaigns and helps unify the party Appoints members of party to key govt. jobs President Bush confers w/ Republican members of Congress

The Executive Branch The Presidency 5.) Legislative Leader Proposes legislation and uses many tactics to get the bill passed Prepares the federal budget Approves or vetoes legislation

The Executive Branch The Presidency 6.) Judicial Leader Appoints judges to Federal Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court  Appoints Justices whose point of view is similar to their own President Obama announces Mrs. Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the Supreme Court

The Executive Branch The Presidency 6.) Judicial Leader, cont… Can issue pardons, reprieves and amnesty to those convicted of federal crimes:  Pardon – declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment  Reprieve – an order to delay a person’s punishment until a higher court can rule on the case (usually death sentence  Commutation – substitutes a less severe punishment for the one originally imposed by the court  Amnesty – same as a pardon; applies to a group of people rather than an individual

The Executive Branch The Presidency 7.) Chief of State Role is symbolic – President is representing people from all 50 states Gives a human face to American govt. Can be demonstrated in many ways  Greeting heroes  Throwing first pitches at baseball games  Inviting musicians to perform at White House  Attending funeral of another country’s leader, or past Presidents of U.S.  Speeches and ceremonies

The Executive Branch The Presidency The Vice President

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Qualifications  Same as the President Duties and Responsibilities  Serves as President of the Senate (only Constitutional duty)  President delegates out many responsibilities to VP:  Taking part in Presidential Cabinet meeting  Helping with Diplomatic relations with other countries  Advising and helping President make important decisions

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Vice President’s Duties and Responsibilities

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Salary and Benefits  $198,000/year  Receives $10,000/year for expenses  Benefits similar to President’s  Free Residence  Large Staff  Variety of personal services – Secret Service protection

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Elections and Terms of Office  Original procedure for electing a VP was: - Electoral college members in each state voted for 2 candidates for President – candidate with most votes became President and runner up became the VP  After tie of 1800, procedure changed  12 th Amendment: electoral college votes for president and VP on separate ballots  VP term of office is not limited (although no VP has ever served more than two terms)