Executive Branch of the United States

The President  Leads Executive Branch  Head of State/Head of Government  Highest Political Official in the U.S.  Responsibilities are found in Article II of the Constitution  President Obama is the 44 th President of the United States  Generally regarded as the most powerful person in the world (because of U.S. status as superpower

The Vice-President  Presides over Senate and casts a vote in the event of a tie.  Assumes Presidency should President be unable to finish his term.  Role Vice-President plays mostly determined by Pres:  VP Biden: “behind the scenes” counselor for Obama  VP Cheney: national security; one of the most visible VP’s in U.S. History  VP Gore: advisor to President on environmental issues

White House Office  White House staff members/aides that President appoints and works with daily. Appointed without Senate confirmation.  Includes “assistant to the President”, “press secretary”, and “special consultant”  First Lady also has her own office/staff. Organization of White House Office: Circular:Pyramid: President deals directly A “hierarchy” that with staff memberscommunicates through a “chief of staff”.

Executive Office of the President (EOP)  Originated with FDR, created in 1939  President’s personal “bureaucracy”  The EOP has responsibility for tasks ranging from communicating the President’s message to the American people to promoting our trade interests abroad.  Monitors work done in cabinet departments and federal agencies.  A group of offices, councils, boards devoted to specific areas (national security, trade, budget, etc…) Approximately 2,000 employees

EOP Staff  Very few are required to be confirmed by the Senate, although there are a handful of exceptions to this rule (e.g., the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the United States Trade Representative).  Chief of Staff: (Rahm Emanuel , Pete Rouse )  Highest ranking member of the office. Serves a managerial and advisory role. mmunities/theoval/post/201 0/10/obamas-new-chief-of- staff-gets-saturday-night- live-impersonator/1

EOP Agencies  Office of Management & Budget (OMB)  Largest office in the EOP- prepares budget and monitors funds spent by Congress  Oversees budgets/records of Executive agencies  National Security Council- advises the President on military affairs and foreign policy  National Economic Council- helps the president with economic planning. Major source of advice with the nation’s economy.

Others  Council of Economic Advisers Council of Economic Advisers  Council on Environmental Quality Council on Environmental Quality  Domestic Policy Council Domestic Policy Council  National Economic Council National Economic Council  National Security Council National Security Council  Office of Administration Office of Administration  Office of Management and Budget Office of Management and Budget  Office of National AIDS Policy Office of National AIDS Policy  Office of National Drug Control Policy Office of National Drug Control Policy  Office of Science and Technology Policy Office of Science and Technology Policy  Office of the Trade Representative Office of the Trade Representative  President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board  President's Intelligence Advisory Board President's Intelligence Advisory Board  White House Military Office White House Military Office  White House Office White House Office

In addition, the following entities exist within the White House Office:  Advance  Appointments and Scheduling  Office of Cabinet Affairs  Chief of Staff’s Office  Office of Communications  Council on Women and Girls  Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy  Office of the First Lady  Office of Health Reform  Homeland Security Council  Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships  Office of Legislative Affairs  Office of Management and Administration  Office of National AIDS Policy  Oval Office Operations  Office of Political Affairs  Office of Presidential Personnel  Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs  Office of the Press Secretary  Office of Social Innovation  Office of the Staff Secretary  Office of Urban Affairs Policy  Office of the White House Counsel  White House Fellows

The Cabinet  Current job of cabinet secretaries: to provide oversight of a governmental department  Secretaries are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.  Established in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, the Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.  First established by George Washington in  These members are known as the “inner cabinet”  Secretary of State  Secretary of Treasury  Secretary of Defense (War)  Attorney General

The Cabinet continued…  1789: 4 Cabinet posts  2009: The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments — the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General  Department of Homeland Security was created in  Annual Salary: $196,700

The Cabinet continued…

Obama’s “Inner” Cabinet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner

Obama’s “Inner” Cabinet Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Attorney General Eric Holder

Independent Agencies  Exist outside federal executive departments but are still considered part of executive branch.  Created by Congress  President appoints people to them Examples include….  CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)  EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)  FEC (Federal Election Commission)  FTC (Federal Trade Commission)