The President and the Executive Branch The President’s Job

Duh! The President heads the executive branch of the United States Government. Because of the power and global influence of our country, the President is considered to have the most important job in the world. Our country has changed since George Washington, so has the office of President.

Constitutional Requirements At least 35 years old A native born American Citizen A resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. Must complete 3 SLPs in their Government Class.

Unofficial Requirements All but one president have been white males. All but one have been Protestant Christians. Most have won elections before for lower offices. Most have college educations. Many have been lawyers. Most com from states with large populations.

Elections Take place every 4 years. The Constitution does not provide for direct popular elections of presidents. Instead, it set up an indirect method called the Electoral College. Although the ballot will show the names of the presidential candidates, when you vote for a candidate, you are actually voting for a list of presidential electors pledged to that candidate.

Number of Electoral Votes Each state gets as many electoral votes as its total of representatives and senators. Michigan has 17 electoral votes…so how many representatives does it have in Congress? Washington D.C. does not have Senators and Representatives but it gets 3 electoral votes. There are 535 electoral votes. – How is this number arrived at? Know it for the test!

Winner Take All System Even if a candidate wins the popular vote in a state by a tiny margin, the candidate gets ALL of the states electoral votes. Picture each state as its own separate election or game. The Candidate who wins the most games wins the election. States with larger populations are more important to candidates, why? The winner take all system makes it difficult for third party candidates to win electoral votes.

Winning it To be elected president a candidate must get at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes. Although the winner of the election is usually announced on the evening of the election (except Bush/Gore in 2000), the formal election does not take place until December. The electors meet in each state capital and cast their votes. Congress counts the electoral votes and declares the winner.

Term of Office Presidents serve 4 year terms. Originally, the Constitution placed no limits on how many terms a president could serve. George Washington served for 8 years and refused to run for a third term. As a result, this became tradition. Franklin D. Roosevelt broke this tradition in 1940 when he ran for, and won a third term. He also won a fourth term in 1944, but died while in office. The 22 nd amendment, ratified in 1951, limits each president to a maximum of two elected terms in office.

Salary and Benefits $400,000 per year, plus money for expenses and travel. White House has a private movie theater, a small gym, a bowling alley, and a heated pool. A domestic staff (maids, butlers, chefs) of 80 people takes care of the President’s family. When the President needs to travel, he/she has a fleet of special cars, helicopters, and airplanes.

The Vice President Elected with the President through the Electoral College system. The qualifications are the same as that of the president. The Constitution gives little authority to the vice president. Article I states the vice president shall preside over the Senate and vote in case of a tie.

Not very visible to the public Vice Presidents usually work behind the scenes of an administration and are not very visible. If the president dies, is removed from office, becomes seriously ill, or resigns, the vice president takes over. Nine vice presidents have become president due to death or resignation of a president.

Presidential Succession The original wording of the Constitution states if a president leaves office during his term, the vice president takes on the “powers and duties” of the presidency. Early government officials were not sure what that meant. In 1841, when President William Henry Harrison died in office, Vice President John Tyler moved into the White House and had himself sworn in as president.

Presidential Succession Act President Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro Tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Other cabinet members

25 th Amendment The amendment, passed in 1972, says that if a president dies or leaves office, the vice president becomes president. The new president chooses a vice president. Both the House and the Senate must approve the choice. The amendment also gives the vice president the role in deciding if the president is disabled and unable to do the job.

Part II: The President’s Job

Constitutional Powers Article II says, “Executive Power shall be invested in a President…” - The president’s main job is to execute, or carry out, the laws passed by Congress.

Other Constitutional powers Veto, or reject, bills passed in Congress. Call Congress into special session. Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces. Meet with leaders and other officials of foreign countries. Make treaties with other countries (with Senate approval).

Other Constitutional powers Veto, or reject, bills passed in Congress. Call Congress into special session. Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces. Meet with leaders and other officials of foreign countries. Make treaties with other countries (with Senate approval).

Powers Cont’d Appoint heads of executive agencies, federal court judges, ambassadors, and other top government officials (also subject to Senate approval). Pardon or reduce penalties against people convicted of federal crimes. Gives the State of the Union Address.

Roles of the President Chief Executive -The most important job of the President is too… -To do this, the president is charge of 15 cabinet departments and the approximately 3 million civilians who work for the federal government.

Chief Executive cont’d One of the president’s most important tools for carrying out laws is the power to issue executive orders. An executive order is a rule or command that has the force of law. Only Congress can make laws, an executive order is considered to fall under the president’s constitutional duty to “take care that the laws are faithfully executed.”

Chief Diplomat The president directs America’s foreign policy by making key decisions about how the United States acts towards other countries in the world.

Commander in Chief This role gives the president the ability to back up their foreign policy decisions with force, if necessary. Congress has the power to declare war, but only the president can order American soldiers into battle. Congress has declared war only _____ times. Presidents have sent troops into action 150 times since 1789.

This system can threaten checks and balances For example, Congress never declared war in Korea or Viet Nam. American troops were involved in these conflicts because the President sent them. In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution. It states the President must notify Congress within 48 hours when troops are sent into battle. These troops must be bought home after 60 days unless Congress gives its approval for them to remain longer or it declares war.

Legislative Leader Most of the bills Congress considers each year come from the executive branch. Only members of Congress have the power to introduce bills, but in practice Congress expects the executive branch to propose legislation it would like to see enacted.

Legislative Leader cont’d Every president had a legislative program. They give speeches to build support for this program. The president appoints several staff members to work closely with members of Congress on new laws.

Disagreements The president and Congress often disagree over what new laws should be passed. One reason for this is that the president represents the entire country while members of Congress only represent people of their state or district. Another reason is that while a president can only run for two terms, members of congress can get re-elected over and over for decades.

Head of State The president is the living symbol of the United States. In this role, the president greets visiting kings and queens, prime ministers, and other foreign leaders.

Economic Leader Voters expect the president to deal with such problems as unemployment, rising prices, or higher taxes. One key task as economic leader is to plan the federal government’s yearly budget.

Economic Leader The president is generally regarded as the leader of his or her political party. The president gives speeches supporting candidates in his or her party. The president also helps raise money for the party.