UNIT 3 GUIDED NOTES Name: _________________________ Chapter 13: The Presidency Section 1
Key Terms
• chief of _________________________: the ceremonial head of government
• chief executive: the leader of the executive branch and holder of executive power under the Constitution
• chief administrator: the director of the executive branch
• chief _________________________: the main architect of the nation’s foreign policy and its chief spokesperson to the world
• commander in chief: the leader of the nation’s armed forces • chief legislator: the main author of the nation’s public policies
• chief of party: the leader of the political party controlling the executive branch
• chief _________________________: the representative of all the people and the champion of public interest
Introduction
What are the roles and qualifications of the office of the President? The President’s roles include:
• Chief of state • Chief executive • Chief administrator • Chief diplomat • Commander in chief • Chief legislator • Chief citizen
Qualifications for President include being _________________________years old, a natural born U.S. citizen, and having lived in the United States for 14 years.
Presidential Roles
• The President acts as chief of state, the ceremonial head of the U.S. government and the symbol of the American people.
• The President is the chief executive, holding the nation’s executive power in domestic and foreign affairs
• The President is the chief _________________________, directing the more than 2.7 million civilian employees of the executive branch.
• The President is the nation’s chief diplomat, the main architect of American foreign policy and the nation’s chief spokesman to the rest of the world.
• The President is the commander in chief of the _________________________men and women of the nation’s armed forces.
• The President is the chief legislator, proposing laws that set the congressional legislative agenda. • The President is the unofficial head of the _________________________party that controls the
executive branch.
• The President is the unofficial chief citizen, expected to champion the public interest and be the representative of all the people.
Formal Qualifications
• The President must be a _________________________born citizen of the United States. • The President must be at least 35 years of age.
• The President must have been a U.S. _________________________for at least 14 years. Terms in Office
• Franklin _________________________ broke this custom by being elected to four terms from 1932 to 1944.
• The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1944, limits Presidents to no more than two full elected terms in office. • If a President succeeds to the office after the middle of a term, he or she can still seek two full terms. • No President can serve more than _________________________ years in office.
Views on Term Limits
• Many people, including some Presidents, have argued that the two-term rule unfairly limits the right of the people to choose their _________________________.
• Some say it also weakens a President’s influence at the end of the second term in office. • Supporters say the amendment protects against abuse of executive power.
• Some have argued for a single _________________________ term, which would free the President from worrying about reelection.
Pay and Benefits
• Congress decides the President’s _________________________ salary. • This salary cannot be changed while a President is in office.
• The current salary, set in 2001, is $_________________________ a year plus $50,000 a year for _________________________.
• The Constitution forbids the President from receiving any other pay from the government or the States while in office.
• The President also receives many benefits, including the White House, Air Force One, Camp David, a _________________________ of cars, a large staff, a suite of offices, excellent healthcare, and many other fringe benefits.
Chapter 13: The Presidency Section 2 Key Terms
• presidential succession: the scheme by which a presidential vacancy is filled
• Presidential _________________________ Act of 1947: the current law fixing the order of succession to the presidency after the Vice President
• balance the _________________________: the practice of choosing a vice presidential running mate who can strengthen the presidential candidate’s chance of being elected
Introduction
• What occurs when the President is unable to perform the duties of the office?
• If a President dies, resigns, or is removed by impeachment, the _________________________ President succeeds to the presidency.
• If the President is temporarily incapacitated, the Vice President becomes Acting President until the President can _________________________ office.
Presidential Succession
• The Vice President succeeded the President _________________________ times in U.S. history, beginning with John Tyler replacing William Harrison in 1841.
• At first, the Vice President technically assumed only the powers and duties of the presidency. • However, the custom was that the Vice President took the presidential office as well.
• Under the _________________________ Amendment, adopted in 1967, the Vice President now formally assumes
• the office of President. Order of Succession
• The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 sets the order of succession after the Vice President. • The presiding officers of Congress are followed by the heads of the cabinet departments in the order
Presidential _________________________
• For many years, there were no provisions for deciding if a President was too disabled to continue in office.
• Woodrow _________________________ suffered a stroke in 1919 and was too ill to meet with his cabinet for seven months.
• President Eisenhower had three serious but temporary illnesses while in office. • In 1981, President _________________________ was badly wounded in an
_________________________ attempt.
• The 25th Amendment addressed the disability issue. The Vice President becomes Acting President if: • The President informs Congress, in writing, that he or she cannot carry out the powers and duties of the
office, OR
• The Vice President and a majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress, in writing, that the President is _________________________.
The Vice Presidency
• The Constitution gives the Vice President two formal duties: to preside over the
_________________________, and to help decide if the President is disabled (under the 25th Amendment).
• Otherwise, the Vice President must be ready to assume the duties of the presidency if necessary. • Historically, the office of Vice President has had low _________________________.
• Often the vice presidential candidate is chosen because he or she can balance the ticket, helping the president get elected due to personal characteristics such as ideology, geographic background, race, ethnicity, or gender.
• This puts little emphasis on the presidential qualities possessed by a vice presidential candidate. The Vice Presidency Today
• Recent Vice Presidents have had more political experience and influence.
• Dick _________________________ is widely viewed as the most influential vice president in history. • Joe _________________________, right, brought years of foreign policy experience to his office. • No Vice President has been given as much power as the President, in part because the President
cannot remove the Vice President. Vice Presidential Vacancy
• The vice presidency has been left vacant nine times by succession, seven times by death, and twice by resignation.
• Under the 25th Amendment, the _________________________ can fill a vice presidential vacancy by nominating a Vice President, who must be confirmed by both houses of Congress.
• In 1973, Gerald _________________________ became the first Vice President appointed in this fashion.
Chapter 13: The Presidency Section 3 Key Terms
• presidential _________________________: one of a group of individuals who cast the formal votes that choose the President
• electoral vote: one of two votes cast by an elector, one for President and one for Vice President • _________________________ college: the group of people chosen from each State and the
District of Columbia to formally select the President and Vice President Introduction
• How did the process of choosing a President change over time?
• At first electors cast two votes for president, each for a different candidate. The winner became President and the runner-up became Vice President.
• Electors also pledged to vote for their party’s candidates. The Constitutional Debate
• The _________________________ of the Constitution debated whether to have the President chosen by Congress or by the popular vote of the people.
• Opponents of congressional selection felt it would upset the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.
• Opponents of popular election felt that the people would not know enough about the candidates to make wise choices.
The Electoral College
• The Framers agreed on a plan put forth by Alexander _________________________
• They created the electoral _________________________, a special body of presidential electors representing each state.
• Each state would have as many electors as it had senators and representatives in Congress. • The state legislatures would decide how presidential electors would be chosen in each state. • Each elector would cast two electoral votes, each for a different candidate.
• The candidate with the most _________________________ votes would become President. • The candidate with the second-most votes would become Vice President
• The Framers did not anticipate the rise of political parties competing for the presidency. The Election of 1796
• In 1796, the Democratic-Republican candidate Thomas Jefferson finished a close second to Federalist John _________________________.
• Jefferson then became Adams’s Vice President, even though they were political rivals. The Election of 1800
• In _________________________, the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans faced each other again.
• For the first time, each party nominated two candidates, one for President and one for Vice President. • John _________________________ and Alexander Hamilton formed the Federalist ticket, while
Thomas _________________________ and Aaron Burr were the Democratic-Republican candidates. • Each party also nominated electors who, if chosen, swore to vote for their party’s presidential and
vice-presidential nominees.
• In the map at right, the orange areas voted for Adams, the green for Jefferson.
• As per the electoral college rules, each _________________________ -Republican elector cast two presidential votes, one for Jefferson and one for Burr.
• As a result, _________________________ and Jefferson tied.
• Popular opinion favored Jefferson, who had run as the party’s formal presidential candidate. But there was no rule stating that he should win the electoral tie.
• Instead, it took the House of Representatives 36 separate votes to break the tie and elect Jefferson as President, making Burr the Vice President.
• The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, _________________________ the vice presidential and presidential elections.
• Each presidential elector now casts one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. Chapter 13: The Presidency Section 4
Key Terms
• presidential _________________________: an election in which a party’s voters choose state delegates to the national convention and/or express a preference for their party’s presidential nomination
• proportional representation: a system that gives a primary candidate a proportion of delegates equal to their percentage of the vote
• _________________________: a closed meeting of party members who select delegates to a national convention
• national convention: a quadrennial meeting where major parties select their presidential ticket • _________________________: a party’s formal statement of principles
• keynote address: the speech opening a national convention
Introduction
• Does the nominating system allow Americans to choose the best candidates for President?
• The widely used presidential primary system does force candidates to prove their political abilities before moving on in the nominating process.
• Whether the current system produces the most skilled candidates remains a matter of debate. Nominating the President
• The system of nominating the President is not mentioned in the _________________________ and has been created by the two major parties.
• Each party’s national committee sets the time and place of its national convention.
• The _________________________ also assign each State party a certain number of convention delegates. In 2008, the Republican convention had 2,380 _________________________ and the Democrats had 4,233 delegates.
Selecting Delegates
• The _________________________ Party leaves the process of picking delegates largely up to State laws.
• The _________________________ Party also enforces some national party rules to promote participation by minorities, women, and grass-roots organizations.
Presidential Primaries
• The details of delegate-selection vary from State to State.
• In some States, the presidential primary chooses party delegates to the _________________________ convention.
• In others it expresses a preference among presidential contenders. • In some States it does both.
• Many States choose early dates for their primaries. Primaries Today
• State primaries were once winner-take-all affairs. • The Democratic Party’s rules now
ban this method, forcing many States to change their primary laws and abandon it. • Most States now use the _________________________ representation method.
• More than half the primary States now hold a preference primary, with the delegates being chosen at a State party convention, usually based on the preference vote.
Evaluation of the Primary
• They force potential nominees to test their political strength and prove their worthiness as main contenders.
• Primaries also make the nomination process more _________________________.
• Primaries are less important to the party in power, which typically will either nominate the sitting President or the candidate endorsed by the President.
Primary Reform Proposals
Caucuses
• In States that do not hold primaries, _________________________ choose the delegates to the national convention.
• Party voters attend local caucuses where they vote for delegates to attend district conventions • The district conventions choose delegates to the State convention, which then selects the State
delegates who will represent the party at the national convention. The National Conventions
• Today a party’s nominee is usually decided before the convention. • Conventions have three key goals:
o _________________________ the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates o Uniting the party’s factions and leaders in one place for a common purpose
o Adopting the party platform, stating its basic principles, policy _________________________, and objectives for the campaign and beyond.
• Conventions also draw media attention for the party and its candidate.
• Conventions meet for 3-4 days, organized around many _________________________ by party leaders, adoption of the party platform, and the keynote address celebrating the party and its candidates.
• The convention closes with the State delegations voting for the presidential nominee and the nominee’s acceptance speech.
Race for the Presidency
• The race for the presidency begins long before the election.
• One to four years before the election, potential candidates begin to explore their chances, organize, and raise funds.
• From _________________________ to June of the election year, primaries and caucuses help decide the party’s frontrunner.
• In August and September, major parties hold conventions, adopt platforms, and nominate their presidential candidate.
• From September to November, the presidential candidates hold debates and give speeches.
• On the _________________________ after the first Monday in _________________________, the voters cast their ballots and choose the president-elect.
Who is Nominated?
• Sitting presidents eligible for another term are usually nominated.
• Nominees have almost always held elected office, with governors being the most common nominees. • A long _________________________ record is common but not a necessity.
• The overwhelming majority of nominees have been white, male, Protestant, and married. • Women and minorities had not been serious major party candidates until 2008, with Hilary
_________________________ and Barack _________________________ vying for the Democratic nomination and Obama winning the presidency.
• Republican nominee John _________________________ was the oldest major party presidential candidate in history.
Chapter 13: The Presidency Section 5 Key Terms
• _________________________ voter: a voter who has not made up his or her mind at the start of a campaign
• _________________________ State: a State in which either candidate could win
• district plan: a plan in which each State chooses electors as it chooses members of Congress • proportional plan: a plan that gives each presidential candidate a share of the State electoral vote
• _________________________ popular election: a plan that would abolish the electoral college and replace it with a direct popular vote for president
• national popular vote plan: a plan to reform the electoral system to accomplish a direct popular vote
Introduction
• Does the election process serve the goals of American democracy today? • This question is still widely debated.
• Critics note that the current _________________________ process does not always elect the winner of the popular vote.
• Supporters note that the winner of the popular vote usually wins the presidency and that the current process preserves the influence of the individual States.
Presidential Campaigns
• Presidential campaigns now begin long before the party conventions.
• Candidates focus their time and money on battleground States and swing voters, trying to persuade uncommitted voters to support vote for them.
• Voters are bombarded with _________________________, interviews, speeches, and press releases.
• Since the 1960s, candidates also routinely debate each other in nationally televised events. • The people vote for presidential electors, rather than directly for a candidate.
Choosing Electors
• Presidential electors cast the actual votes for President and Vice President. Electors are chosen by the results of the State popular vote on _________________________ day.
• Electors meet at their State capital after the election and cast one electoral vote for President and one for Vice President. The results are sent to Washington and tallied.
• The _________________________ expected electors to use their own judgment, but now electors are expected to vote for their party’s candidates.
Counting Electoral Votes
• Each State has as many electors as it has members of Congress.
• Each State receives at least three electors, two for its Senate seats and one for the House.
• The _________________________ -take-all system gives all a State’s electoral votes to the candidate who wins the State popular vote.
Defects in the Electoral College
• The winner-take-all system and the unequal distribution of State electoral votes means that the winner of the electoral vote might lose the popular vote.
• This has happened _________________________ times. Fifteen Presidents have won with less than a majority of the popular vote.
Bush v. Gore
• In 2000, Al _________________________ narrowly won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the electoral college by one vote.
• _________________________ popular vote was disputed, leading to a recount stopped by a 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court, giving Bush Florida’s 25 electoral votes.
The House
• Electors are not required by the Constitution to pick the winner of the popular vote in their State. • It is possible that a presidential election will need to be decided in the House.
• House votes are by State, not individual members, which gives small States undue influence.
• The House vote also requires a majority of 26 States, which could be difficult to achieve. A minority party could also control a majority of state delegations.
Proposed Reforms
• The _________________________ plan lets every State congressional district select its own electors by popular vote.
• The _________________________ plan gives each candidate a share of the State electoral vote equal to their share of the State popular vote.
• These plans require no constitutional amendment but do not guarantee that the winner of the national popular vote will win the election. More elections might have to be decided by the
_________________________. Direct Popular Election
• The direct popular election plan abolishes the _________________________ college. Voters would vote directly for President and Vice President.
• The plan has popular support but faces several obstacles:
o It would take a constitutional amendment to get rid of the electoral college. o It would make individual States less important.
o It would force candidates to campaign everywhere, at great expense. National Popular Vote Plan
• The national popular vote plan calls on States to reform the electoral college and has wide support. • All _________________________ electoral votes would be given to the winner of the national popular
vote.
• All States would enter into a compact that would make this change effective only if approved by States totaling at least _________________________ electoral votes.
• So far only 4 States have successfully changed their electoral laws. But 20 other States have tried. Defending the Electoral College
• It is a known process. Reforms may have unknown flaws.
• The present system usually identifies the president-elect quickly and clearly. • The electoral college promotes the nation’s two-party system.
• Only _________________________ presidential elections have ever gone to the House of Representatives.
Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action Section 1 Key Terms
• _________________________ Article: the name given to Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes the office of the President
• _________________________ presidency: a critical view of the presidency that argues that Presidents have become too powerful, isolated from Congress, and unaccountable for their actions Introduction
• What factors have contributed to the growth of presidential power? • The presidency is a unified office with a focused purpose.
• Congress has granted more authority to the executive branch.
• The _________________________ can act decisively in times of crisis, increasing his or her influence.
• The support staff of the President has grown over time. Article II
o Approve or veto acts of Congress
o Send or receive _________________________ o “Take care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
• The presidency has been called the “most powerful office in the world.” Views of the Presidency
• These executive powers are broadly defined and open to interpretation.
• At the _________________________ Convention, some delegates argued for a weaker chief executive appointed by Congress.
• They were defeated by delegates supporting a strong, independently elected executive. Growth of Power
• Presidential _________________________ has grown over time. Why has this happened?
• Compared to Congress, the executive branch is a unified office with one leader, capable of quicker decisions.
• As the role of the federal government has grown and the country has endured wars and other major crises, citizens have looked to the presidency for decisive leadership.
• Congress has _________________________ authority to the executive branch to carry out the many laws passed by the legislative branch.
• Certain Presidents have used the influence of their office to increase the scope of presidential power. • The size of the _________________________ supporting the President has grown, allowing
involvement in more areas of government.
• Presidents have a unique ability to use _________________________ media—such as radio, television, and the Internet—to attract public attention to their policies and goals.
• Means of Gaining Power
• The debate continues over how much power the President should have relative to Congress. Limits on Power
• In 1952, the Supreme Court ruled that President Harry Truman _________________________ not use his powers as commander in chief to take control of U.S. steel mills during the Korean War. (Youngstown Sheet & Tube C. v. Sawyer)
• In 2006, the Court ruled that President George W. Bush could not use military tribunals to
prosecute “enemy combatants” and held that part of his plan violated the Geneva Conventions and the _________________________ Code of Military Justice. (Hamdan v. Rumsfeld)
Opposing Views
• Presidents like Theodore Roosevelt have supported broad powers.
• Roosevelt supported the “_________________________ theory,” arguing that the President should try to do whatever would help the public, using whatever powers could be claimed.
• Presidents like William Taft have favored limited presidential powers.
• Taft felt that Presidents could not simply assume powers that they felt were needed to serve the people. All executive power had to be based clearly on the _________________________. Imperial Presidency
• In recent years, some critics claim that the presidency has grown too powerful.
• They refer to this increase of power as an imperial _________________________ because presidents often take actions without consulting Congress.
• Supporters of the imperial presidency argue that the President often needs to act more swiftly than would be possible if he or she had to wait for congressional approval.
Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action Section 2 Key Terms
• ordinance power: the authority to issue executive orders
• executive _________________________: a right claimed by some Presidents that allows them to refuse to provide certain information to Congress or the federal courts
Introduction
• What are the executive powers and how were they established? The President:
• Executes and interprets the law of the land • Issues executive orders
• _________________________ many public officials • Removes appointed officials
• Can use executive privilege to withhold information from Congress and the federal courts • These powers come from the Constitution and from acts of Congress.
The Chief Executive
• The President enforces and carries out all federal laws. This authority comes from two sources: • The _________________________ of office, which requires the President to “faithfully execute the
Office of President” and “protect and defend the Constitution.”
• The constitutional _________________________ that the President “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
Interpreting Laws
• Congress passes many laws that set out broad policies, but do not include specific details for enforcement.
• The President and other members of the executive branch must decide _________________________ these laws should be administered and enforced.
• To do so, they must often _________________________ the intent of these laws. The Ordinance Power
• The President can issue executive orders—rules and regulations that have the force of law. This is called the ordinance power.
• The President must have this _________________________ in order to use some of the executive powers granted by the Constitution.
• In addition, Congress has delegated the authority to direct and regulate many legislative policies and programs to the President and the executive branch.
The Appointment Power
• The Constitution grants the President _________________________ power, the ability to appoint some federal officials.
• This power is necessary to ensure that presidential policies are carried out.
• The President appoints some _________________________ of the 2.7 million federal workers. • The majority of the rest are hired according to civil service laws.
Presidential Appointments
• Presidents appoint top-ranking officials such as:
o _________________________ members and their top aides o Ambassadors and other diplomats
o The heads of _________________________ agencies
o All federal _________________________, U.S. marshals, and attorneys o All officers in the U.S. armed forces
• The president can make recess appointments to fill vacancies when the Senate is not in session. • These appointments expire at the end of the congressional term they were made.
• They are _________________________ because they allow the President to bypass the Senate confirmation process.
The Confirmation Process
• Under the custom of senatorial courtesy, the Senate will only approve federal appointees supported by the _________________________ from their state who belong to the President’s party.
Presidential Appointees
• Presidential appointees are sometimes criticized for lacking independence and simply _________________________ presidential views.
• How might this parroting actually benefit the President? The Removal Power
• The Constitution does not say how appointed officers should be removed.
• Some politicians wanted _________________________ approval for removals as well as appointments.
• Others argued that the President must have the power to remove _________________________ appointees.
• The First Congress gave the President the power to remove any appointed officer except for federal judges.
• Congress tried _________________________ to take the removal power away from President Andrew Johnson in 1867.
• In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that the removal power was a key part of the President’s authority to execute the laws.
• In 1935, the Court ruled Congress can set the conditions under which members of
_________________________ regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission, may be removed from office.
• This ruling applies only to a small number of appointed offices. • In general, the President can remove whomever they appoint. Executive Privilege
• At times, Presidents have refused to reveal certain information to Congress or the federal courts. • Congress has never officially recognized the right of _________________________ privilege. • The President’s advisers and staff must be able to speak freely to give good advice. To do so, they
must believe that their words are confidential unless the President chooses to reveal them publicly. o United States v. _________________________
• However, the Court also ruled that executive privilege cannot be used to prevent evidence from being heard in a criminal proceeding, as that would deny the 6th Amendment guarantee of a fair trial.
Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action Section 3 Key Terms
• _________________________: a formal agreement between two or more independent states • executive agreement: a pact between the President and the head of a foreign state or their
subordinates; it has the same standing as a treaty but does not require approval by Congress • recognition: the act of acknowledging the legal existence of a country and its government • _________________________ non grata: an unwelcome person
Introduction
• What tools are available to the President to implement foreign policy? • Making treaties and executive agreements with foreign countries • Recognizing foreign _________________________
• Ordering the U.S. military to conduct operations on foreign soil without a formal declaration of war Chief Diplomat
• The Constitution does not formally give the status of chief diplomat to the President. But two presidential powers play a key role:
• The President is the _________________________ in chief of the nation’s armed forces.
• The President, usually acting through the secretary of state, negotiates treaties with foreign nations. Treaties
• Treaties have the same _________________________ status as an act of Congress. • Congress can repeal a treaty by passing a law that nullifies its provisions.
• An existing law can be repealed by the terms of a treaty. • A treaty cannot conflict with any part of the Constitution.
• If a _________________________ and a federal law conflict, the most recently passed measure wins. Treaties and the Senate
• A _________________________ majority of the Senate must approve all treaties before they go into effect.
• This gives the Senate an important role in shaping U.S. foreign policy.
• A Senate minority can kill a treaty. In 1920 the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles.
• Presidents John _________________________ and William McKinley each overcame Senate rejections of treaties by getting joint resolutions passed to annex Texas and Hawaii, respectively. Executive Agreements
• Presidents can make executive agreements without Senate approval. • These agreements cannot overrule state or federal law.
• Executive agreements do not become part of _________________________ law. Only those agreements made by the current President remain in force.
Power of Recognition
• The President recognizes the legal status of other nations on behalf of the United States. • Countries usually recognize each other by exchanging _________________________
representatives.
• Out of political necessity, the United States recognizes some nations whose conduct it does not agree with.
• Recognizing a new _________________________, such as Panama or Israel, can help ensure its success.
• _________________________ foreign diplomats or recalling U.S. diplomats from a foreign country is a strong expression of disapproval and sometimes a step toward war.
Commander in Chief
• Presidents delegate many command decisions to military officers, but Presidents make the most critical decisions and have the authority to take command in the field.
• It is difficult for Congress to challenge many presidential command decisions.
• President Theodore Roosevelt once sent the U.S. _________________________ halfway around the world without consulting Congress. Legislators had no choice but to approve funds to bring the Navy back.
Making Undeclared War
• Only Congress can declare war; however, many U.S. presidents have sent armed forces into combat abroad without a declaration of war:
• Bill Clinton sent troops to the _________________________ in the 1990s. • How might a President exercise the role of commander in chief?
Congressional Resolutions
• Congress has not declared war since World War II.
• However, Congress has passed _________________________ joint resolutions authorizing the President to use military force abroad, such as:
• In 1955, Congress let President Dwight Eisenhower position the U.S. Navy to block Chinese aggression toward Taiwan.
• The Iraq Resolution of 2002 authorized the use of force against Iraq. Power Over the Years
• At times Presidents have sought Congressional approval for the use of _________________________ force, while other times they have not. War Powers Resolution
• The results of the undeclared Vietnam War led Congress to pass the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
• There is still a debate over whether this Resolution is constitutional or not. War Powers Act
• The War Powers _________________________ states that the President can commit military forces to combat only
o If Congress has declared war, OR
o If Congress has authorized military action, OR
o If an attack on the nation or its armed forces has taken place. In this case, Congress must be notified within _________________________ hours and can end the commitment of troops at any time.
Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action Section 4 Key Terms
• pocket _________________________: a method of killing a bill at the end of a congressional session by not acting on it before Congress adjourns
• line-item _________________________: the power to cancel out specific provisions, or line items, in a bill while approving the rest of the measure
• reprieve: the postponement of the carrying out of a criminal sentence • _________________________: the legal forgiveness of a crime • clemency: the power of mercy or leniency
• commutation: the power to reduce a fine or the length of a sentence imposed by a court • amnesty: a blanket pardon offered to a group of law violators
Introduction
• How can the President check the actions of the legislative and judicial branches? o By using the message power to influence Congress to pass desired legislation o By vetoing bills passed by Congress
o By issuing signing statements
o By pardoning citizens accused or convicted of crimes
o By reducing _________________________ or the length of sentences o By granting amnesty to groups of people
Legislative Powers
• As party chief, the President can greatly influence Congress.
• The State of the _________________________, delivered to a joint session of Congress. • The President’s budget message
• The Annual _________________________ Report Veto Power
• Every bill or measure requiring the consent of both House and Senate must be submitted to the President.
Overriding a Veto
• Congress can _________________________ a veto with a two-thirds majority, but this rarely happens. • It is difficult to gather enough votes in each house for a veto override.
• The mere threat of a veto can often defeat a bill or cause changes to its provisions. • Early Presidents rarely exercised the veto, but it is _________________________ today. Signing Statements
• Signing statements describe how a new law should be enforced or point out problems that the President sees with the law.
• Presidents may issue signing statements when signing a bill into law.
• President George W. _________________________ issued a record number of signing statements. • He claimed the power to refuse to enforce certain provisions of a law or to interpret it as he saw fit. • Critics saw this as an attempt to veto bills without _________________________ a formal veto. Line-Item Veto
• The President can either accept all of a bill or reject all of it.
• The Supreme Court has ruled that the line-item veto power can only be given to the President by a constitutional _________________________.
• How is a line-item veto different from a regular veto?
• The proposed line-item veto would allow the President to cancel out some parts of a bill while approving others.
• Supporters argue that this would cut down on wasteful federal _________________________.
• Opponents argue that the line-item veto would shift too much power from the legislative branch to the executive branch.
Judicial Powers
• The President can grant _________________________ and _________________________ in federal cases.
• The President can pardon people before they have even been tried or convicted, though this is rare. • President Gerald Ford famously pardoned former President Nixon in 1974 before Nixon had been tried. • A person must accept a pardon for it to go into effect.
• The Supreme Court upheld this rule in 1915.
• The President can _________________________, or reduce, a fine or prison sentence.
• The President can also issue a blanket _________________________ that pardons a group of people. • In 1893, President Benjamin Harrison pardoned all Mormons who had violated polygamy laws.
• In 1977, President Jimmy _________________________ gave amnesty to all Vietnam War draft evaders.
Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy Section 1 Key Terms
• _________________________: a large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization
• bureaucrat: a person who works for a bureaucracy
• _________________________ agency: a support unit that aids the chief executive and the administrators of the various line agencies by offering advice and management assistance • line agency: a government agency that carries out specific tasks in pursuit of goals set by
Congress and the President Introduction
• What is the structure and purpose of the federal bureaucracy?
• Bureaucracies exist to coordinate the work of people in large organizations.
• The goal of a _________________________ is to allow people to perform large-scale and/or complex work as efficiently as possible.
• For example, the federal bureaucracy employs millions of people to do work as varied as defending the nation, delivering mail, and regulating business.
Bureaucracies
• A bureaucracy has three key features:
• _________________________ authority: There is a chain of command that runs from a few people at the top down to many workers at the bottom.
• Job _________________________: Each worker in the organization has specific duties and responsibilities.
• Formalized rules: Work is guided by a large number of written rules and regulations available to all employees.
Benefits of a Bureaucracy
• Having a hierarchy means that major decisions require the approval of high-ranking organization members, which helps keep them aware of what is going on.
• Job specialization allows each employee to become _________________________ at a certain task and perform it with greater efficiency
• Formalized rules help bureaucrats deal with issues in an objective manner and create a set of reliable standards for the organization that all employees can learn and follow.
Criticisms of Bureaucracies
• People often criticize _________________________ for having too many employees and procedures.
The Federal Bureaucracy
• The federal bureaucracy consists of all the agencies, people, and procedures through which the federal government makes and carries out public policy.
• Most of the federal bureaucracy is part of the executive branch, but the judicial and legislative branches have bureaucracies as well.
• _________________________ are appointed, not elected, officers of the federal government. Executive Departments
• The Constitution refers to the presence of executive departments within the executive branch. • The _________________________ does not specify the number, powers, or organization of these
executive departments.
• The structure of the federal bureaucracy has developed over time, to meet the needs of policy makers for an administration that can carry out their decisions.
The Executive Branch
• The _________________________ Office of the President • The 15 _________________________ -level departments • A large number of _________________________ agencies
• Nearly _________________________ percent of all of the men and women who work for these agencies in fact work some place other than Washington, D.C.
• Why do you think the executive branch makes up the majority of the federal bureaucracy?
• The Executive Office of the President is an umbrella agency composed of several sub-agencies staffed by the President’s closest advisors and assistants.
• Often called the Cabinet departments, the executive departments and their subunits carry out much of the work of the Federal Government.
• The _________________________ agencies are not attached to any of the Cabinet departments and exercise a wide range of responsibilities in the carrying out of government business as well as serving the public.
Naming Executive Units
• The units of the executive branch can have many different names.
• The most common names are agency, administration, commission, corporation, authority, _________________________, service, office, branch, and division.
Assigning Names
• There are few clear guidelines on how to assign these names.
• The titles agency or _________________________ often refer to major units. • _________________________ refers to units that regulate business.
• Corporation or authority refer to units that have business functions.
• Many federal agencies are referred to by their initials, such as the EPA, FBI, or NASA Line and Staff Agencies
• Congress and the President give the various line agencies goals to meet. • The staff agencies then help the line agencies meet these goals.
• Staff agencies also assist the _________________________.
• For example, the Executive Office of the President includes several staff agencies that advise the president but do not administer public programs or directly enforce policy.
• The _________________________ Protection Agency is a line agency responsible for enforcing the nation’s environmental and pollution laws on a daily basis.
Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy Section 2 Key Terms
• _________________________ Office of the President: a complex organization of several separate agencies staffed by some 900 of the President’s closest advisors and assistants • federal budget: a very detailed estimate of receipts and expenditures during the next fiscal year • _________________________ year: the 12-month period used by government and business for
record-keeping, budgeting, and other financial management purposes
• domestic affairs: all matters of a nation that are not connected to the area of foreign affairs Introduction
• What agencies and advisors are part of the Executive Office of the President and what are their functions?
• The Executive Office of the President (EOP) includes: o The _________________________ House Office o The National _________________________ Council o The Office of _________________________ and Budget o Many other executive units
• The EOP advises and informs the President on issues such as foreign policy, national security, and the economy.
• All of the agencies and employees in the executive branch are legally subordinate to the President and exist to help the President wield executive power.
• The EOP works closely with the _________________________.
• The EOP was formed in 1939. Today it has some 900 advisors and assistants.
• The EOP is one example of how much the modern executive branch has grown since the founding of our nation.
The White House Office
• The EOP is centered on the _________________________ House Office, home to much of the President’s key personal and political staff.
• This staff includes individuals such as the chief of staff, the counselor to the President, and the press secretary.
• A large number of advisors and assistants in the White House Office provide the President with information on a range of topics, including the economy, congressional relations, political affairs, national defense, and public relations.
The West Wing
• The White House includes two _________________________ buildings and the President’s _________________________.
• The East and _________________________ wings extend from the residence. • The President’s closest advisors are located in the West Wing near the Oval Office. • Why is it important that these advisors be so close to the President’s office?
National Security Council
• The NSC is a staff agency that advises the _________________________ on all domestic, foreign, and military matters that relate to national security.
• It also gives direction to U.S. intelligence agencies. NSC Members
• The President chairs the NSC, whose members also include the Vice President and the secretaries of _________________________, treasury, and defense.
• The Director of National Intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also attend NSC meetings.
NSC Staff
• The small staff of experts in foreign and military policy employed by the NSC work under the President’s assistant for national security affairs, who is often called the national security advisor. • During the 1980s, the NSC went beyond its staff agency role to carry out covert operations, which led
to the _________________________ scandal. The OMB
• The _________________________ (OMB) is the largest unit in the Executive Office of the President. It prepares the _________________________ budget submitted by the President to Congress each year.
• The federal government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
• Each federal agency provides the OMB with estimates of its spending needs, which the OMB reviews and adjusts to fit the President’s overall policy and budget plans.
The Federal Budget
• Preparing an official budget can take more than a year. The result is a carefully crafted plan for how the federal government should operate.
• The OMB must consider a variety of factors before it creates the President’s final budget proposal. These factors include:
o What _________________________ want o What the _________________________ wants Other OMB Duties
• The OMB also monitors the work of all agencies in the executive branch and works to ensure that their policies agree with those of the President.
• In addition, the OMB helps the President prepare executive orders and veto messages. • The EOP and the _________________________
• Like the OMB, other EOP Agencies are run by officials appointed by the President. The _________________________ must approve some of these appointments.
EOP Agencies
• The Office of National Drug Control Policy was established in 1988 to prepare the nation’s drug control strategy and coordinate the federal agencies that take part in the war on
_________________________.
• The three-member Council of Economic Advisers advises and informs the President on economic policy and helps prepare the annual Economic Report to Congress, submitted in January or _________________________ each year.
• Other agencies in the EOP advise the President on topics such as science and technology, the environment, foreign trade, and public policy. They include:
o The Office of Science and _________________________ Policy o The Council on Environmental Quality
o The Office of United States _________________________ Representatives o The Office of _________________________ Development.
o The Office of the Vice President, which has grown in recent years, houses the Vice President’s advisors and staff.
Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy Section 3 Key Terms
• _________________________ department: one of 15 major departments in the executive branch, each of which specializes in a specific area of public policy; together they make up the Cabinet • _________________________: nonmilitary
• secretary: the title given to the heads of the executive departments
• _________________________ general: the title of the head of the Department of Justice Introduction
• What is the Cabinet and what does it do?
• The Cabinet is an informal advisory body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments. • It also includes other key _________________________ to the President.
• Individually, Cabinet members run their departments and carry out presidential policies. • As a group, they advise the President.
Executive Departments
• The _________________________ executive departments are also called the Cabinet departments. • The First Congress created the Departments of State, Treasury, and War in 1789.
• Over time, departments have been added, abolished, divided and combined to meet the changing needs of the country.
Department Secretaries
• Each department is headed by a secretary appointed by the President.
• The Department of _________________________ (DoJ) is headed by the attorney general. • The department heads ensure that their departments carry out presidential policy.
• Each department head has many assistants and aides to help with issues such as public relations, planning, and budgeting.
Executive Departments
• The executive departments employ nearly two-thirds of the civilian federal workforce.
• Roughly 80 percent of these employees are career _________________________ servants, not appointees.
• Nearly 90 percent of federal civilian employees work outside Washington, D.C. • Each department is divided into smaller subunits with specific line or staff duties.
• For example, the Criminal Division of the DoJ is further divided into sections dealing with counterterrorism and narcotics.
• The executive departments vary widely in visibility, size, and importance.
• The Department of _________________________ is the oldest and most prestigious, but among the smallest.
• The Department of _________________________ is the largest, with more than 2 million civilian and military employees.
• The Department of _________________________ has the largest budget, accounting for about a fourth of all federal spending.
• Each of the now 15 executive departments was created by Congress.
• Their respective areas of responsibility generally reflect the conditions of the period and the major issues facing the nation when each of them was established.
The Cabinet
• The Cabinet is a vital but informal group that advises the President. • Neither Congress nor the Constitution created the Cabinet.
• George Washington began the custom of meeting regularly with the heads of the executive departments.
Cabinet Members
• The Cabinet includes the heads of the 15 executive departments. • Today, it also includes:
o The Vice _________________________ o The President’s chief domestic policy adviser o The White House Chief of Staff
o The director of the _________________________
o Other officials as chosen by the President, often from within the ranks of the Executive Office of the President
• The President appoints the head of each of the 15 executive departments, who are then confirmed by the Senate. The Senate rarely rejects an appointee.
• Party affiliation and influence
• Professional qualifications and experience
• Regional background and ties to key issues handled by a given department • A desire for _________________________, racial, and ethnic balance Role of the Cabinet
• Cabinet members have two key roles:
• To run their respective executive departments • To advise the President as a group
Decreasing Importance
• The importance of the _________________________ has declined in recent years. • This is due largely to the growth of the Executive Office of the President.
Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy Section 4 Key Terms
• _________________________ agency: a federal agency that operates independently of the 15 executive departments
• independent executive agency: the largest category of independent federal agencies, which include most of the non-Cabinet agencies
• _________________________ service: the collective name given to the majority of civilians who work directly for the federal government
• _________________________: the practice of handing out jobs, contracts, and other government favors to political supporters and friends
• spoils system: another name for the patronage system, dating back to the administration of Andrew Jackson
• draft: compulsory, or required, military service; also called conscription
• independent regulatory commission: one of 11 agencies that monitor and police key aspects of the national economy, with little direction from the President
• government _________________________: a government agency set up by Congress to carry out specific business activities
Introduction
• What are the roles and structures of the independent agencies?
• Independent agencies are units created by Congress that operate outside of the executive departments.
• There are more than 100 such agencies, carrying out many different tasks. • Independent agencies can be divided into three broad categories:
• Independent _________________________ agencies • Independent regulatory commissions
• Government corporations Independent Agencies
• Some perform work that does not fit easily into any existing executive department.
• Some are independent to protect them from partisan politics or to satisfy the desires of various interest groups.
• Some are independent because they perform sensitive work, like financial regulation. • Several agencies perform tasks similar to those of executive departments.
• A few, like the _________________________ Security Agency, are larger than several executive departments.
• Most independent agencies remain under the authority of the President. Executive Agencies
• Most independent agencies are executive agencies.
• The largest of these agencies are organized like executive departments • The majority have small staffs and budgets and receive little public attention. Major Executive Agency
• _________________________ was created in 1958 to guide the nation’s space programs.
• NASA’s research and development programs have led to many scientific advances with commercial applications.
• In addition to running the shuttle program and operating the international space station, NASA conducts robotic missions in the solar system.
The Civil Service
• The civil service system replaced the patronage system in the late 1800s.
• Officeholders changed with each new administration and the system suffered from widespread corruption and inefficiency.
• The _________________________ Civil Service Act of 1883 set up the foundation for the modern merit-based system of hiring and promotion.
The Civil Service Today
• Today the U.S. government is the nation’s largest employer, with some 2.7 million civilian employees. • Nearly 90 percent of _________________________ branch employees are now covered by the merit
system.
• Under this system, hiring and promotion are based on merit and scores on examinations.
• The Merit Systems Protection Board ensures that the system is not abused, handling all complaints. • The Office of Personnel Management hires, pays, and promotes career civilian employees of the
government who make up the civil service. Selective Service System
• The national _________________________ was introduced in 1917.
• It was used for World War I and World War II, remaining in effect until it was suspended in 1973. • Some _________________________ soldiers were drafted in WW I, more than 10 million in WW II,
and some 5 million up through 1973. • The draft law remains on the books.
• All _________________________ between the ages of 18 and 26 must serve in the military if called. They must register with the Selective Service at age 18.
• Congress must authorize a reactivation of the draft before troops can be conscripted. Regulatory Agencies
• These agencies are largely independent of the executive branch.
• Each is headed by a board or commission whose members are appointed by the President and approved by the _________________________.
• These members serve long, staggered terms so that only one term per board expires each year. • Members can only be removed for causes specified by Congress.
• Only a bare majority of members can belong to the same political party.
• These conditions help keep the independent regulatory agencies truly independent. • Independent regulatory agencies have quasi-legislative and judicial powers.
• They can make rules and regulations with the force of law.
• They can _________________________ disputes in certain fields. • These agencies are an exception to the idea of separation of powers.
• Some critics are concerned that these agencies have too much power or use it unfairly. Regulatory Commissions
• The focus of the independent regulatory commissions is to ensure the stability of the nation’s economy. • _________________________ federal agencies have been established to set and enforce standards
on financial markets, employment, business practices, and public safety. Government Corporations
• These agencies were set up by Congress to perform businesslike activities. • They were rarely used until World War I and the Great Depression.
• There are now more than 50 government corporations, including: o The U.S. _________________________ Service
o The Federal _________________________ Insurance Corporation o The National _________________________ Passenger Corporation o The _________________________ Valley Authority