Copy of The Executive Branch

This system seems to work well, however, the electoral college has 3 major flaws.

• Winner of popular vote not guaranteed presidency.
• Electors are not required to vote in accord with popular vote.
• Any election might have to be decided by the House of Rep.

The Secretary of State

The Secretary of the Treasury

The Secretary of Defense

The Attorney General (Justice Department)

The Secretary of the Interior

The Secretary of Agriculture

The Secretary of Commerce

The Secretary of Labor

The Secretary of Health and Human Services

The Secretary of Homeland Security

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

The Secretary of Transportation

The Secretary of Education

The Secretary of Energy

The Secretary of Veterans' Affairs

The Executive Branch

edited by Mr. Crawford

The President

The President's Job Description

Why do we have a President?

What is the Executive Branch?

The President's Roles (8)

...Let's look at Article 2 of the constitution

Chief Citizen

Chief of State

Vice President and The Cabinet

"The representative of all of the people"

• Chief of State
• Chief Executive
• Chief Administrator
• Chief Diplomat
• Commander in Chief
• Chief Legislator
• Chief of Party
• Chief Citizen

The ceremonial head of government

Think morals, duties, behavior, etc.

Think "symbol of the nation"

Also, remember the failure of the Articles of Confederation???

A little history...

The Vice President

The Cabinet

Why else? Because the constitution says so!

Right in the very first sentence:

Chief of Party

Chief Executive

• It is the branch of the U.S. Government that is responsible for carrying out laws.
• The Executive branch is structured like this:

• After much debate and failure to rule the country through separate state committees, it was decided that there should be a strong national government with a leader on top.

Leader of the political party that controls the Executive.

Vested by the Constitution with "the executive Power"

The day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws is in the hands of the various federal executive departments, created by Congress to deal with specific areas of national and international affairs.

• After the leaders of the revolution declared independence in 1776, they spent years trying to figure out how the country would be ruled.
• By the time the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in 1787, every detail was up for grabs.
• Would there be one chief executive or more than one?
• What kinds of powers would he have?
• And perhaps most difficult of all, how would he be chosen?

Has the power to execute laws and authority

Article. II. Section. 1.

"The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America."

"Things were not really efficient without an executive that has a certain amount of power," said James Pfiffner, a political scientist at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. "Psychologically," he added, "people like to have leaders to look up to." (Source: http://news.discovery.com/history/us-history/president-history-121101.htm)

President

Chief Legislator

Chief Diplomat

Chief Administrator

Commander in Chief

Main architect of public policy.

The head of the military

Main architect of American foreign policy and voice of the nation.

The director of the executive branch of the Fed Govt.

President initiates, suggests, requests, insists, and demands that Congress enact much of its major legislation.

All military men, women, and arsenal are subject to the President's direct and immediate control.

Think of the manager at an office.

Our representative to the rest of the world.

• The Vice President is the second-highest executive official in rank of the government.
• As first in the U.S. presidential line of succession, the Vice President becomes President upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President, which has happened nine times in U.S. history.
• Under the Constitution, the Vice President is President of the Senate. By virtue of this role, he or she is the head of the Senate. In that capacity, the Vice President is allowed to vote in the Senate, but only when necessary to break a tie vote.

Donald Trump

• There are 15 cabinet positions
• There are multiple federal agencies (e.g. CIA, EPA, USPS, and NASA)

Vice President

The Cabinet

Mike Pence

So you want to be the president? Let's see if you meet the Requirements for Presidency

Oath of Office and Executive Powers

Length of Term, Election, and Removal

Length of Term

Article 2, Section 1, Clause 1 - "He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years..."

Executive Powers

The oath of office

So, basically...

• Four years = 1 term
• 2 terms max

The oath of office captures the essence of the president's executive power.

• Executive order - a directive, rule, or regulation that has the effect of law.
• Power of Appointment - ambassadors, diplomats, cabinet members, aides, heads of agencies, all federal judges, U.S. marshals, attorneys, and all officers in the armed forces.
• Power of Removal - almost every appointment mentioned above (except judges)
• Power to make treaties - between two or more sovereign states.
• Executive agreements - pact between prez and head of foreign state.
• Power of Recognition - acknowledging legal existence of a country and its government.
• Veto power - bills passed by both houses of congress.

Article 2, Section 1, Clause 8 - "Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Removal (aka Impeachment)

Election

Article 2. Section 1 (cont.)

"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

• Must be born a citizen of the U.S.
• Must be at least 35
• Must be a resident for at least 14 yrs.

Article 2, Section. 4.

"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

The president is not elected by a popular vote, but rather he/she is elected by the electoral college.

Reasons for Impeachment:

• Treason
• Bribery
• High Crimes
• Misdemeanors

The constitution outlines the impeachment process in Article 1, Section 2 and Section 3