Executive Branch

Requirements to Become President

35 years old, natural born citizen, live in US for 14 years

Presidential Term

4 years

22nd Amendment

Limits the president to two terms or 10 years as President.

Formal Powers of the President

commander in chief of the armed forces

appoints cabinet heads of departments and gets advice from cabinet heads

appoints federal judges (with consent of the Senate)

pardons people convicted of federal offenses

signs and vetoes legislation

creates treaties (with consent of the Senate)

Leads the executive branch in the execution of laws

Appoints and receives ambassadors

Convene and adjourn Congress

Conduct a State of the Union Address

Informal Powers of the President

Executive Orders

Executive Agreements

Signing Statements

Bully Pulpit

Relationship with the public and the press

Executive Agreement

an informal agreement entered into by the President and the leader of a foreign nation or by their representatives. Does not require the consent of the Senate like a treaty does, and is not as legally binding

Veto

Presidential rejection of a bill

Can be overturned by a 2/3 vote by the House and Senate

Pocket Veto

A veto taking place when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president, who simply lets it die by neither signing nor vetoing it.

Line-Item Veto

Attempt by the President to just veto certain parts of a bill

Unconstitutional because the President cannot write laws

Executive Order

A directive by the President to the Executive Branch to manage their actions. Can function very similarly to a bill, but doesn't have to go through Congress and can be overturned by any President at any time

Examples of Executive Orders

Internment of Japanese americans during WWII

Integration of the military

The Emancipation Proclamation

Stays of deportation for undocumented immigrants

Signing Statement

a presidential document that reveals what the president thinks of a new law and how it ought to be enforced that they contribute when signing a bill into law. Informal power that is not legally binding.

Presidential Pardon

presidential authority to release individuals convicted of a crime from legal consequences and set aside punishment for a crime

Cabinet

Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president. Also makes up most of the line of succession

State of the Union Address

A yearly report by the president to Congress describing the nation's condition and recommending programs and policies. Required by the Constitution. Opportunity for publicity.

Bully Pulpit

the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public

Bureaucracy

The portions of government that execute laws and policies and manage governance through departments run by appointed and other unelected officials

Bureaucratic Tasks

-writing and enforcing regulations

-issuing fines

-testifying before congress

-participating in issue networks and iron triangles

Cabinet Departments

The fifteen largest and most influential agencies of the federal bureaucracy (e.g., Department of State, Treasury, Justice...) Headed by Secretary or Attorney General (Department of Justice)

Independent Regulatory Commissions

Independent agencies created by Congress, designed to regulate important aspects of the nation's economy, largely beyond the reach of presidential control.

Government Corporations

A government agency that operates like a business corporation, created to secure greater freedom of action and flexibility for a particular program.

Independent Executive Agencies

governmental units that closely resemble a Cabinet department but have narrower areas of responsibility and perform services rather than regulatory functions

Discretionary Authority

The extent to which appointed bureaucrats can choose courses of action and make policies that are not spelled out in advance by laws.

Compliance Monitoring

making sure the firms and companies that are subject to industry regulations are following those standards and provisions

Political patronage / Spoils system

the practice of a successful political party giving public office to its supporters. Largely regulated in the modern bureaucracy

Civil Service

A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service.

Pendleton Service Act

Passed in 1883, an Act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage.

Hatch Act

A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics.

Congressional checks on the Bureaucracy

-can pass legislation

-can hold investigations, oversights, hearings

-power of the purse; bureaucracy's budget is set by Congress

-Congressional review: joint resolutions by the legislature can nullify agency regulations

Congressional Oversight

a committee's investigation of the executive and of government agencies to ensure they are acting as Congress intends

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

winner-take-all system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins all the votes

Faithless Elector

Elector who does not vote for the candidate they promised to vote for. These have never determined outcome of presidential election but is a major problem with electoral college system

Interest Groups

private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy

Iron Triangle

A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Issue Networks

The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas

Revolving Door

Employment cycle in which individuals who work for governmental agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern.