Executive Branch and the Bureaucracy

Qualifications to be President

1. Natural born citizen

2. Resident for 14 years

3. 35 years old and older

Chief Executive

The president

Executive Order

Directives issued by the president to the executive branch, has the force of law, the next president may modify or rescind

Legislative Powers

Reccommend legislation

Approve legislation

Veto

Line-item veto 

State of the union address

Call a special call for Congress

Reprieve

The postponement of a sentence

Commutation

Reduce the length of a sentence or fine

Pardon

Full legal forgiveness of a crime

Amnesty

A blanket pardon that covers a group of people

Treaties

Formal agreement between 2 or more countries (2/3 vote)

Executive Agreements

Informal agreement between the president and the head of a foreign country 

Recognition Power

President recognizes the existence of that country 

War Power Resolution

48 hours-inform Congress

Must end within 60 days-combat

Congress can pass a concurent resolution (House and Senate) to end

Washington

Shape the presidency-2 term precedent, Cabinet

Jackson

Founder of the Democratic Party-Trail of Tears, nominated by a political conventio

Lincoln

Asserted implied powers- Civil War

F. Roosevelt

Creates the modern presidency-”First Hundred Days”, leads the legislative process, larger White House staff

Executive Privilage

The right to withold deciesion making process from another branch

U.S. v Nixon

Court ruled that there’s not absolute, unqualified right to executive privelage but there is limitied, especially in military or diplomatic affairs

Impoundement of Funds

President refuses to spend money that Congress appropiated

Budget Report Act of 1974

Requires President to spend money that congress doesn’t want to spend, Congress has 45 days to delete

Signing Statements

President clarifies how they will interpret the law

Informal Presidential Powers

Election mandate-act behalf of the whole nation

Media-bully pulpit

Morale Builder-bring nation together

Persuasion

Nuclear Football

A black briefcase which is carried along with the President of the United States at all times. Inside the briefcase are instruction manuals, a radio transmitter and authentication codes for the Emergency Broadcast System.