Executive Branch Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for reviewing the Executive Branch.

The head of the Executive Branch.

President

3 Qualifications to become President of the United States.

Natural born Citizenship, 35 years old, Have lived in the USA for 14 years

What are the terms? What is the salary?

4 years / 2 term limit

$400,000 a year + $50,000 a year expense allowance and other benefits

The 6 roles of the president, directly from the Constitution

Chief of State

Chief of Executive

Chief Administrator

Chief Diplomat

Commander in Chief

Chief Legislator

What is a Chief Legislator

Principle author of public policy (law)

Commander in Chief

Head of the armed forces

What is a Chief of State

Ceremonial head of government

What is a Chief Diplomat

Main architect of our foreign policy

What is a Chief Administrator

Director of the executive branch

What is a Chief Executive

Holds the executive power of the nation

Where do the powers Powers of the president come from

Article lll of the Constitution

Powers and responsibilities of the President

•  Overseeing the various parts of the executive branch

• Enforcing laws

• Issuing executive ordinances (executive orders)

• Appointing and removing officials

• Making treaties and executive agreements

• Commanding the military as commander in chief

• Signing or vetoing legislation

• Issuing pardons

 

2 jobs of each Secretary in the cabinet

Serve as head of their executive department

Advise the president

What is the Presidential Succession Act of 1974

Established the order of succession of the office of president

4 lines of succession

Vice President

Speaker of the House of Representative’s

President pro temples of the Senate

Secretary of state

How do you win Electoral College

270 votes

What does the Cabinet do

Advices the president on how he runs the country, but also carries out his policy ideas

List 5 departments in the Cabinets

Defense

Education

Energy

Transportation

Justice

What agencies of the Executive Branch have Cabinet level position but are not “Secretaries”

Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Management and Budget

Council of Economic Advisors

Small business Administration

What is impeachment

To accuse a public official of misconduct in office

Senate investigates impeachment, and votes whether to remove the president from office

What factors does the president take into account when choosing a cabinet member

• Expertise

• Administrative Experience

• Candidate’s support for President’s policies

• Acceptability to interest groups

• Diversity

What happens once a person is nominated for the Cabinet

Must be approved by Senate

Staffers will “leak” potential nominees to see what public reaction will be

Role of the Cabinet

• Advice on running the country

• Different presidents used their cabinets to differing levels

• Presidents have had their own “inner circle” used for advice

What did Spoils System create in American politics

Problems

What are restrictions that the Hatch Act put on civil servants

• Prevents federal workers from participating in election campaigns

• Keeps civil service politically neutral

• Limited to during work hours

• Outside of work, they can: Hold office in a political party

• Participate in political campaigns and rallies

• Publicly endorse candidates

• Still cannot: Run for elective office

• Solicit public contributions

Name limits on presidential power

Supreme Court can rule executive actions unconstitutional

Congress has the power to override the president’s vetoes

Senate confirms nominees and treaties

Congress must approve a budget

House of Representatives can impeach a president

How can popular opinion shape a president

Presidents will often speak to the people about an issue, using mass media.

How many political jobs are there to be filled by each president? How many require Senate approval

3,700 jobs

800 require senate approval

What is Executive Privilege

The right of the president and other high-ranking executive officers to withhold information from Congress or the courts about communication between the president and his or her advisers.

What are inherit powers

Powers claimed by the president, not clearly expressed in the Constitution

Name the defined powers

Executive laws

Veto legislation

Command the military

Engage with foreign leaders

What are defined powers

Can make treaties, appoint ambassadors and federal judges with Senate approval

How did the Articles of Confederation create a weak executive

No one carried out Congress’s laws, and government could not respond quickly to emergencies

What Act put restrictions on civil servants

Hatch Act

What protections are there for civil servants

Difficult to get fired, whistleblowers

What efforts were made to reform the soils system

calls for reform

Spoils System

A system where political supporters are rewarded with jobs.

Civil Servants

Employees of the government.

Defined Powers

Powers explicitly granted to the president in the Constitution.

Inherent Powers

Powers claimed by the president that are not explicitly in the Constitution.

Executive Privilege

The right of the president to withhold information from Congress and the public.

Impeachment

Process by which a president can be removed from office.