chapter 11: the executive

what are the qualificiations of the president?

natural born citizen, 35 years old, resident of the US 14 yrs prior to becoming president

22nd amendment

changed term limit to 2 terms for presidents

25th amendment

succession act, if president is killed

what is the succession line?

vice president, speaker of the house, president protempo of senate, secretary of state, secretary of treasury

impeachment

removing president in constitution; a part of checks and balances within the gov

what are the 4 reasons a president can be impeached?

1. treason - betray country

2. bribery - receive benefit for alternate motives

3. high crimes - felonies

4. misdemeanores - low crime

what are the 2 steps of impeachment?

1. in the house - majority vote

2. in the senate - judge and jury- super majority (2/3 vote)

what are the 4 presidential powers?

1. appointment powers - appoint over 3000 people (1/3 senate must approve)

2. convene - convene congress at least once a year and during extraordinary occations

3. treaties - make treaties with other nations (approved by senate) and sign executive orders (like a treaty but without senate agreement and temporary)

4. veto - president vetos by not signing it (goes back to congres), congress can override veto with 2/3 vote in each house

who is the commander in chief?

the president

what ability does being the commander in chief give the president?

the ability to commence hostilities but not the ability to declare war

war power act

limits the ability of the president to take us to war; if troops are in combat the president must inform congress in 48 hours

what is a pardon?

the president can pardon any individual of federal crime

How does the president get the job done?

1. selection of cabinet - 15 department heads (secretaries)

2. executive office of president - controlling everything in gov that is an agency

3. whitehouse staff

4. informed networks

expressed powers

specific powers granted by the constitution to congress and to the president

commander in chief

the role of the president as commander of the national military and the state National Guard units

executive agreement

an agreement, made betweeen the president and another country, that has the force of a treaty but does not require the senate’s “advice and consent”

executive privilege

the claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president

implied powers

such powers are not specifically expressed but are implied through the expansive interpretation of delegated powers

delegated powers

constitutional powers that are assigned to one governmental agency but are exercised by another agency with the express permission of the first

inherent powers

powers claimed by a president that are not expressed in the constitution but are inferred from it

cabinet

the secretaries, or chief administrators, of the major deparments of the federal government; cabinet secretaries are appointed by the president with the consent of the senate

white house staff

analysts and advisers to the president, each of whome is often given the title “special assistant”

executive office of the president

the permanent agencies that perform defined management tasks for the president

national security council

a presidential foreign policy advisory council composed of the president, the vice president, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, and other officials invited by the president

executive order

a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect and formal status of legislation

signing statements

announcements made by the president when signing bills into law, often presenting the president’s interpretation of the law