The Role of the President: Advising functions performed by various departmental heads.
Types of Organizational Structures:
Pyramid or Hierarchy: Traditional top-down chain of command.
Circular or Wheel and Spoke: Emphasizes a more inclusive communication style.
Ad Hoc: Meets immediate needs as they arise, often temporary.
Nature: Informal institution without a constitutional basis; referenced indirectly in the 25th Amendment.
Membership: Based on tradition and the discretion of the president.
Precedent Set by Washington:
First Cabinet comprised four key members:
Secretary of War: Henry Knox
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
Attorney General: Edmund Randolph
Composition: Currently consists of 15 secretaries.
Authority: Only Congress has the power to create or dissolve cabinet departments.
Key Responsibilities:
Execute laws and assist the President in decision-making processes.
Purpose: Provides advisory and policy-making support directed towards individual presidents.
Structure: Acts as a mini-bureaucracy with close advisors located in the White House.
Differences between Cabinet and EOP:
The nature of their functions, membership, accountability, and creation.
Overlaps: Some functions and members may have roles in both.
Agencies that are part of the EOP:
Office of Management & Budget (OMB)
Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
National Security Council (NSC)
Total: 8 departments/agencies in the EOP.
Responsibility: Staff is directly accountable to the President, includes personal assistants and legal counsel.
Notable Members:
Karl Rove, Rahm Emanuel, John Kelly, Ron Klain, Jeff Zients, Susie Wiles.
Critical Roles:
White House Chief of Staff
Communications Director
Press Secretary
National Security Advisor
White House Counsel
Why Modern Presidents Rely on White House Staff:
Increased loyalty due to direct hiring/firing power.
Appointments require no Senate approval compared to Cabinet.
Oversight issues: White House Staff faces significantly less Congressional oversight.
Loyalty: Staff is directly appointed by President; Cabinet is divided with varying loyalties.
Appointment Process: Staff appointments do not require Senate approval, while Cabinet members do.
Oversight: White House Staff operates with minimal oversight compared to Cabinet members who are subject to congressional scrutiny.
Layout Analysis:
Description of significant areas within the White House:
Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Dining Room.
Key Departmental Members:
Kamala Harris (Vice President), Ron Klain (Chief of Staff), Steve Ricchetti (Senior Adviser), and others.
Key Players:
President
Secretary of State/State Department
Secretary of Defense/Military
U.S. Ambassadors
C.I.A.
Powers:
Commander in Chief of the Army & Navy
Commission all officers
Make treaties
Appoint and receive ambassadors
Actions Taken:
Suspension of due process rights for detainees.
Warrantless electronic surveillance.
Military action without congressional authorization (examples involving GWB and BHO).
Definition: Orders that carry the force of law, issued by the President.
Examples:
FDR's internment of Japanese Americans
Truman’s military desegregation
Clinton’s military policy on gays in the military.
Definition: International agreements made by a President that have the force of a treaty; no Senate approval needed.
Examples:
Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase negotiation
FDR during WW II
Bush’s trade agreements with Japan.
Authority:
Declaring war
Raising and supporting the army & navy
Ratifying treaties
Advising & consenting to ambassadors
Organizing and training the militia.
Historical Usage: Invoked 111 times by Presidents since 1973.
Congressional Actions: Instances of Congress voting against presidential war power usage under the WPR.