Chapter 6 – “The Executive Branch”

Lesson 2 – “The President’s Powers and Roles”

Constitutional Powers

Duties of the President

• The president is the only federal official elected by the entire nation.

• The president is Chief Executive over the executive branch, so his main duty is to execute, or carry out, the nation’s laws passed by Congress.

• Other expressed powers given in the Constitution allow the president to fulfill other important roles.

Roles of the President

Chief Executive

• 15 executive departments and 3+ million federal workers help the president run the executive branch.

• Use of Executive orders – rules, or commands, that have the force of law. Allows the president to bypass Congress under certain circumstances; usually involves the running of executive departments or agencies.

  • Some executive orders can have great impact, or influence, such as Harry S. Truman’s order to racially integrate the armed forces in 1948.

• Power of Appointment – The president, with the Senate’s approval (a check and balance), can appoint high-level officials, such as Supreme Court justices. This is important, since Supreme Court decisions have the weight of law and influence American life for many years (Ex: Plessy v. Ferguson’s “separate but equal” decision of 1896 caused racial discrimination to be our way of life for almost 60 years until the Brown case).

Judicial Leader

The president can grant: 1) a pardon, a release from punishment, to a particular person; 2) The president can grant a similar release from punishment to an entire group of people, which is called amnesty; 3) The president can also delay a person’s punishment so that a higher court can hear the case, which is something called a reprieve; 4) The president can commute, or reduce, a person’s sentence as well. (Memory Tool: PARC)

Chief Diplomat

• Directs the foreign policy, or strategy for dealing with other countries (to be covered in Lesson 3).

• Ex: Appointment of ambassadors, official representatives of one country’s government to another.

Commander in Chief

• Commands all branches of the military – army, navy, marines (part of the navy), air force, coast guard and space force (the newest branch, created under Trump)/

• Congress declares war, but only the president orders troops into battle. (Congress has declared actual war five times – War of 1812, Mexican War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II.)

• Troop actions since 1789 have numbered over 150. Examples: Korean Conflict, VietNam Conflict

• 1973 – “War Powers Act” – requires presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of troops moved into battle. Troops must be brought home after 60 days unless Congress gives its approval.

Legislative Leader

• Speeches, like the State of the Union, are used to propose laws the president wants Congress to pass.

• Meetings are held regularly with lawmakers in order to get bills moved through Congress.

• President’s use of the veto power also is part of this role

Head of State

• The president is our living symbol, representing the U.S. to other countries.

• President greets and hosts queens, kings, prime ministers, and other world leaders.

• National ceremonies, like lighting the national Christmas tree or awarding medals, are part of this role.

Economic Leader

• Voters expect presidents to deal with problems like unemployment, rising prices, and high taxes*.

• Presidents must also plan the country’s federal budget, which is several trillion dollars**. Deciding which programs to support and which ones to cut can have a great impact on the economy.

(*called “inflation”)(**$6.2 trillion in 2023)

Party Leader

• Presidents get much help during their election campaigns. In return, they help many other members of their parties in their campaigns through fundraisers, speeches and appearances.