Chapter 9:Executive Branch Flashcards
Who is the head of the executive branch?
President
What does the President do?
- sets goals for the nation
- develops policies-(method to reach the goal)
- responsible for all final decisions
Which Amendment sets the limit to 2 terms or 10 years maximum?
22
What’s the required age to become president?
At least 35 years old
When is the president elected?
Every 4 years
What is the executive branch?
Branch of gov’t responsible for executing or carrying out the laws
How long must the president have lived in the United States?
14 years
What is the salary of the President?
$400,000
List some checks and balances
Congress must approve who the President appoints
Troops can’t stay for over 60 days in a foreign country without congressional approval
Congress declares war
Senate may reject treaties the President makes
Senate must approve the Supreme Court judges and other federal judges the president chooses
What is the chief executive?
Head of the executive branch
To execute the law means…
To make sure that they are carried out
What are executive orders?
Rules and regulations that governments must follow
What is the chief diplomat?
The most important representative of the United States in relations with other nations
State of the Union-
The President sets forth ideas about what America’s foreign policy should be
What is a pardon?
Release from punishment
How many employees work for the executive branch?
Over 3 million
How many elected officials are there for the executive branch?
2
What is bureaucracy?
Organization of gov’t departments, agencies and offices
What is an administration?
Team of executive branch officials who lead the executive office, departments, and independent agencies
Who are the White House staff and what do they do?
- inner circle of trusted people
- give advice and info on topics (National security, economy, war)
Who is the chief of staff?
Denis McDonough
What do the special advisory groups do?
Advise the president
Who does not report to congress or the press?
National Security Council (NSC)
Who are the president and vice president?
Barack Obama-President
Joe Biden-VP
What is the term of office for the president?
4 years
What are the qualifications to be President?
be at least 35 years old, must be a native born U.S. Citizen, and must have been a resident of U.S. for at least 14 years
What are some limits the president has on his power?
- may only carry out laws;NOT MAKE THEM
- many decisions must be approved by Congress
- can be impeached by Congress
Explain the role of the president as Chief Executive.
- head of the executive branch
- execute the laws (make sure they are carried out)
- can make executive orders-(rules & regulations that gov’ts must follow)
- can appoint about 4,000 executive branch officials (with congressional approval)
Explain the role of the president as Commander in Chief.
- leader of the armed forces
- sets goals and tactics
- may send troops to a foreign country, but the War Powers Resolution says those troops may not stay for more than 60 days without congressional approval
- can alter the lives of other nations and change the course of history
Explain the role of the president as Chief Diplomat.
- the most important representative of the United States in relations with other nations
- makes foreign policy-(the set of plans for guiding our nation’s relationships with other countries)
- may make treaties-(formal agreements with other countries) but Senate may reject any treaty
- also appoints ambassadors & makes executive agreements
Explain the role of the president as Legislative leader.
- State of the Union-sets forth ideas about what America’s foreign policy should be
- make domestic policy-a set of plans for dealing with national problems
- can veto a bill
- plan budget-(plan for how to raise & spend money to carry out programs)
- can call special sessions of Congress
Explain the role of the president in regard to the judicial branch.
- chooses Supreme Court justices and other federal judges (Senate has to approve)
- can pardon-(release from punishment)
Explain the role of the president in role through tradition.
- the leader of their political party
- chief of state-speaks for the nation, expresses values and goals of the American people
Bureaucracy
Organization of gov’t departments, agencies and offices
Administration
Team of executive branch officials who lead the executive office, departments, and independent agencies
What is the job of the Vice President?
Be President of the Senate
no clear duties=as assigned by the President
Advisory groups to the president
advise the president and tell the President the cost of his goals
What do the executive departments do for the president?
work to carry out the laws and policy-15 of them
Domestic policy
a set of plans for dealing with national problems
Executive agreements
agreements with other countries that do not need Senate approval
Treaties
formal agreements with other countries
Executive orders
rules and regulations that governments must follow
What are some checks and balances in place that limit the President’s power?
- can’t appoint executive branch officials without congressional approval
- War Powers Resolution
- Congress declares war
- Senate may reject treaties
- can’t appoint ambassadors without Senate approval
- Senate also has to approve Supreme Court justices & other federal judges
Why is the executive branch the largest branch of government?
We have a strong military.
Cabinet
An important group of policy advisers to the President
Department of State/secretary
Carries out foreign policy, supervises ambassadors and other U.S. diplomats, represents the U.S. at the United Nations-John Kerry
Department of Defense/secretary
Maintains the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, conducts research on military weapons, builds and maintains military bases-Ashton Carter
Department of Justice/secretary
Investigates and prosecutes violations of federal laws, operates federal prisons, runs the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), represents the federal government in lawsuits-Loretta Lynch
What are independent agencies? What do they do? How many are there?
Agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments, carry out duties and tasks, about 70 of them
Civil Service system-
Under the system most government workers are hired on the basis of merit
Executive privilege-
The right to keep some information secret from Congress and the courts
Ambassadors-
Official representatives to foreign governments
Foreign policy-
Plans for guiding our nation’s relationships with other countries
What are the 3 main parts of the Executive Branch?
Executive office, departments, independent agencies
What are the 3 parts of the Executive Office? Explain them.
- White House Staff
- inner circle of trusted people
- give advice and info on topics (National Security, economy, war)
* does not need congressional approval
- Chief of Staff-Denis McDonough - Vice President (Joe Biden)
- President of the Senate
- no clear duties=as assigned by the President - Special Advisory Groups
- advise the President
What are the 3 types of the independent agencies? Explain each of them.
- Executive Agencies-under the direct control of the president (NASA, CIA)
- Regulatory Commissions
-makes and carries out the rules for certain businesses or economic activities
-fairly free from political influence
(Federal Communication Commission, Interstate Commerce Commission) - Gov’t Corporations
-parts of the gov’t that seek to make a profit
-provide a public service
Ex (Postal Service, Amtrak)
What can the president do in order to turn his policy into law?
- can get members of Congress to write bills
- can call and meet with members of Congress to urge them to support presidential programs
- make speeches to interest groups and the public
- can veto
What is the job of the Executive Branch and how does it fulfill it job?
-responsible for executing or carrying out the laws Executive office 1. White House Staff- 2. Vice President- 3. Special Advisory Groups- Independent Agencies 1. Executive Agencies- 2. Regulatory Commissions- 3. Gov't Corporations-
