executive Flashcards
describe the formal sources of presidential power
-in constitution
-approve leg
-sign a bill
-veto a bill
-take no action
-state union
appointments including recess appointments and creating cabinet
executive orders
executive memoranda
presidential proclamations
singing statements
grant reprieves and pardons
convene special sessions in congress
commander in cheif
making treaties
head of state and gov
describe the informal sources of presidential power
not in constitution but are granted by constitution and framework of gov
-cabinet
powers of persuasion
vice president
EXOP
describe the informal power of the cabinet
constitutionally the cabinet has no formal power =advisory body for president =every president since 1973 has had one=15 departments=president VP and other level cabinet members
reflect presidents priorities or national circumstances
source power as cabinet should be made up of specialists and thereby be able offer opinions and support on policy=Tim Geithner choice Obama for sec treasury as president of fed resrve bank of New York-make policy suggestions in 2007 eco crash=intorduced financial stability plan commiting billions to lending initiavtive boost eco and making banks take stress tests withstand issues
Antony Blinken=previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under President Barack Obama.[1] Blinken was previously national security advisor to then-vice president Joe Biden from 2009 to 2013.=exepriance
=crucial as president wouldn’t be able to do it alone
-president has final say on policy
-undertake roles and works president=for example, Anthony Blinken went to the west bank in Gaza during the conflict =rep of presidents power
symbolic value for the president=Clinton remarked he wanted his cabinet to look like America=Joe Biden’s cabinet=
Donald trump=sec education
appointed by senate and not subject to reshuffles=
describe the informal power of the Vice President
take role president if necessary and to cast deciding vote if theirs tie in senate=constitutional powers
-running mate in election is important in balancing the ticket=not always vice president
-Al gore=one of the presidents most influential advisors=headed the National performance review to reduce cost fed gov worked immigration soloutions and environement
-Cheney=huge role in responding to 9/11 terror attacks and created “a new doctrine were president was accountable to no one as commander in chief”
-Joe Biden=headlined as most info vp in history=experience of over 30 years on senate foreign relations committee expertise on Afghanistan and IRAQ=took led on eco issues
-Mike Pence=broke tie in senate for first time in history for cabinet appointment also drove resignation of Michael Flynn as national security advisor
Kamala Harris=Harris spent much of the 2022 midterms appealing to voters with promises to prioritize and protect reproductive rights.=Harris has met with lawmakers from at least 18 states to discuss the issue. Harris was also at the forefront of the administration’s pursuit to codify voting rights protections. She pushed for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which would have extended the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and required federal approval for some local election law changes
power of VP depends on how much president delegates to holder but their power more commonplace
arguments that their not important=Kamla Harris poor poll ratings =AL Gore lost presidency=most ceremonial=
UK comparision=no VP in UK
describe the informal power of EXOP
Referred to as West Wing=president chooses this
National security council=advise president on national security and foreign policy=vp secretaries state treasury and defence national security advisor and chief staff=daily security hearing for president=often comes into conflict with department defence Susan rice and chuck Hagel Obama terms
president trump criticism for handling of it=trump didnt go made pence go=appointed Bannon campaign stagiest to it=politicised body
-White house office=headed by chief staff=most sig figure is most public figure=sean Spicer and Karine Jean Pierre =gave press conference following Lewiston shooting were Biden unable to attend and commented on his behalf on gun law =Nixons advisors reffered to as Berlin wall making it hard reach president
office management and budget=develop annual budget for president to submit congress=as president can only take office January=they take lead in drafting it as well as briefing president on isssues=director is subject to senate approvzl due to importance role
describe informal power of persuasion
must rely on persuasion reputation and public prestige to be effective =bargin and persuade rival centres
president can appeal directly and morally to congress often through media =Rose Garden speech Obama need for military action in syria over gov use chemical weapons=Biden made an appeal online for republicans to support and stop blocking aid deal to Ukraine
white house can be used as stage or bully pulpit=such a place of importance that speaking of it can place pressure on those with legislative control=address from oval office can be effective way of doing this as it represents the office of president =In a primetime address, US President Joe Biden directly appealed to Americans for US support in the wars in Israel and Ukraine and announced he would send an aid package to Congress trying to convince republicans who opposed package due to it meaning aid for Ukraine as well
personal gravitas =phoning congressional leaders or having personal meetings with them=in trying to get histax bill passed trump had kelly conway speak to whips in congress to share info with them=Joe Biden called Mitt Romney surrounding Israel
president might be able to offer inducements to members congress=offering broader policy promises to make them more palatable=Obama Syria=promised limited intervention and no deployment troops
more pop president is more likly congress will listen
describe the formal power of approving leg
president can sign bill=given small amount of leg passed in session president opportunity to show off achievements=The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: A $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that includes funding for roads, bridges, public transit, broadband, and electric vehicle charging stations 1.(H.R. 3684 singed with vp and cabinet=trump signed leg allowed websites to be prosecuted for online sex trafficing with victims and lawmakers helped shape it
Veto it=sent back congress with objections=gives final say on leg=if he uses too often alienates congress who wont pass his legislative agenda=if they override makes him look weak=as of nov 2023 Biden has made eight vetos and has had none overriden bush had four of 12 overriden most in recent history=trump 9 vetos one overriden
bidens vetos
can use veto to shape leg=President Joe Biden warned he will veto a Republican bill to provide aid to Israel - but not Ukraine - and pays for that funding by slashing money from the Internal Revenue Service due to national security package no aid ukraine
Mike Johnson, he picked a fight with President Biden by proposing $14.3 billion in emergency funding for Israel while rescinding the same amount of IRS funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the president’s signature legislation he signed into law last year.
veto is set up in article 1 section 7 constitution
take no action=10 days are up bill automatic=if in 10 days congress goes into recess it dies=pocket veto=use this if they fear override in congress=lasted used Clinton Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2000 which he left unsigned.
can also make it law without their signature to show discontent =Obama allowed iran sanctions act but refused to sign as didnt fitt with iran nuclear deal he made earleir
describe the formal power of the state of the union
annual legislative address from president to congress=congress which decides what from this speech is passed amended or rejected and this will depend on their mandate, timing in electoral cycle and pop of president=Biden focused on aid for Ukriaine, several aspects of the reconciliation bill, ranging from lowering the costs of prescription drugs to expanding access to child care On Labor Policy: Passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (H.R. 842), Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7), and raising the minimum wage to $15;
Donald Trump=calls to repeal Obama care =failed=infrastructure bill failed=longest shut down due to wall
describe the formal power of appointment
presidents SC nominations=Trump Kavanaugh and Gorsuch
Biden=Ketanji Brown Jackson=Mr Biden first promised to nominate a black woman to the top court two years ago while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination Black women make up about 3% of the federal judiciary, according to data from the Federal Judicial Center, the court system’s research arm.
Ms Jackson’s nomination is historic for more than one reason. If she is confirmed, four women will sit together on the nine-member court for the first time.
cabinet nomiantion=Trump Betsy De vos education sec= first tie vote broken mike pence =little to no experience politics
biden =pete buttilege =keeping key demcrat close in bids to stop him running
recess appointments=temporary appointments made when senate is in recess so without its approval=Clinton made 139 =expire at next session senate=Obama made four in 2012 appointments were challenged in NLRB V Canning senate is in session when it says it is so made them void=used to prevent trump making them in August break
describe the formal power of the executive power
article 11 allows executive power=organising EXOP and executive actions=includes executive orders=how law either new or existing should be carried out=cant use them to introduce new leg just give departments and agencies instructions on enforcement= In his first 100 days in office, Biden signed more than 60 executive actions, 24 of which are direct reversals of Trump’s policies.
=2023 President Biden is issuing a landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI)
use them to shape policy that congress wont make=Obama i can use pen to sign executive orders
executive memoranda=no formal process for these not recorded or numbered=often delegate tasks to congress has given to president to cabinet member Obama DACA homeland security and was issued to remove immigrants who met certain criteria from being department deportation resources
presidential proclamations=most ceremonial=give directions to people outside executive branch=flags hung at half mast following death religious holidays or days important=first year trump made 119 Biden’s signed 455
signing statement=points out negative or positive aspect of bill might even go as far as allowing president to challenge aspect of bill on constitutional grounds=Obama signed national defence act 2011=statement showed concerns over detention of suspected terror suspects and restrictions it placed on presidency
describe formal power of grants and pardons
only thing cant be pardoned is impeachment
today it means commutation=ability to reduce sentence of crime= Obama issued 330 to people convicted drug offenses to highlight war on drugs had been failure and underlyed calls he made for changes to drug laws=biggests by one president in day and brough total to 1,715 most any president =wikileaks=Julian Assange=Chelsea Manning=leaked classifed docs showing war atrocities in Afghanistan=found aiding enemy =max oenaly death=acquitted of this but found guilty prision 35 years
biden= Abraham W Bolden Sr, 86, was convicted in 1964 on bribery charges.
The White House also announced that the prison sentences of 75 others - most of whom were serving time on low-level drug offences - have been shortened.
describe formal power of commander in chief
head army and navy=only congress can declare war=nuclear weapons had made it harder to decide if congress or president has control=article 1 section 8
no dec of war since ww2 but there has been wars?
2018 Biden decided to remove us military forces from Afghanistan
war on terror=congress tried to control it using power purse to no avial supreme court challanged Guantanamo bay detentions four times but camps remained opened=power president difficult to challange
-fed troops deployed national emergancies=Hurricane Katrina trump signed proclamtion in 2018 to move troops to US-Mexico border to halt=movment of troops not allowed without congress but both BUSH AND obama have done thos
describe formal powers of making treaties
president with consent senate has right to create treaties with other nations
formal treaties like new start 2010 required presidential approval and 2/3 senate
executive agreements dont need senate=Iran nuclear deal and Paris Agreement =usually do need congressional approval to come into force
Biden rejoined WHO and Paris agreement after Trump left them=none regarding leaving treaty even if senate agrees
describe formal power of head of state and head of government
president both of these often overlap makes it hard to define roles of each
president head state=in addition power pardon and reception ambassadors attend world summits like G7 OR G20 as rep of USA to broker deals
head of gov=responsable for EXOP and presides cabinet and fed beuracracy executive actions to ensure laws carried out correctly and can sign and veto leg
overlap=commander in chief state union address making treaties
those domestic and gov more checks than head state foriegn polciy
informal power of the media
