Executive Branch Flashcards
What are limits to powes of the Executive branch
Constitution limits powers of the Executive branch by making it share most of its powers with Congress
* The president can nominate people with the advice and consent of the Senate
* President can negotiate treaties with other nations, but Senate can reject them
* President can conduct war as commander in chief, but only Congress can declare war and provide money
* Vetos by the president can be overridden by 2/3s vote in both houses
* House of Representatives can impeach the president
How are departments created?
Congress creates departments, president decides how to make them work
What are the 4 original departments?
Department of Defense/War, Department of State, Department of Treasury, Department of Justice
Why We Have Electoral College Instead of Popular Vote:
It balances the votes out, so less populates states’ votes matter, not just big states
* 5 times the president didn’t win popular vote (example: 63 million votes for Clinton and 60 million votes for Trump, but 4 million votes for Clinton were just in CA)
What is the Electoral Colledge?
The group of presidential electors who cast the official votes for president and vice president after an election
* Each state has a number of electors equal to the total of its members in the senate and House of Representatives
What was the original Electoral Colledge:
Originally, each elector had 2 votes, both for president- winner would be president and 2nd place became vice president
What happened at the Electon of 1800?
T. Jefferson and A. Burr tied, so it went to House of Representatives and there were 36 ballots. Alexander Hamilton ended the tie by convincing some to change their vote to Jefferson.
What was the result of the 1800 Election?
Because of the 1800 election, people realize the electoral college is a problem
* The 12th Amendment fixes that by giving each elector 1 vote for pres and 1 vote for vice-pres
* Now there are 538 electoral votes and you need at least 270 to win
