EXOP Flashcards
Chief of Staff
Most crucial job within the White House
Some are too powerful for their President like Sherman Adams and Eisenhower
Jack Watson under Carter described his job as being like a ‘Javelin Catcher’
Some more successful chiefs of staff include Leon Panetta (Clinton), Andrew Card (Bush), and Rahm Emanuel (Obama)
First amongst equals in the White House
Tell the President what they don’t want to hear
In charge of the information flow
Can’t be a ‘yes’ man
No one as access to the President without going through the CoS first
Functions of cabinet meetings for the President
-Team Spirit
- Collegiality
-Exchange Information
-Policy Debate
-Presenting ‘Big Picture Items’
-Monitoring Congress
-Prompting Action
-Personal Contact
EXOP
The top staff agencies in the White House that assist the President in carrying out their main responsibilities. Work in the West Wing of the White House.
Why was the EXOP created?
Followed the Great Depression and the greater need for the state to help the people under FDR’s New Deal
America has become a larger and more complicated country so there has been a huge increase the size and scale of the federal government
America’s increased role in the world as it is involved in diplomatic affairs across a number of states and countries
VP
Normally elected via a joint ticket. e.g Trump and Vance and Harris and Waltz
25th Amendment states that if the VP post becomes vacant during a term then the President can appoint them for example, 1973 VP Spiro Agnew resigned following a charge of tax evasion so Ford was appointed. When Nixon resigned over the Watergate Scandal, Ford became the President
Powers of the VP
-Presiding Officer of the Senate
-Power to break a tie in the Senate- e.g. Dick Cheney with the tie breaking vote in April 2001 over Bush’s $1.6trillion tax cut
-To count and announce the results of the electoral college. If Harris wins the election, she would then announce her Presidency
-VP becomes President if a President dies, resigns, or is removed from office. e.g Nixon to Ford
OMB
Office of the management of the budget
Created by Nixon in 1970 to:
-advise on allocation of federal funds in the annual budget
-Oversee the spending of all federal departments
-Scrutinises all proposed rule changes from any executive agencies
Run by an OMB Director which requires Senate confirmation
Bush’s re-election in 1992 was cost as a result of the OMB as Richard Darman stated ‘read my lips, no new taxes’
Over 500 staff: non-partisan and would’ve had a career in the civil service
Takes 2 years to create
Budget goes to Congress for approval
National Security Council
Created in 1947
Headed by National Security Advisor (NSA)
Coordinate information coming into the White House; have links with CIA, Defence department, State Department, and ambassadors from all around the world
Designed as an ‘honest broker’
Nixon: decided to run foreign policy from the White House as he deemed the State Department was too liberal. Henry Kissinger was NSA. Enhanced and politicised the role of the NSC
Key NSAs
Thomas Donilon (2010-2013)- involved in Bin Laden’s assassination
Michael Flynn (2017)- 24 days as NSA and resigned due to ‘conversations’ with the Russian Ambassador
Rivalry between EXOP and Cabinet
Physical distance: Cabinet is in Foggy Bottom which is 7 blocks away whereas EXOP is in the White House
Divided Loyalties: Cabinet members are loyal to President and Congress but EXOP is just the President
Policy experts or ‘czars’: want to direct policy in a specific area but don’t have authority over cabinet to tell them what to do