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Politics US - New > Powers Of The President > Flashcards

Powers Of The President Flashcards

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1
Q

Johnson’s quote on the power of the president

A

The only power i’ve got is nuclear and i’m not allowed to use that

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2
Q

List the formal powers of the president

A 
Proposing legislation
Signing bills into law
Vetoing legislation
Nominating executive branch officials
Nominating federal judges
Act as chief executive
Acting as commander in chief
Negotiating treaties
Pardons
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3
Q

What powers does the president have concerning legislation

A

Proposing
Signing
Veto

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4
Q

What is the president’s annual address to congress called

A

State of the Union

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5
Q

What appointment powers does the President have

Give 2 examples

A

Appointing cabinet members
Biden - Yellen (treasury), Garland (AG) Blinken (state)
Trump - Pompeo (state) Mattis (defence)
Obama - clinton (state)

Appointing federal judges inc supreme court
Obama - Sotomayor & Kagan
Trump - Gorsuch, Kavanaugh & Coney Barrett
Biden - Jackson

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6
Q

What foreign policy powers does the president have

A

Negotiating treaties

Acting as commander in chief

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7
Q

How is the Vice President elected

A

On the same ticket as the president

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8
Q

What happens if the vice presidency falls vacant

A

President nominates and then senate confirms with simple majority

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9
Q

What are the 2 main powers of the vice president

A

Holding the casting vote if there is a tied senate
Becoming president should president die, resign or become incapacitated eg
Johnson when Kennedy was assassinated
Ford when Nixon resigned

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10
Q

What does the phrase “institutionalised by useage alone” mean

A

Fenno’s quote about cabinet

Means used because it is used

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11
Q

What is the cabinet

A

Advisory group selected by the president to aid him in making decisions

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12
Q

Who makes up the cabinet and how are they appointed

A

15 executive department heads
Plus others the president designates eg US trade representative
Must be confirmed by senate

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13
Q

Give 3 reasons why cabinet meetings are important

A

Contains some of the most important people in the executive branch
All heads of executive departments are members
President always chairs the meetings
Some presidents hold frequent meetings (Reagan & Trump)
Can fulfill other functions eg engender team spirit/exchange info

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14
Q

Give 3 reasons why cabinet is not important

A

Article II vests all executive power in the president
No doctine of collective responsibility
Members are neither president’s equals or rivals
President often veiws members of the cabinet with suspicion (divided loyalty)
EXOP main source of advice giving to the president

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15
Q

Why do so few cabinet members come from congress

A

Have to resign from congress to take up role

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16
Q

Where else do presidents look when recruiting their cabinet

A

Former members of congress
State governors
Big city mayors
Academia

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17
Q

In what ways do presidents seeks to appoint a balanced cabinet - and does this work

A 
Race
Gender
Region
Age
Ideology

Not always - trumps cabinet was old, white wealthy men

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18
Q

What functions can cabinet meetings serve for the president

A

Engender team spirit
Promote collegiality
Exchange information
Debate/ promote policy esp on big ticket items

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19
Q

What functions can cabinet meetings serve for cabinet members

A

Get to know collegues
Resolve interdepartmental disputes
Speak to the president

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20
Q

What is EXOP

A

Executive office of the the president

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21
Q

When was EXOP established and how big was it

A

1939 - 4 offices

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22
Q

Why has EXOP expanded so much

A

By 2017 comprised 12 office

Because the president must address many more policy areas

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23
Q

What are the 3 most important offices within EXOP

A

White House Office
Office of Management & budget
National security council

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24
Q

Who makes up the white house staff

A

Trusted aides and advisers

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25
Q

What is the job of the white house office

A

Liaison between white house and federal bureucracy

Staff meant to act as neutral honest brokers not partisan policy makers

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26
Q

What is the job of the white house chief of staff

A

Door keeper of the oval office
Decides for the president whom he sees, what he reads, who speaks to him
Should act as someone who sometimes takes the blame for the president if things go wrong
Potentially the most powerful person in the white house after the president

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27
Q

What is the office of management & budget

A

To advise the president on the allocation of federal funds in the annual budget
To over see the spending of all federal departments and agencies
To act as a clearing house for all legislative and regulatory initiatives coming from the president

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28
Q

What are the function of the NSC

A 
Headed by national security adviser
NSC coordinates information coming to the president from
	state department
	defence department
	CIA
	joint chiefs of staff
	US ambassadors
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29
Q

What is the EXOP

A

Umbrella term for the top staff agencies in the white house who advise the president

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30
Q

How many offices made up EXOP in 2017

A

12

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31
Q

What are the checks that congress has on the president’s power to propose legislation

A

Amend, delay or reject legislation

32
Q

What are the checks that congress has on the president’s power to veto legislation

A

Override the veto by 2/3 majority in both houses

33
Q

What are the checks that congress has on the president’s power to nominate executive officials and federal judges

A

Senate must confirm by simple majority

34
Q

What are the checks that congress has on the president’s power to negotiate treaties

A

Senate must ratify 2/3 majority

35
Q

Example of proposing legislation

A

2018 State of the Union - Trump proposed immigration crackdown, increasing nuclear arsenal and keeping guantanamo bay open
2021 and 2022 State of the Union - Biden proposed passing of Build Back Better Act

36
Q

Example of signing Bills into law

A

Obama
ACA March 2010
Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Jan 2009

Trump
Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Dec 2017
CARES Act March 2020 - $2.2 trillion covid relief

Biden
The American Rescue Plan Act March 2021 $1.9 trillion covid relief
Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & jobs act nov 2021

37
Q

How can congress overturn an executive order and what might happen

A

Congress can pass a bill to block the executive order
President might then veto that bill
Congress can override veto with 2/3 majority both houses

38
Q

How can supreme court override a presidential executive order

A

Can declare it unconstitutional

39
Q

How many executive orders did obama make

A

276

40
Q

How many executive orders did Trump make

A

220

41
Q

In his first 100 days how many executive orders did Biden make

A

60 - 24 revoking Trump policies like travel ban

42
Q

From Presidents Washington to Trump roughly how many presidential vetos have been used

A

More than 1500

43
Q

How many vetos did clinton use

A

36

44
Q

How many vetos did obama use

A

12

45
Q

How many vetos did Trump use

A

10

46
Q

Name an occasion when congress overrode a presidential veto

A

2016 obama vetoed justice against sponsors of terrorism act but congress overrode it

47
Q

Give an example of a successful presidential veto

A

Clinton - Bankruptcy reform Act Dec 2000

Trump - Driftnet Modernisation and Bycatch Jan 2021

48
Q

What is a pocket veto

A 
One used at the end of the legislative session - bills that have not been signed are simply lost
This can not be overriden by congress
George HW Bush used 15
Clinton 1
George W Bush, Obama, Trump used 0
49
Q

Name a secretary of state under obama

A

Clinton

50
Q

Name a secretary of state under Trump

A

Pompeo

51
Q

Name a secretary of state under Biden

A

Blinken

52
Q

Name a Treasury Secretary under Biden

A

Yellen

53
Q

Name the AG under Trump

A

Sessions

54
Q

Name the AG under Biden

A

Garland

55
Q

What else is important about Merrick Garland

A

He was obama’s choice for the supreme court in 2016 but his nomination was blocked by republicans who controlled the senate

56
Q

Name judges nominated to the supreme court by obama

A

Sotomayor
Kagan
Garland (failed to be confirmed)

57
Q

Name the judges nominated to the supreme court by trump

A

Gorsuch
Kavanaugh
Coney Barrett

58
Q

Name judges nominated to the supreme court by biden

A

Jackson

59
Q

Give an example of Where Roosevelt acted as commander in chief

A

2WW

60
Q

Give an example of Where Truman acted as commander in chief

A

Korea

61
Q

Give an example of Where Kennedy acted as commander in chief

A

Cuba

62
Q

Give an example of Where Johnson acted as commander in chief

A

Vietnam

63
Q

Give an example of Where Nixon acted as commander in chief

A

Vietnam

64
Q

Give an example of Where Reagan acted as commander in chief

A

End of cold war

65
Q

Give an example of Where George H W Bush acted as commander in chief

A

First gulf war

66
Q

Give an example of Where George W Bush acted as commander in chief

A

Afganistan & Iraq

67
Q

Give an example of Where Obama acted as commander in chief

A

Iraq, Afganistan, syria and Libya

68
Q

Give an example of when Trump acted as commander in chief

A

Much less interventionist

Syria

69
Q

Give an example of Where Biden acted as commander in chief

A

Withdrawal of troops from afganistan

70
Q

Which branch of the legislature has power to declare war

A

Congress so NOT the president by themselves

71
Q

How many times has congress declared war

A

11

72
Q

When was the last time congress declared war

A

1941

73
Q

Give an example of when Presidents have made war against other countries without Congress declaring war

A

George Bush Afganistan or Iraq

Johnson in vietnam

74
Q

Give 2 examples of treaties negotiated by presidents

A

START - proposed by Reagan and signed by Bush in 1991
Chemical Weapons Ban - Bush 1990
New START - obama in 2011

75
Q

What majority is required to ratify a treaty in senate

A

2/3

76
Q

How many treaties has congress rejected in the 20th century and name one

A

7
Treaty of Versailles 1920
Comprehensive test ban treaty 1999

77
Q

Examples of presidential pardons

A

Ford pardoned Nixon over Watergate
Clinton pardoned 140 people on his last day including husband of a major donor
Trump pardoned close associates Stone and Manafort

Politics US - New (5 decks)

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