PRESIDENT - EXOP, NSC, OMB, WHO, Cabinet Flashcards
EXOP
What does the Executive Office of the President mean?
umbrella term for an organisation that consists of the top presidential staff agencies that provide administrative help and guidance for the presidency.
there are 12 office posts.
most important EXOP personnel = West Wing of the White House, where the Oval Office is located.
a consequence of the 1973 Brownlow Committee which was asked to find better organisation for the exec branch - found the president needs help.
EXOP
Trump’s EXOP relationship
was weird!
research by Brookings Institution found there was an 86% turnover of top officials during Trump’s tenure.
culture of resignations and sackings because Trump liked being guided by his own instincts and not policy experts.
- WHO
what does it stand for and what is its role?
White House Office
includes the president’s most trusted and closest advisors and aides.
it is the liaison between the White House and the federal bureaucracy.
they are ALWAYS helping the president and are not out for own personal political gain.
- WHO
what does federal bureaucracy mean?
unelected, administrative body in the exec.
main function = carry out policy and work on smaller details of bills passed by Congress.
of all Washington DC employees, they make up 11% of them.
- WHO
chief of staff position
most crucial job - they absorb the negatives of the presidency.
they seek the best for the president and not their own interests.
it was Bush’ chief of staff that whispered ‘America is under attack’ on 9/11.
- WHO
Biden and Trump differences in relationship with chief of staff
Biden = appointed political operative veteran Ron Klain to chief of staff.
Trump = 2017 appointed John Kelly as his chief of staff but he got bored of him and told his political aides to not keep him up to date with current developments and decisions. Trump went through many chiefs of staffs.
- NSC
what does it stand for and what’s its role?
helps the president coordinate foreign, security, and defence policy.
official forum for deliberating about national security and foreign policy as part of EXOP.
- NSC
Trump and his relationship with the NSA (national security advisor)
Trump intended to use the NSC for political purposes rather than a coordinating forum.
he had the shortest serving NSA when Michael Flynn resigned after 24 days following accusations that he misled the VP over a phone call Flynn made to the Russian ambassador in Washington during the end of the Obama administration.
he was replaced by Herbert McMaster who didn’t stay long because he criticised Trump’s attempts to cosy up to authoritarian regimes of China and Russia.
he was replaced with John Boulton who was initially a fav but then he voiced criticism of Trump’s support for China over the Uyghurs meant he was fired in Sep 2019.
- OMB
what does it stand for and what’s its function?
office of management and budget - they review budget requests, legislative initiatives, proposed rules and regulations from the exec departments and agencies.
it advises the president on allocation of federal funds, oversees department spending, and acts as a clearing house for all legislative and regulatory initiatives coming from exec branch.
all proposed legislation goes through the OMB so that their budgetary implications can be studied - to see if they’re compatible with the president’s overall policy programme.
What are policy czars? Why are they controversial?
2009 appointment of Carol Browner - O
cabinet gets frustrated by access that White House advisors have to the president.
unofficial term given by the media to unelected advisors who have responsibility over a particular policy area.
Obama made Browner his Energy and Climate Czar which was criticised by the Republicans because there was already an established Secretary of Energy.
Why does EXOP have more influence than the Cabinet?
closer proximity, anonymity, loyalty, non-partisanship, deeper relationship with president.
BUT THEY ARE ONLY ADVISORY, they don’t have the powers to implement laws passed by Congress.
CABINET
constitutional significance
Article II, Section II, clause I - outlines how the president may need the opinion of exec departments.
CABINET
appointment
the Constitution’s advice and consent clause proves that Cabinet members require the consent and advice of the Senate.
it’s very rare for congress to reject cabinet candidates.
CABINET
CHOOSING the cabinet
1/5 of cabinet members have experience in Congress but many don’t want to leave their roles and take themselves out of the running.
academia = expertise
law!
socially reflective cabinet - Biden’s 117th Cabinet being the most socially diverse.
CABINET
weaknesses BY constitution
Article II, Section I looks at vesting ALL exec power in the president of the USA, not to a collective cabinet.
cabinet = convention, interpretation, NOT a necessity.
‘MAY’ require ‘OPINION’ of AII SII CI means that it is not binding.
theoretically, the cabinet should be important.
