The executive Branch

Question 1

What are formal powers of the president

Answer 1

Chief Executive - Has the power to run the executive, branch

Proposing legislation

signing and vetoing bills

Commander in chief - Has control of the army

Head of state - The figure of the country

Pardons, treaties and nominations - Nominates supreme court justices, negotiate treaties and can pardon people.

Question 2

What are the presidents informal powers

Answer 2

The electoral mandate - As they won the election they have a mandate to do what they want

Executive orders - They are laws/action made or used by the president so that they do not have to go through congress

national events - After national events the president can use the countries unity to gain more power

Question 3

What are limits to an electoral mandate

Answer 3

An electoral mandate is limited in the power it gives the president because Congress can block the president’s legislative proposals.

Question 4

How many cabinet departments are there

Answer 4

15

Question 5

Powers of the cabinet

Answer 5

Allows the president to show of big picture items

Presidents use their cabinet to look collegial and open to consulting others in the government on policies and issues.

Question 6

Is the cabinet significant

Answer 6

Stops disputes between governmental departments

Fulfills key functions for the president

Important as are the heads of each department

Question 7

Is the cabinet insignificant

Answer 7

President uses Exop a lot more

Constitution gives all power to the president with the cabinet being below them

Cabinet officers have divided loyalties, and have loyalties other than to the president, including loyalty to their own department.

Question 8

What are the offices in exop

Answer 8

National security council, Office of management and budgets, The white house office

Question 8

What are the offices in exop

Answer 8

National security council, Office of management and budgets, The white house office

Question 9

What does the national security council do

Answer 9

The National Security Council supports the president in coordinating foreign policy and national security policy.

Under Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the National Security Council has had an ‘honest broker’ role, acting as an advisor for the president.

Question 10

What is direct authority

Answer 10

When the president does something without asking congress. Roosevelt done this a lot

Question 11

What is an executive agreement

Answer 11

Instead of getting congress’s thoughts on a treaty the president will use an executive agreement which means they have a treaty without congress’s approval

Question 12

What are the presidents formal powers pulled from

Answer 12

Enumerated powers
Implied powers
Inherited powers

Question 13

checks and balences by congress

Answer 13

amending, delaying or rejecting presidential legislation - Depends on who controls the houses

overriding a presidential veto - A 2/3 majority is needed in both houses

the power of the purse - Congress has to agree to the budget

Confirmation of presidential appointments - in the senate only need a simple majority to get past the senate

Ratification of treaties - Senate only, needs a 2/3 majority in the senate

The power to declare war - Congress needs to be asked to go to war

Impeachment of the president- need simple majority in house and a supermajority in the senate.

Question 14

What is the check and balance used by the supreme court

Answer 14

Judicial Review - can declare presidential acts unconstitutional

Question 15

How does the media affect presidential power

Answer 15

They can sway the peoples opinion by relaying news that’s unfavourable to the president.

Question 16

What are policy czars

Answer 16

Government officials that are responsible for a particular branch of government

Question 17

Do presidents like federal bureaucracies and agencies

Answer 17

Democrats like to increase it as they like a strong federal government

Republicans tend to decrease it as they want federalism more

Question 18

What is the relationship between presidents and their chief of staff’s

Answer 18

Under obama he gave his chief of staff lots of power and the cabinet and institutions ran well

Trump had 4 chief’s of staff in under 4 years and his institutions and cabinet did not run very smoothly

Question 19

What is the presidents approach to wider staff

Answer 19

Obama’s white house ran smoothly with staff being unified for one cause

Trump’s was poor with many positions unfilled with 280 empty jobs in 2018. He also had frequent sacking of staff

Question 20

What is an imperial presidency

Answer 20

The idea of a president being an emperor

Question 21

What is an imperilled presidency

Answer 21

The idea that the presidents power is reduced due to congress stopping his actions

Question 22

What was Nixon’s imperial actions

Answer 22

Authorised intervention in cambodia and laos without telling congress

The watergates scandal snowed his illegal and corrupt methods to advance his interests

He continued the vietnam war without congressional approval

Question 23

What was Fords Imperilled actions

Answer 23

Congress restricted the presidents power with the War powers act forcing presidents to get congress’s agreement before war

The federal bureaucracy size made it difficult for the president.

Question 24

Why are modern presidents weaker

Answer 24

Presidents needing congressional agreement before war

The national emergency act 1974 made it so congress checks the presidents emergency action every 6 months.

The rise of direct authority shows congress is stronger

Presidents deal with opposition form congress a lot, meaning gridlock

Expansion of the federal government

Question 25

Does the usa have an imperial presidency

Answer 25

Nixons action in vietnam

PResidents dont ask congress for war

have access to emergency powers

Expansion of the federal government

Question 26

Does the USA have an imperilled presidency

Answer 26

The war powers act 1973

Unable to pass legislation without congressional support

Government shutdowns gives presidents less power

Lame duck presidents

Question 27

What is the War powers act 1973

Answer 27

Means the president has to ask congress before going into war