The Executive Branch Test Flashcards
Who creates policy in the executive staff?
White House staff and executive offices of president
What’s the White House staff
Personal staff in White House
What are the executive offices of the president (where are they)
EOP
Next door
Who implements policy, also (broadly)
Executive depts and indep executive agencies
Bureaucracy
Executive depts are - level
Cabinet
Rule of propinquity
Degree of influence with the president of person is approx to the distance of persons office/desk from that of pres
Chief of staff is usually most
Influential
First Lady concerns herself with
Single issue
White House staff is hired and fired by
The president
Who is most loyal and influential of executive staff
White House staff
Executive offices of the president are appointed by
The president
Only heads of the - are fired by the president
EOP
3 main agencies of EOP
National economic counsel (NEC), office of management and budget (OMB), national security counsel (NSC)
- appoints independent agencies and commissions officers
President
- confirms independent agencies and commissions
Senate
The president can’t fire members of - because they have –.
Independent agencies and commissions, fixed terms
Cabinet and exec depts are the - cabinet
Inner
The president appoints officers from -, -, and -.
EOP, independent agencies and commissions, and cabinet and executive depts
Pres only fires heads of - and -
Cabinet and exec depts, EOP
What does cab. And exec dept do?
Implement laws
There are - depts
15
Senate confirms -, -, and -
Cab and exec depts, EOP, and indep agencies and commissions
Cons of pyramid model (3)
Little discussion of different points of view, pres may become isolated, key advisors may gain too much power
I’m pyramid model, - is gatekeeper of info and policy
Chief of staff
Deputy of chief of staff
Pros of circular model (3)
Deliberation and debate between staff
Allows pres to hear all POV
Allows pres detailed info
Cons of circular model (3)
May lead to chaos and confusion
May lead to ineffectual decisions
May waste pres time
Formal requirements of pres
Natural born citizen, 35 years old, resident for 14 years
Formal powers of the pres, national security (4)
- Serve as commander and chief of armed forces
- Make treaties with other nations, subject to agreement of 2/3 of senate
- Nominate ambassadors, with agreement of majority of the senate
- Receive ambassadors of other nations, thereby conferring diplomatic recognition on other govts
Formal pres legislative powers of pres
- Present information on state of the Union to congress
- Recommend legislation to congress
- Convene both houses of congress on extraordinary occasions
- Adjourn congress if the house and senate cannot agree on adjournment
- Veto legislation (Congress may overrule with 2/3 vote of each house)
Formal administrative powers (4)
- “Take care that laws be faithfully executed”
- Nominate officials as provided for by congress and with the agreement of a majority of the senate
- Request written opinions of administrative officials
- Fill administrative vacancies during congressional recesses
Formal judicial powers of pres (2)
- Grant reprieves and pardons for federal offices (except impeachment)
- Nominate federal judges, who are confirmed by a majority of the senate
Pres advantage over congress comes from his formal powers of
National security (foreign policy), strength
In impeachment process, first - committee debates charges, - of - votes on any article constitutes impeachment on that charge, - opens trial and - members prosecute (managers) - presides in presidential impeachments, if - of - votes to convict, the official is removed from office
House judiciary committee, house simple majority, senate, house, Chief Justice presides, 2/3 of senate
Most important White House staff positions (4)
- Chief of staff
- Presidential counsel
- Assistant to the president
- Press secretary
Presidential counsel
Chief legal advisor to the pres
Assistant to pres
Generally in charge of scheduling of the pres time
Press secretary
Mouthpiece of pres, handles daily briefings with pres pres Corp, chief spin doctor of the president
Where are most EOP located
Next door to White House in the executive office building
EOP are more dedicated to - than -
Their departments than the pres
National security counsel policy areas
Foreign policy and defense (pres crisis team)
NSC key members
Pres, vp, sec of state, sec of defense, national security advisor (head of NSC)
National economic counsel (NEC) policy areas
Economic planning and Econ forecasting
Office of management and budget (OMB) do 4 things…
- Prepare the federal budget
- Monitor govt agency spending of appropriations
- Monitors budget and records of all exec agencies
- Largest # of employees in EOP (600)
Vp has 4 constitutionally outlined duties
- President of senate (presiding officer)
- Vote in senate ties
- Help in deciding presidential disability(25 amendment)
- Succeed the pres upon death or disability (22 amendment)
Vp often-, but rarely
Runs for pres afterwards, wins
Cabinet is referred to as - of their depts, except for the -( who leads the -)
Secretaries, attorney general, dept of justice
The executive depts are each led by
A cabinet officer
The executive depts are each in charge of
Assisting pres with implement and administration the laws and policies charged to their depts (faithfully executing the law)
Executive depts were created by -, formal or informal?
Congress, informal
The inner cabinet is
The original 4 exec depts created during Washington’s administration
Inner cabinet consists of… Considered….
Leaders of state, defense (originally war dept), Justice, and treasury
Most influential depts and secretaries
Independent agencies and commissions (3)
- Aren’t directly controlled by the pres
- Operate indep of the pres as prescribed by law
- Are not under as much control by pres as other parts of the exec branch
Indep agency heads have - terms. What does this mean?
Fixed terms, only appointed by pres and confirmed by senate as their terms expire
Indep agency heads can only be fired…
For “cause”
Nonperformance of duties, nonpolitical reasons
Examples of independent agencies and commissions (6)
- FED (federal reserve board)
- FCC (federal communications commission)
- FEC (federal elections commission)
- FDIC (federal deposit insurance corporation)
- ICC (interstate commerce commission)
- SEC (securities and exchange commission)
12 amendment
Changed the way VP was elected (separate ballots for vp and pres)
22 amendment
2 term limit to pres or a maximum of 10 years
25 amendment (3)
Vp permanently succeed pres if he was unable to perform duties
Established a procedure for selecting a new vp if a vacancy occurs (pres appoints, confirmed by a majority of congress)
Established procedures to follow when pres is disabled
The vp becomes pres if (2)
- The pres informs congress, in writing, “that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”
- The vp and a majority of members in the cabinet inform congress, in writing, that the president is incapacitated
If pres challenges that he is incapable, - decides the issue by a - vote of -
Congress, 2/3, both houses
When pres is declared unable to be pres (what amendment), there’s also a procedure for the pres to
Reclaim his office
The presidential succession act of 1947
Established order of succession for office of pres
Order of pres succession (4)
- Vp
- Speaker of the house
- President pro tempore
- The cabinet officers in order of depts first est by congress beginning with Secretary of State
Why did framers fear a powerful president?
Feared monarchy, didn’t have one in articles of confederation
More checks on what branch than any other?
Executive
Pres formal const powers are (strong or weak)
Weak
- was most powerful branch until -. What event?
Congress, 1930s, Great Depression
Scholars preferred strong pres in what decades?
1950s and 1960s
When did ppl stop wanting strong pres? What event?
1970s
Abuses of Nixon and Watergate