The President Flashcards
Name 4 powers that the President holds according to Article II of the Constitution.
Any 4:
- To propose legislation to Congress
- Act as commander-in-chief of the armed forces
- To sign legislation passed by Congress
- To veto legislation passed by Congress
- To nominate executive branch officials
- To nominate federal/Supreme Court judges
- To negotiate treaties
- To pardon/exonerate felons
- To submit the annual budget to Congress
Name the US Presidents in chronological order from Jimmy Carter (1980), to the present day.
- Carter
- Reagan
- Bush
- Clinton
- Bush
- Obama
- Trump
What is the main way in which the President proposes legislation to Congress - and when does this event take place?
The State of the Union speech, once a year, every January
Besides the state of the Union, how else can the President propose legislation to Congress?
By calling a Press Conference or an announcement at some public event
Name 3 examples of Presidential legislative initiatives under the Obama Administration
- Healthcare Reform (Obamacare)
- Wall Street Regulation Reform
- Credit Card Regulation Reform
Who draws up the annual federal budget for the President? And what wider office is this organisation part of?
The Office of Management and Budget, part of the Executive Office of the President
What happens after the annual budget has been drawn up and sent to the President? And what can budget negotiations lead to?
The President submits the budget to Congress, triggering a lengthy bargaining process. This can lead to gridlock/government shutdown.
Why did the October 2013 government shutdown occur?
Because the positions of President and Congress were held by different parties, and agreement over the federal budget could not be reached.
What is the difference between a President’s regular and pocket veto?
A pocket veto is for use when Congress is not in session and is not therefore able to override the President’s veto. A regular veto can be used anytime when Congress is in session.
Can the President veto parts of a bill? And what must he include when returning a bill to the house after vetoing it?
No, he must veto the WHOLE bill. And he must include a ‘veto message’ upon return of the bill, stating his objections to it.
What are the two options that Congress is faced with when a President veto’s a bill?
- Do nothing - concede defeat to the President.
2. Attempt to override the President’s veto.
How many times has Congress overridden a Presidential veto?
Over 100 times
How many votes must Congress get in order to override a presidential veto?
A 2/3’s majority in both houses.
What is the clause in Article II of the Constitution that effectively delegates the President the role of Chief Executive?
“The Executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America”.
For which Presidents in particular was the role of Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces - an extremely prominent role?
Presidents in office between the 1940’s and 1990’s (Roosevelt to Bush) and then also George W. Bush from 2000, because of Afghanistan and Iraq.
What did Presidential scholar - Richard Fenno - say about the The Cabinet? And what does his quote actually mean?
‘The Cabinet is institutionalised by usage alone’ - basically meaning, it’s used because it’s used.
Traditionally, how many executive department heads is the Cabinet made up of? And give an example of another individual with cabinet rank, who is not a department head.
- And the US Ambassador to the UN.
Nowadays, full Cabinet meetings with the President receive bad press - why is this?
Mainly because those who have been involved describe them as boring, and a waste of time.
How many full Cabinet meetings did Clinton hold in the first year of his Presidency, in comparison to Carter/Reagan?
Clinton - 2/3
Carter/Reagan - 36
The frequency of cabinet meetings tends to decline massively over a Presidency. Give 2 reasons for this trend.
- The President has increasing calls on his time, not least when he is running for re-election in the last year of his term.
- Presidents tend to become disillusioned with their cabinet officers, believing them to be disloyal (conflict of interests).
Give 4 useful functions of cabinet meetings.
Any 4:
- Engender team spirit (especially at the start of an administration)
- Allow the debate of policies
- President can give information to all cabinet members at once
- President can check up on departmental specific legislation going through Congress in which he has an interest
- The President gets to see Cabinet members whom he otherwise wouldn’t see.
- President can find out about what is going on in each cabinet department.
Why is it not the job of cabinet officers to act as Presidential advisors?
- Because they have huge departments to run
- They aren’t based inside the White House
- Their loyalties aren’t just to the President
Besides the President, who else do Cabinet members have to keep happy and maintain their loyalties with?
Congress
Why are members of the EXOP (executive office of the President) more suited to serving the President as advisors than cabinet members?
Because EXOP is situated inside the White House, giving members close proximity and access to the President. And members of the EXOP stay loyal to the President only - no one else.
