US presidency Flashcards
What are the requirements to become a president?
- Must be atleast 35 years old
- Must be a US born resident
- Must be a resident of USA for more than 14 years
What is Federal Bureaucracy?
The federal bureaucracy in the U.S. government consists of appointed bureaucrats who create rules and regulations to implement and enforce laws and policies made by elected officials. Consists of departments, agencies and comissions who act under the presidents direction
What is the presidency branch?
The entire branch of government operating under the direction of the president compromising those who work in the white house, the executive office of the president the cabinet and the fedual bureaucracy
Expressed/Enumrated powers
Those powers that are explicitlty stated in the constituion
Implied powers
Those that a president excercises that are either implied by the constitution or interpreted
Every president has powers that affect domestic policy and powers that affect foreign policy
Domestic policy
Issues and polices that concern affairs within borderrs of a nation such as healthcare, immigration and education
Foreign policy
Issues and policy concerning how one country deals with another such as treaties, agreements, diplomacy and military action
What are the formal powers of the presidency?
Approve legislation
State of the union
Appointments
Executive power
Signing statements
Grant reprieves and pardons
Conveve special sessions of congress
Commander in cheif
Make treaties (including executive agreements
Approve legislation
- Once congress has passed a law it is recieved by the president who can:
- Sign the bill at a public ceremony with news media, very few legislation passess through congress so it gives the president the ability to show off their achievements
- Veto a bill - if the president objects the bill they can veto it - sent back to congress with their objections - they get the final say over legislation due to the difficulty of achieiving a veto override - however the president doesnt veto too often as they need to work with congress to be able to pass their own legislative agenda - and if congress overrides the veto it makes the president look weak - Threating a veto (power in itself) before passed to the president
- Take no action - 10 days to decide what to do with a bill after 10 days action becomes automatic - if congress goes into recess during the 10 days the bill ides
- Pocket veto = the ability of the president to do so and if congress is still in the bill becomes law
Appointments
Power to appoint around 4000 offcials with around 1,200 needing senate approval confirmation - including key appointments such as supreme court justices, cabinet positions - confirmed by a simple majority vote in the houses - constitution implies that the president can establish a cabinet - symbolic of policy issues
Recess appointments (temporary appointments of the president made w/o senate approval) when itis in recess - expire at the end of the next session in recess - president must then formally nominate their role or choose someone lese - prevents president from ignoring the senates power by waiting for the senate to go on recess
Executive power
Article 11 allows a president executive power - Today = being able to interpret and organise the exop and carry out a range of executive actions - different things a president can do w/o congressional approval - executive orders, signing statements and issuing presidential memoranda
Signing statements
A statement issues by the president regarding a bill they have just signed into law - usually points out the positives or negatives of a bull as far as the president is concerned the president may challenge aspects of a bill - debnate whether its constituinal and debates over powet to president over legislation as numbers have increased
Grant reprieves and pardons
Power of president to forgive a person of a federal crime erasing it from their criminal record (only thing that cant be pardoned is impeachment)
E.g. nixon resigned over watergate and impeachmenrs were not brought and was able to be pardoned by ford - trump absolute right to pardom himself
Conveve special sessions of congress
Commander in cheif
President head of the army and the navy - today this also includes marines, air force, coast guard and space force - congress unsure on the extent of these powers except that only congress can declare war - military action since 1942 have been clearly under the direction of the president - the development of the new weaponary (nuclear weapons) - congress has tried to gain control over this area - war powers act 1973 - widley interpreted as unconstituional by president since then and the unwillingness to address to it has not be challenegd
Make treaties (including executive agreements)
The president with the consent of the senate has the ability and right to create treaties with other nations - Formal treaties such as the new strategic arms reduction treat (new start) in 2010 requires negotiations by president and 2/3 vote of approval in the senate - Exectuive agreemets are simialr to treaties although they dont require senate apppotval
Head of state
Carry out ceremoniak roles, greater oversight over foreignpolocy and hold the highest ranking position in their state
What are the roles of the head of state?
- Attends world summits and events - g7 and g20 as a representativ of the usa
- Broker deals and treaties on behalf of the usa
- Ceremonial duties pardoning the turkey and throwing the first pitch on opening day of baseball season
Head of government?
Deal with domestic policy, the nationak budget and preside over the cabinet and the executive branch
What are the roles of the head of government?
- Heads up the executive branch
- Responsible for the organisation of exop and preside over the cabinet and federal beuracracy
- They can use executive actions to ensure that us laws are carried out effectvely and have the right to sign and veto legislation
Overlapping powers of HOS and HOG
- Commander in cheif
- Recognising countries
- State of union adress
- Making treaties
Presidential strengths and weaknesses of domestic policy
Presidential strengths and weaknesses of foreign affairs
Informal sources of presidential power
The cabinet
Powers of persuision
The electoral mandate
EXOP (3 main)
National events
vice president
The cabinet
Powers of persusion
The electoral mandate
National events
Vice president
Exop
The office management and budget
National security council
The white house office
State of union
The president shall from time to time give congress information of the state of the union and make reccomendations for congressional consideration - today is an annual legislative request from president to congress - congress decides which legislation passes, amedned ot objected, depends on other factors - presidential mandate strength, timing of the electoral cycle and the popularity of the president
Executive mermoranda
Executive mermoranda =a similar process to executive orders but no formal process for how is issued by president - not recorded, not numbered
Executive orders
a directive issued to the federal bureacracy regarding how thw president would like a piece of legislation or policy to be interpeted and enforced - president can faithully excercise the laws that have been passed by congress and thus these orders have the force of law - Cant create legislation just to give instructions to federal departmenst and agencies regarding the enforcement of legislation today - numbered and ordered in federal regions - presidents have tried to use this power to create policy when congress wouldnt pass a law
Presidential mermormanda
Historically signifcant but today are ceremonial - numbered and recorded on the federal register and have teh force of law unlike executive orders - Normally give directions to people outside of the executive branch - famous proclamations but more commonly now when direct flags to be flown at halfmast following a death, recognising religious holidays or highlight days of importance
Granting reprieves
Communicates the ability of the president to reduce the sentence issues for a crime - used to free people from current conviction - however it doesnt remove the guilt of the person or lessen the sentence they have served
Conveve special sessions of congress
Power to call a special session for congress - calling either or both houses of congress back from recess - rareley used today but has notable use in the past with the entirety of cingress cinveved on 27 occastions and the senate only conveved 48 times alone - most related to senates unique powers - the president reading the sentae to conform a cabinet nominee or traty whole of congress recalled to deal with international situations
Recieve ambassafors
As the head of state the president recieves ambassadors to the usa from foreign nations - by recieiving ambassadors or choosing not to the president uses this power to recognise nations and devide whom the usa is prepared to work with - gwb recognised kosovo in 2008 while obama recognised sudan in 2011 establishing diplomatic relationships with these countries - can cause international difficulties
