The document provides an overview of the executive branch of the US government. It discusses the roles and responsibilities of the President, including as chief of state, chief executive, commander-in-chief, and chief legislator. It also outlines the qualifications to be President, terms of office, powers such as executive orders and treaties, and roles of the Vice President. Additionally, it describes the executive departments that carry out the administration's work, as well as independent agencies and the federal civil service system.

1. The Executive Branch

4. (Just a Few) Reasons
Why Teddy Roosevelt is
Awesome conservationist,
• President, cowboy, writer, naturalist,
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•
•
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•
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hunter, explorer, soldier, Nobel Peace Prize winner
1st president to leave the country, fly in an airplane,
and he named the White House
Read several books a day
Was blind in one eye from a boxing match in the
White House
Killed a cougar in a knife fight
Punched a guy in the face for making fun of his
glasses
Was shot in the chest but still gave a 90 minute
speech before getting medical help

6. The President’s Job
• Chief of State: he represents the
United States and its citizens to the
world
• Chief Executive: is given executive
powers by the Constitution (can make
the big decisions for the country)
• Chief Administrator: runs the
executive branch and all its
departments

7. • Chief Diplomat: on the world stage,
he speaks on behalf of the nation
• Commander in Chief: head of the
military and controls its movements
• Chief Legislator: in charge of
sending many public policies to
Congress

8. • Chief of Party: head of his political
party
• Chief Citizen: is the representative of
all the people and should work to help
them

9. Qualifications to be
President
• Must be a natural born U.S. citizen
• At least 35 years old
– Oldest: Ronald Reagan (69 yrs)
– Youngest: to hold the office: T. Roosevelt (42 yrs);
to be elected: JFK (43 yrs)
• Resident of the U.S. for 14 years

10. Presidential Term and
Pay
• Washington set 2-term tradition
– FDR broke this by being elected for
4 terms
• 22nd Amendment: President can
serve no more than 2 terms (8 years)
• President is paid $400,000 a year

11. Presidential Disability
• If the President is unable to perform the
duties of office, the Vice-President may
take over as President (25th
Amendment)

12. The Vice-President
• Presides over the Senate (and breaks
ties in voting)
• Serves in the event the President is
unable to work

13. Executive Powers of the
President
• The President is head of the Executive
branch --> enforces all federal laws
• Executive Order - an order/rule of the
President that has the force of law

14. • Appointment power - president
appoints federal judges, ambassadors,
and exec. branch leaders
– Must be approved by the Senate
– President can also remove them

15. Diplomatic Powers of the
President
• Can create treaties (agreements with
other countries)
– need Senate approval
• Executive agreement - an agreement
between the president and the leader of
another country
– does not need Senate approval

16. Military Powers of the
President
• President is Commander-in-Chief --> is
in control of the U.S. military forces
• Can station, move, and call back troops
• Can create undeclared war just by
moving troops into an area

17. War Powers Resolution
1.) President must tell Congress of troop
movements/combat within 48 hrs.
2.) Troops can only stay 60 days unless
Congress gives them more time
3.) Congress has the power to end
conflict by resolution

18. Legislative Powers of the
President
• President can’t make laws, but he can
SUGGEST them to Congress
– Has a legislative agenda to work with
Congress
• Can veto bills or sign them into law
• Can call Congress into special session
(emergency)

19. Judicial Powers of the
President
In federal cases, a president can grant:
• Pardon - legally forgive someone of a crime
(ex: Ford pardoned Nixon after the Watergate
Scandal)
• Amnesty - legal forgiveness for a group of
people
• Reprieve - postpone someone’s punishment
• Commutation - reduce someone’s sentence
or fine

20. Graphic Organizer

21. The Federal Bureaucracy
• The Executive branch is organized as a
bureaucracy
• Bureaucracy - the organization of gov’t
into departments and agencies to help it
run smoother (like a business!)

22. Characteristics of a
Bureaucracy
• 1.) Hierarchy - people operate under a chain
of command (fewer people as you go up)
• 2.) Job Specialization - people are given and
responsible for very specific jobs
• 3.) Formal Rules - everything operates
according to set rules and procedures

23. Executive Office of the
President (EOP)
• Made up of the President’s closest advisors and staff
(his “inner circle”)
• Includes:
– White House Office: political advisors, chief of
staff, WH press secretary, etc.
– Office of Management and the Budget--> helps
the President come up with a budget for the
country
– Plus many more…

24. Explore the White House
• The EOP
• White House Virtual Tour

25. The Cabinet
• Outside the EOP; another group of
advisors to the president
• Made up of the 15 leaders (called
secretaries) of the 15 executive depts.+
the VP, etc.
• Advise the president on topics dealing
with their department

26. Executive Departments
• Do most of the work of the executive
branch
• 15 departments total
• Each dept. deals with a certain
topic/area of expertise
– Is in charge of advising and enforcing laws
that have to do with their topic

27. 1.) Department of
Agriculture (USDA)
• In charge of food
inspection,
agriculture/farming,
and natural
resources
• Ex. Agencies:
– Rural Development
– Food Safety and
Inspection Service

28. 2.) Department of
Commerce
• In charge of trade
with other countries,
economic and
business issues,
census, weather
reports, and
copyrights
• Ex. Agency:
– Census Bureau

29. 3.) Department of
Defense (DOD)
• In charge of
defending the country
and providing for the
military
• Ex. Agencies:
– National Security
Agency (NSA)
– Army
– Navy
– Air Force

30. 4.) Department of
Education
• In charge of
improving the U.S.
education system
and setting national
standards

31. 5.) Department of Energy
(DOE)
• In charge of nuclear
energy/weapons,
how the U.S. uses
its energy, and
research on energy
resources

32. 6.) Department of Health
and Human Services
• In charge of health
care and services,
disease control, and
food and drug safety
• Ex. Agencies:
– Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)
– Centers for Disease
Control (CDC)

33. 7.) Department of
Homeland Security (DHS)
• In charge of border
control, national security
threats, anti-terrorism,
and
cybersecurity/hacking
• Ex. Agencies:
– Secret Service
– U.S. Coast Guard
– Federal Emergency
Management Agency
(FEMA)

34. 8.) Department of Housing
and Urban Development
(HUD)
• In charge of housing
codes, low-income
housing, and
community
development
• Ex. Agency:
– Federal Housing
Administration (FHA)

35. 9.) Department of Justice
(DOJ)
• In charge of
enforcing federal law
and punishing
violators
• Ex. Agency:
– Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI)

36. 10.) Department of Labor
(DOL)
• In charge of fair
employment and
labor laws,
unemployment, and
minimum wage
• Ex. Agency:
– Occupational Safety
and Health
Administration
(OSHA)

37. 11.) Department of State
(DOS)
• In charge of foreign
affairs, treaties,
ambassadors,
passports/visas, and
citizenship services

38. 12.) Department of the
Interior
• In charge of national
parks and lands, wildlife
and environmental
conservation, and
Indian affairs
• Ex. Agencies:
– National Park Service
(NPS)
– Fish and Wildlife Service

39. 13.) Department of the
Treasury
• In charge of the nation’s
money,
collecting/enforcing
taxes, and currency
• Ex. Agencies:
– Internal Revenue Service
(IRS)
– Bureau of Engraving and
Printing
– U.S. Mint

40. 14.) Department of
Transportation (DOT)
• In charge of building
federal projects (like
roads),
sets/enforces safety
rules and regulations

41. 15.) Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA)
• In charge of
benefits, services,
and burials for
veterans

42. Independent Agencies
• Next level of the bureaucracy (outside
the 15 depts.)
• Smaller agencies that act separately
from the executive departments
• Enforce laws on an even smaller level

43. Why Independent
Agencies?
• 1.) They don’t fit in with the exec. depts.
• 2.) They’re separate to keep them away
from political influence
• 3.) The information they’re in charge of
is too sensitive/specific for a big dept.

44. Types of Independent
Agencies
• 1.) Independent Executive
Agencies
– Include most of the independent agencies
– Operate like executive depts., but they
don’t have the high status
– Ex: NASA, EPA, Federal Election
Commission, Peace Corps

45. • 2.) Independent Regulatory
Commissions
– Regulate/make rules on laws that effect the
economy
– Given some legislative/judicial powers by
Congress to police the detailed parts of laws
– Are the farthest away from the President’s control
– Ex: FCC (Federal Communications Commission),
Federal Reserve, SEC (Securities and Exchange
Commission)

46. • Independent Government
Corporations
– Agencies that run like little government
businesses
– Ex: Amtrak, TVA, U.S. Postal Service

47. The Civil Service
• Made up of civilians who work for the
gov’t agencies
– Work under leadership positions
– Can be on federal, state, and local levels
– Must compete for employment

48. The Spoils System
• “To the victor be the spoils” - the winner
gets all the prizes
• Giving gov’t jobs to all your political
supporters and friends (aka
“patronage”)
• Win office + appoint friends = corruption

50. The Pendleton Act (1883)
• Under President Arthur, it got rid of the
spoils system
• Required people who wanted to work
for the gov’t or an agency to have
qualifications for the job, not just
connections
• Had to compete for their job

51. Consider this…
• “Bureaucracy is ever desirous of
spreading its influence and its power.
You cannot extend the mastery of the
government over the daily working life
of a people without at the same time
making it the master of the people's
souls and thoughts.”
– Herbert Hoover