Executive Branch ENFORCES LAWS

The Executive Branch consists of

• The President• The Vice President

– What does the 25th Amendment say?• The Cabinet

– 15 of them• The federal bureaucracy

Executive Branch=Article 2!!!!!!!!!!

Qualifications for office,as stated in Article II of the U.S. Constitution

• Minimal qualifications• Only requirements are

– Must be 35 years old.– Must be a citizen (native born)– Residency (14 years in the United States)

Does the President get to do whatever he wants??????

No! This isn’t a dictatorship…it’s a democracy

• The Constitution gives the president certain powers (just like Congress has certain powers in Article I)

• However, CHECKS AND BALANCES LIMITS THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• HOW?

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Negotiates treaties with foreign governments (foreign policy leader).

-Example of checks and balances= The Senate must approve treaties for them to take effect.

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Serves as commander-in-chief of the military (national security leader).– Example of checks and balances= Congress funds

and organizes the military and makes the rules for the military

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Negotiates treaties with foreign governments (foreign policy leader).

-Example of checks and balances= The Senate must approve treaties for them to take effect.

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Nominates top federal officials, including federal judges and justices of the Supreme Court.– Example of checks and balances= The Senate

must approve these nominations.

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Vetoes legislation passed by Congress– Example of checks and balances= Congress can

override a veto with 2/3 vote in both chambers.

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Can pardon people– Constraint= Public outrage may imperil

popularity and reelection chances (ex. Gerald Ford’s pardon of Nixon).

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Addresses Congress and the nation and sets legislative priorities (State of the Union message; legislative leader)– Example of checks and balances= Congress can

choose to ignore presidential priorities.

Constitutional Duties And Powers of the President (Article II and Article IV, Section 4)

• Faithfully administers federal laws (national policy leader); uses executive orders, proclamations, and memoranda to do so.– Example of checks and balances= Congress has

set up its own agencies to counter executive power (

The Cabinet mentioned in the Constitution

• Article 2, Section 2 of the US Constitution

• [The President] may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices.

Interesting Facts about Presidential Cabinets

• George Washington’s top two advisors, Jefferson and Hamilton, disagreed so bitterly that political parties formed around these two men.

• Andrew Jackson preferred a group of informal advisors known as the “Kitchen Cabinet.”

• John F. Kennedy paid more attention to the advice of his brother, Robert, who served as Attorney General, than his formal cabinet.

• Ronald Reagan held cabinet meetings an average of twice a week to stay informed.

The First Executive Departments:George Washington’s Presidency

• Department of State—Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson

• Department of the Treasury—Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton

• Department of War—Secretary of Defense Henry Knox

• Office of the Attorney General—Edmund Randolph-became the Department of Justice in 1870

Today there are fifteen departments.

The Cabinet Executive Departments

• Organized into 15 departments.• Secretaries appointed by president. • Confirmed by Senate (majority vote).

State (1789)

• advises the president on foreign policy, negotiates treaties, represents the United States in international organizations

Treasury (1789)

• collects federal revenues, pays federal bills, mints coins and prints paper money,

Defense (1789)

• formed from the Department of War and the Department of the Navy (1789) but changed to the Department of Defense in 1947; manages the armed forces, operates military bases .

Interior (1849)

• manages federal lands, refuges, and parks, operates hydroelectric facilities, manages Native American affairs

Justice (1870)

• provides legal advice to the president, enforces federal laws, represents the United States in court, operates federal prisons

Agriculture (1889)

• provides agricultural assistance to farmers and ranchers, inspects food, manages national forests

Commerce (1903)

• grants patents and trademarks, conducts the national census, promotes international trade

Labor (1913)

• enforces federal labor laws (child labor, minimum wage, safe working conditions), administers unemployment and job training programs

Health and Human Services (1953)

• administers Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid Programs, promotes health care research, enforces pure food and drug laws

Housing and Urban Development (1965)

• provides home financing and public housing programs, enforces fair housing laws

Transportation (1967)

• promotes mass transit programs and programs for highways, railroads, and air traffic, enforces maritime law

Energy (1977)

• promotes development and conservation of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, research programs

Education (1979)

• administers federal aid programs to schools, engages in educational research

Veterans Affairs (1989)

• promotes the welfare of veterans of the armed forces

Homeland Security (2002)• prevents terrorist attacks within the United States,

reduces America's susceptibility to terrorism, minimizes damage and helps recovery from attacks that do occur; includes Coast Guard, Secret Service, Border Patrol, Immigration and Visa Services, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Independent agencies

• They are called this because they are independent from the Cabinet

• Three types:– Executive agencies– Government corporations– Regulatory boards and commissions

Let’s read about federal bureaucracy