Vice President Executive Cabinet and Federal Bureaucracy Powers

Vice President, Executive Cabinet and Federal Bureaucracy

Powers of Modern Presidents l Negotiate executive agreements with foreign powers without Congressional approval l Break treaties without Congress l Chief State: carries out ceremonial responsibilities such as dedicating national monuments and government buildings l Chief Ambassador

Presidential Clauses l Executive Power Clause: president has the power to develop, create and legislate new laws l Take Care Clause: empowers president with responsibility to see that laws are enforced.

Nixon’s Resignation l One month later President Gerald Ford pardoned him l Watergate shook faith of Americans in the presidency and test for the U. S. Constitution l Illustrated that no one is above the law, not even the president l Testing of Legislative-Executive Checks and Balances

Vice President l John Adams called it “the most insignificant” office created l 9 Vice Presidents have taken over the office of president, first was John Tyler in 1841 when President William Henry Harrison died l Same qualifications as president l $171, 500 salary plus official expenses

Vice President Before 1804, the vice presidency went to the candidate that was second, no matter the party. l After 1796 election two rivals John Adams and Thomas Jefferson ended in office together and it led to very little being accomplished l 12 th Amendment ratified in 1804, revised the election process so that candidate clearly run for either president or vice president l

Evolving Vice President 1841: John Tyler first Vice President to become President due to the death of a president l President William Henry Harrison died one month after taking office l Tyler did not have a vice president l

Vice President Between 1789 -1921, no vice president attended a meeting of the president’s cabinet l Theodore Roosevelt first to win a full term election of his own l Became president in 1901 when President Mc. Kinley was assassinated l Won election of 1904 l

Increased Role l Since 1933 vice president has attended cabinet meetings l Since 1947 Congress has included the vice president as one of the four statutory (legal) members of the National Security Council, which advises president on military matters and foreign affairs

th 25 Amendment l 25 th Amendment in 1967 provides that a president fill a vacancy in the vice presidency by nominating a candidate who is confirmed by the majority of both houses of Congress l Vice President takes over if the president resigns from office or is incapacitated

Spiro Agnew l l l First use of 25 th Amendment Vice President under President Nixon Resigned in 1973 over tax evasion, extortion and bribery Fined $10, 000 President Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as vice president

Gerald Ford He was appointed Vice President when Spiro Agnew resigned l He became President less than one year later when President Nixon resigned l According the 25 th Amendment, he appointed John Rockefeller as his Vice President l Only time President and Vice President not elected l

Residency l 1975 obtained a residency for Vice President at the Naval Observatory l Sometimes called the Admiral’s House because it was the former home of the Chief of Naval Operations

Current Issues of Concern l Iraq War/Afghanistan l Economic Crisis l Economic Policies l Health Care l Taxes l Energy/global warming l Abortion l Education

Executive Office and the Federal Bureaucracy

Executive Office l l l l Established 1939 Advise president on current issues Council of Economic Advisers furnish the president with facts and figures about nation’s economy and recommends programs to promote economic growth Office of Management and Budget assists in the preparation of the federal budget National Security Council (NSC) is the president’s top ranking group of advisers on all matters concerning the nation’s defense and security Office of National Drug Control Policy coordinates federal, state and local activities designed to stop the use of illegal drugs Council on Environmental Quality monitors the environment and makes recommendations to the president White House Office includes closest personal and political advisers to the president

Executive Departments l 37 “czars” right now l 15 executive departments l Congress has the power to establish executive departments, reorganize and combine different departments or eliminate them l President influences changes

Executive Agencies l l l l Executive Branch has established a large number of agencies that carry out some of the executive functions of the government There are 15 departments of the executive branch. There are 140 agencies Departments are authorized by Congress, their chiefs sit in the Cabinet and deal with large policy issues Agencies are designed to carry out specific tasks A few agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) are independent Executive Branch employs 98% of all national government personnel—over 4, 000

Cabinet Department of State, includes ambassadors l Department of Treasury, including IRS l Department of Defense, Armed Forces under this department since 1947. Under this is Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force and Department of the Army. Highest military ranking officers of Army, Navy and Air Force are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This department takes care of the Academies at West Point, Annapolis, Colorado Springs and New London l l l Department of Agriculture Department of Commerce Department of Labor Department of Health and Human Services Department of Housing and Urban Development Department of Transportation Department of Energy Department of Education Department of Veterans Affairs Department of Justice Department of the Interior

The Cabinet 1793 George Washington had the help of three departments: Departments of State (Thomas Jefferson), Treasury (Alexander Hamilton) and War (Henry Knox) l Attorney General l

The Cabinet l Today there are 15 l Appointed by the President, approved by the Senate l Heads of departments are Secretaries, except Department of Justice, Attorney General

Executive Branch Tendencies l United States has a tradition of limited government l U. S. citizens resist taxes l Local and state governments provide day to day services for citizens l Executive branch different from others in the world with its separation from the legislative and judicial branches.

Federal Bureaucracy l l l l l Headed by the President Many department and agencies in the executive branch form the federal bureaucracy 3 million people work in the bureaucracy: about 2% of U. S. workforce 7, 500 appointed by the President, remainder are civil service Over 2/3 of federal workers work for two agencies: the Defense Department and the Postal Service Many rules and regulations “red tape” Subject to in history to the Spoils System President’s power over bureaucracy is limited by checks and balances in that Congress controls appropriations and size limits influence as well Interest groups, federal agencies and related congressional committees form the “iron triangle” that influences policies

Current Concerns l l l l l War in Iraq and Afghanistan Iran North Korea Health Care Energy Economy/Stimulus Money Housing Nuclear Weapons Relations between Congress and President are often strained due to political party affiliation