The Executive Branch - Enforcing the Laws
The Executive Branch consists of the President, his cabinet, and the Vice-President. Their main responsibility is to enforce the laws. The 22nd Amendment limits the President to two, four year terms, and he is payed a salary of $400,000 a year, but also receives a number of non-monetary benefits.
According to the constitution, the President has the following responsibilities:
According to the constitution, the President has the following responsibilities:
- Serve as the Commander in Chief of the armed forces
- Make treaties with other nations (must be approved by Senate), and nominates/receives ambassadors
- Recommend legislation to Congress
- "Take care that the laws be faithfully executed"
- Nominate officials
- Fill administrative vacancies
- Grant pardons
- Nominate federal judges (must be approved by Senate)
Presidential Succession and The Vice President
The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution set the order of Presidential Succession to be as follows: Vice President, Speaker of the House, President pro tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State, and then Secretary's of other executive departments.
The most basic role of the Vice President is to support the President and be prepared to take over the role should something happen to the President making him unable to serve. The Vice President also presides over the Senate and may cast a vote to break a tie in the Senate. Today, the Vice President rarely actually presides over the day to day activities of the Senate, and appoints a President pro tempore to do so instead.
The most basic role of the Vice President is to support the President and be prepared to take over the role should something happen to the President making him unable to serve. The Vice President also presides over the Senate and may cast a vote to break a tie in the Senate. Today, the Vice President rarely actually presides over the day to day activities of the Senate, and appoints a President pro tempore to do so instead.
Roles of the President
- Commander in Chief - Serves as the chief of the armed forces, representing over 4 million women and men serving in our military
- Chief Executive - Run the White House and act as the "boss" to millions of government workers
- Chief Diplomat - Meets with foreign leaders, appoints ambassadors to foreign nations, and makes the foreign policy of the U.S.
- Chief Legislator - Influence Congress in its lawmaking. The President may urge them to pass a bill, or veto a bill that has been passed.
- Chief of Party - The President must lead his party and help members of his party get elected or appointed to positions.
- Chief of State - This involves cermonial duties such as giving speeches, pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey, congratulating championship teams, etc.
- Chief Guardian of the Economy - Although the President cannot control the economy, he must be concerned with things such as unemployment, minimum wage, high prices, taxes, etc.
Electoral College
Every fourth November, millions of Americans turn out to vote in the Presidential election. A month later in December, 538 electors vote to elect the President of the U.S. These electors make up the electoral college.
Each state is given a number of electors equal to the number of congressmen they have. When citizens vote in the Presidential election, they are really voting to instruct the electors of their state who to vote for in December. In most states, the candidate who gets the majority of the votes from citizens within a state gets ALL of that state's electoral college votes. Because of the way this is set up, Presidential candidates can get the majority of the popular vote but still lose an election (as happened in the Bush v. Gore election).
Each state is given a number of electors equal to the number of congressmen they have. When citizens vote in the Presidential election, they are really voting to instruct the electors of their state who to vote for in December. In most states, the candidate who gets the majority of the votes from citizens within a state gets ALL of that state's electoral college votes. Because of the way this is set up, Presidential candidates can get the majority of the popular vote but still lose an election (as happened in the Bush v. Gore election).