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The President of the United States is a symbol of America. The powers and responsibilities of the president are vast and have grown significantly since George Washington served as the county's first president. Above all, the president is a leader and head of the executive branch. In this article, we will learn about the roles and powers of the executive branch and the relationship that the executive branch has with the other branches of government.
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Sign up for freeWhat branch of the American government does the President lead?
Which article of the Constitution describes the requirements and duties of the President?
How many Electoral College votes are required to win the presidency?
Which amendment limits the President to two four-year terms?
What is the President's role in the military?
Who becomes President if the President cannot fulfill their duties?
Which power allows the President to reject legislation from Congress?
What document outlines the President's interpretation of laws?
What is the President's annual address to Congress called?
Which Federalist paper justifies the need for a single executive?
What branch of the American government does the President lead?
Which article of the Constitution describes the requirements and duties of the President?
How many Electoral College votes are required to win the presidency?
Which amendment limits the President to two four-year terms?
What is the President's role in the military?
Who becomes President if the President cannot fulfill their duties?
Which power allows the President to reject legislation from Congress?
What document outlines the President's interpretation of laws?
What is the President's annual address to Congress called?
Which Federalist paper justifies the need for a single executive?
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Team The Executive Branch Teachers
Fig. 1, George Washington portrait by Gilbert Stuart Wiliamstown, Wikimedia Commons
The executive branch is one of the three branches of the American government. The executive branch executes or carries out the laws that Congress makes. The president, vice president, The Executive Office of the President, White House staff, the Cabinet, and all members of the bureaucracy comprise the executive branch.
The president is head of the executive branch. Three branches of government are illustrative of the separation of powers central to the American government system. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches have separate and distinct responsibilities, and each branch has the power to check other branches.
The presidency is an American institution composed of the roles the president plays and the powers they possess, the relationships with the other branches, and the bureaucracy they control. The presidency is also shaped by the personality of the office holder.
Article II of the Constitution describes the requirements and duties of the president. The Constitutional requirements for the presidency are straightforward.The President must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have lived in the country for at least 14 years.
No Person except a natural-born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States." - Article II, U.S. Constitution
Except for Barack Obama, all American presidents have been white. All 46 have been men. All of them have been Protestants, except John F. Kennedy and Joe Biden.
To win the presidency, an individual must receive at least 270 Electoral College votes.
The Presidential Succession Act specifies the order of succession from the Vice President,Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, to the Cabinet members in order of the department's year of creation.
The president has both formal and informal powers.
“from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Article II, U.S. Constitution.
Presidents give a State of the Union Address in January to a joint session of Congress.
The president faces enormous expectations the minute they take the oath of office. The American public expects their president to wield influence and power and accomplish goals in record time. The president is viewed as being responsible for American peace and economic well-being and citizens look to the president to help ensure that their lives are good.
Federalist No. 70
In Federalist No. 70, Alexander Hamilton justifies the country’s need for a single executive with the power to act. It is one of 85 Federalist papers, a series of essays written by Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the pseudonym Publius. Federalist No. 70 describes the characteristics that will be valuable in the office of president, including unity, power, and support. The Federalist papers were written to persuade states to ratify the newly written Constitution. Anti-Federalists were fearful of an executive that had too much power, due to their experiences with the monarchy in Great Britain. Hamilton’s Federalist No. 70 is an attempt to assuage those fears.
The president has many responsibilities, and these powers have expanded over time. The president is Commander-in-Chief of the Military, Chief Diplomat, and Chief Communicator. They suggest a legislative agenda to Congress and appoint federal judges, ambassadors, and cabinet secretaries. The president can also issue pardons to people who have been convicted of federal crimes.
The president is Chief Executive and Administrator. They are head of the federal bureaucracy, a vast hierarchical structure that carries out the business of the government. The bureaucracy employs millions of workers that work in government agencies, departments, government corporations, and independent agencies and commissions.
The Vice President of the United States supports the president, is president of the Senate, and if the president can fulfill their duties, the vice president becomes president. The role of the vice president is shaped by the president. Some presidents give their vice president’s vast responsibilities, while other vice president’s duties remain largely ceremonial.
Fig. 2 Seal of the Vice President, Wikipedia
The federal bureaucracy is a large, hierarchical structure composed of members of the executive branch. It is organized into four types of agencies: cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, government corporations, and independent executive agencies. The federal bureaucracy implements policies and provides many essential services to Americans. They are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of the laws that the legislative branch makes.
When the judicial branch makes decisions that result in policy changes, it is the executive branch’s responsibility to implement or carry out judicial orders.
Fig. 3 President Barack Obama greeting his Supreme Court appointee, Justice Sotomayor, Wikimedia Commons
Presidents appoint federal judges, and these judges serve life tenures. Presidents view judicial appointments as central to the legacy, as these appointees will outlast a presidential term, often staying in their judicial positions for decades. The Senate approves judicial appointments.
The judicial branch also has the power to check the executive branch through judicial review, the ability to declare executive acts unconstitutional.
The executive branch is one of the three branches of the American government. The executive branch executes or carries out the laws that Congress makes.
The President, Vice President, The Executive Office of the President, White House Staff, the Cabinet, and all members of the bureaucracy comprise the executive branch.
Article II of the Constitution describes the requirements and duties of the president. The President must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have lived in the country for at least 14 years.
The president has many responsibilities, and these powers have expanded over time. The president is Commander-in-Chief of the military, Chief Diplomat, and Chief Communicator. They suggest a legislative agenda to Congress and appoint federal judges, ambassadors, and cabinet secretaries. The president can also issue pardons to people who have been convicted of federal crimes.
The judicial and executive branches interact in significant ways. When the judicial branch makes decisions that result in policy changes, it is the executive branch’s responsibility to implement or carry out judicial orders.
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What does the executive branch do?
The Executive branch implements the laws that Congress makes and the policy decisions that the judicial branch makes.
Who is the head of the executive branch?
The president is head of the executive branch.
How does the executive branch check the power of the judicial branch?
The executive branch checks the power of the judicial branch by appointing judges. The executive branch is also charged with implementing judicial decisions, and can fail to do so if they disagree with the Court.
Why is the executive branch the most powerful?
Many people view the executive branch as the most powerful branch in government because the president and vice president are the only offices elected by the whole nation. The President’s power has grown exponentially over time, and the executive branch includes the bureaucracy, a vast structure charged with enforcing laws and overseeing the everyday business of government. The president can act more freely and more independently than the other two branches.
What are the executive branch responsibilities?
The executive branch carries or executes the laws that Congress makes. The President also has many responsibilities, and these powers have expanded over time. The President is Commander-in-Chief of the military, Chief Diplomat, and Chief Communicator. They suggest a legislative agenda to Congress and appoint federal judges, ambassadors, and cabinet secretaries. The president can also issue pardons to people who have been convicted of federal crimes.
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