US Executive

Question 1

What are the 3 constitutional requirements to be eligible to run for president?

Answer 1

1. Minimum 35 years old
2. Natural born US citizen
3. Lived in the US for at least 14 years

Question 2

What are the president’s 10 formal powers?

Answer 2

1. Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
2. Faithfully execute the laws passed by congress
3. Pardons and commutations
4. Negotiate treaties
5. Make federal appointments
6. Propose bills
7. Convene emergency sessions of congress
8. Veto / pocket veto
9. Commission all officers
10. Meet with foreign ambassadors

Question 3

What are the 5 roles of the president?

Answer 3

1. Head of state
2. Head of government
3. Chief legislator
4. Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
5. Chief diplomat

Question 4

What are executive orders?

Answer 4

Presidential decrees that act as laws but are subordinate to draft law

Question 5

What are signing statements?

Answer 5

Comments by the president on bills signed into law

Question 6

How has the use of signing statements changed?

Answer 6

Used to be used to add congratulatory notes to laws
Now often used to criticise laws

Question 7

What is executive privilege?

Answer 7

The president’s right to withhold information from congress, the courts, and the public to protect national security or executive privacy

Question 8

Which supreme court case established that the president has a legal duty to provide evidence of communications when the information is relevant to a criminal case?

Answer 8

US vs Nixon 1974

Question 9

What are 3 limitations on the president?

Answer 9

1. Constitutional checks and balances
2. Divided government
3. Lack of a formal honours system

Question 10

How often does cabinet convene?

Answer 10

Whenever the president wants

Question 11

How many executive heads are in the cabinet (including the VP)?

Answer 11

16

Question 12

What are the 4 roles of the Executive Office of the President (EXOP)?

Answer 12

1. Advise on policy
2. Oversee departments
3. Foster relations with congress
4. Perform specialist functions

Question 13

What are the 4 roles of the Chief of Staff?

Answer 13

1. Chair the White House office
2. Provide honest counsel
3. Be the president’s proxy
4. Liaise between congress and the white house

Question 14

What are the 3 functions of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)?

Answer 14

1. Advise the president on the allocation of federal funds in the budget
2. Oversee the spending of federal departments
3. Check the validity of executive initiatives concerning legislation and regulation

Question 15

What is the National Security Council (NSC)?

Answer 15

The president’s official forum for discussing national security and foreign policy

Question 16

What did the supreme court find in US vs Curtis Wright 1936?

Answer 16

The president is the “sole organ of the federal government in the field of international relations”

Question 17

What is the imperial presidency?

Answer 17

Arthur Schlesinger Jr’s theory that the president is operating in excess of the powers afforded to him by the constitution and dominating the other branches of government

Question 18

What are 4 key features of the imperial presidency?

Answer 18

1. Excessive power over foreign policy
2. Increased use of executive action
3. Inflation of the Executive Office
4. Reduced accountability to other branches of government

Question 19

What is the imperilled presidency?

Answer 19

The theory that the president does not wield enough power