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CHAPTER 3 Federal Government Congressman Dewey Short visits Camp Crowder, August 26, 1943. (Missouri State Archives, Camp Crowder Collection) 104 OFFICIAL MANUAL Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior; Ann M. Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture; United States Don Evans, Secretary of Commerce; Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor; Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Hu- man Services; Government Mel Martinez, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Executive branch Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation; The White House Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Rod Paige, Secretary of Education; Washington, D.C. 20500 Anthony Principi, Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs. Telephone: (202) 456-1414 In addition to secretaries of the cabinet, the The president and the vice president of the president maintains a White House staff of advis- United States are elected every four years by a ers who serve at his pleasure. majority of votes cast in the electoral college. These votes are cast by delegates from each state who President Bush’s executive officers vote in accordance, traditionally, with the majority of the state’s voters. States have as many electoral with cabinet rank college votes as they have congressional delegates. Richard B. Cheney, Vice President Missouri has 11 electoral college votes—one for Christie Todd Whitman, Environmental Protec- each of the nine U.S. Congress districts and two for tion Agency; the state’s two seats in the U.S. Senate. Mitchell E. Daniels Jr., Office of Management The president is the chief executive of the Unit- and Budget; ed States, with powers to command the armed Robert B. Zoellick, U.S. trade representative; forces, control foreign policy, grant reprieves and John Walters, Office of National Drug Control pardons, make certain appointments, execute all Policy; laws passed by Congress and present the adminis- tration’s budget. The president earns $400,000 Andrew H. Card Jr., Chief of Staff. annually, with an allowance for expenses. Legislative branch The vice president is selected by members of each national political committee and runs on the The U.S. Constitution provides for two houses, same ticket for the same term as the president. The known as the Congress. The Senate is composed of vice president assumes the presidency if the presi- 100 members; two senators are elected from each dent dies or resigns the office, is incapacitated to state. The House of Representatives is composed of the extent that he or she cannot exercise presiden- 435 members; representatives are determined tial duties for an extended period, or is impeached. based on the population of each state. Missouri is The vice president presides over the functions of allotted nine U.S. Representative seats. the U.S. Senate and acts as emissary of the presi- Senators must be at least 30 years of age and be dent. The vice president earns $186,300 annually, residents of the United States for at least nine years. plus an allowance for expenses. They also must reside in the state they are elected Although not mentioned in the Constitution, to represent. Senators serve terms of six years, with the president’s cabinet is the advisory arm of the one-third of the Senate membership elected every office. It is made up of 14 cabinet members (or sec- two years. Senators also earn $145,100 annually, retaries) who have the responsibility to operate plus expenses. each department. Secretaries are appointed by the Representatives must be at least 25 years of age president and serve at his pleasure. Cabinet secre- and must have been residents of the United States taries earn $161,200 annually. for at least seven years. They also must reside in the state they represent. Representatives serve two-year Members, President Bush’s cabinet terms and earn $145,100 annually, plus expenses. Colin Powell, Secretary of State; Congress is in session for two years, beginning Paul O’Neill, Secretary of the Treasury; on January 3 of each year unless another date is Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense; specified. The presiding officer of the Senate is the John Ashcroft, Attorney General; vice president of the United States. The Senate also UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 105 The White House, Washington, D.C. elects a president pro tem of the Senate to serve in David Hackett Souter, associate justice; the absence of the vice president. The president pro Clarence Thomas, associate justice; tem also represents the party in power and earns Ruth Bader Ginsburg, associate justice; $161,200. The presiding officer of the House is Steven G. Breyer, associate justice. called the speaker. The speaker traditionally repre- sents the party in majority and earns $186,300. Other federal courts Judicial branch Immediately below the Supreme Court are The U.S. Supreme Court heads the nation’s judi- the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. District cial branch of government. The Supreme Court is Courts. The Courts of Appeals operate in 11 composed of nine justices, appointed for life. regions and the District of Columbia. Missouri is Supreme Court judges may only be removed by served by the Eighth Circuit. Appeals Court impeachment and trial by Congress. Justices judges earn $153,900 annually. receive $178,300 annually while the chief justice, There are 94 U.S. District Court districts with who leads the court, earns $186,300. federal jurisdiction. Two of these are located in The Supreme Court concerns itself with nation- Missouri: the Eastern Missouri District and the al issues or matters concerning the constitutionality Western Missouri District. Eastern District courts of certain laws or findings. Decisions of the court are located in St. Louis, Hannibal and Cape Gir- are binding and overrule any other court decision. ardeau while Western District courts are in Kansas City, St. Joseph, Springfield, Jefferson City Members, United States and Joplin. Federal charges stemming from both Supreme Court civil and criminal suits generally begin in U.S. 1 First St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20543 District Court. Judges in these courts earn Telephone: (202) 479-3000 $145,000 annually. William H. Rehnquist, chief justice; For information on other agencies or pro- John Paul Stevens, associate justice; grams of the U.S. government operating in Sandra Day O’Connor, associate justice; Missouri, contact the Federal Information Center, Antonin Scalia, associate justice; Room 2616 Federal Building, 1520 Market St., Anthony M. Kennedy, associate justice; St. Louis 63103, phone (toll free) 800-735-8004. UNITED STATES PRESIDENT 107 N George W. Bush United States President GEORGE W. BUSH (Republican) is the 43rd Presi- became the first Texas Governor to be elected to dent of the United States. Formerly the 46th Gover- consecutive four-year terms on November 3, nor of the State of Texas, Bush has earned a reputa- 1998, winning 68.6 percent of the vote. tion as a compassionate conservative who shapes As President, Bush will pursue the same com- policy based on the principles of limited govern- mon-sense approach and bipartisan spirit as he ment, personal responsibility, strong families, and had in Texas. He has proposed bold initiatives to local control. ensure that America’s prosperity has a purpose. George W. Bush was born July 6, 1946, and He has also addressed improving our nation’s grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He public schools by strengthening local control received a bachelor’s degree from Yale Universi- and insisting on accountability; reducing taxes ty and a Master of Business Administration from on all taxpayers, especially for those Americans Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 on the fringes of poverty; strengthening the mili- pilot for the Texas Air National Guard before beginning his career in the oil and gas business tary with better pay, better planning, and better in Midland in 1975, working in the energy equipment; saving and strengthening Social industry until 1986. After working on his father’s Security and Medicare by providing seniors with successful 1988 presidential campaign, he more options; and ushering in the responsibility assembled the group of partners that purchased era in America. the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989. President Bush is married to Laura Welch He served as managing general partner of the Bush, a former teacher and librarian, and they Texas Rangers until he was elected Governor on have 19-year-old twin daughters, Barbara and November 8, 1994, with 53.5 percent of the Jenna. The Bush family also includes their two vote. In an historic re-election victory, he dogs, Spot and Barney, and a cat, India. UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT 109 N Richard B. Cheney United States Vice President RICHARD B. CHENEY (Republican) has had a dis- House of Representatives. He was re-elected five tinguished career as a businessman and public ser- times and elected by his colleagues to serve as vant, serving three Presidents and as an elected offi- Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee cial. Throughout his service, Cheney served with from 1981 to 1987. He was elected Chairman of duty, honor, and unwavering leadership, gaining the House Republican Conference in 1987 and him the respect of the American people during try- elected House Minority Whip in 1988. During ing military times. his tenure in the House, Secretary Cheney Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on earned a reputation as a man of knowledge, January 30, 1941 and grew up in Casper, character, and accessibility. Wyoming. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s Cheney also served a crucial role when of arts degrees from the University of Wyoming. America needed him most. As Secretary of His career in public service began in 1969 when he joined the Nixon Administration, serving in a Defense from March 1989 to January 1993, number of positions at the Cost of Living Coun- Cheney directed two of the largest military cam- cil, at the Office of Economic Opportunity, and paigns in recent history–Operation Just Cause in within the White House.