NAME ________________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________ Reading Essentials and Study Guide Chapter 9 The Presidency Lesson 2 Head of State and Chief Executive EESSENTIALSSENTIAL QQUESTIONUESTION What are the powers and roles of the president and how have they changed over time? Reading HELPDESK Academic Vocabulary fund financial capital Content Vocabulary executive order a rule issued by the president that has the force of law impound to refuse to spend reprieve a presidential order that postpones legal punishment pardon a presidential order that releases a person from legal punishment amnesty a presidential order that pardons a group of people who have committed an offense against the government TAKING NOTES: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas DESCRIBING As you read this lesson, fill in the columns for each role. Describe at least two examples of actions the president takes in that role, find a news story that relates to that role and summarize the article, and draw a symbol that represents this role. Presidential Examples of Summary of Symbol to Represent Roles Actions News Story this Role Head of State Chief Executive 1 NAME ________________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________ Reading Essentials and Study Guide Chapter 9 The Presidency Lesson 2 Head of State and Chief Executive, continued EESSENTIALSSENTIAL QQUESTIONUESTION What are the powers and roles of the president and how have they changed over time? Read the following examples of government actions. Which activities fulfill the president’s role as head of state? Which as chief executive? Rank the presidential activities in each role in order from most to least important. Explain your reasoning. • Gives a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Prime Minister Tony Blair • Issues an Executive Order creating a National Economics Council • Advocates for a new health care law in the U.S. Congress • Throws out the first pitch at the first game of the World Series • Appoints Janet Napolitano as the Secretary of Homeland Security • Meets with the cabinet to discuss presidential priorities for this term Head of State Guiding Question How does the president fulfill the role of head of state? The U.S. president is both head of state and chief executive. (Here, the term head of state refers to the head of a nation or country.) The president as head of state represents the nation and performs many ceremonial duties. The president as chief executive directs the work of thousands of executive branch employees who carry out the laws. In many countries, different people carry out these two duties. One person, such as a king, is the ceremonial head of state, while another person, such as a prime minister, leads the government. Some of the president’s duties as head of state are named in Article II of the Constitution. For example, the Constitution says the president shall “receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers.” That means the president has a duty to meet with visiting officials and leaders of foreign governments. Modern presidents play an important role when a natural disaster or tragedy happens, such as a hurricane or a mass shooting. People in those places want the president to visit and speak comforting words as a way of representing all citizens across the country. Other ceremonial duties may be less serious, but they get a lot of attention in newspapers and on television. Many presidents throw the first pitch to begin baseball season. They meet public figures such as U.S. Olympic athletes or give awards to business leaders and artists. The role of president is important because presidents are more than politicians. The president is the symbol of the United States for millions around the world and at home. Education © McGraw-Hill Copyright 2 NAME ________________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________ Reading Essentials and Study Guide Chapter 9 The Presidency Lesson 2 Head of State and Chief Executive, continued Reading Progress Check Determining Importance Why are the president’s ceremonial roles important? Chief Executive Guiding Question How does the president fulfill the role of chief executive? The president leads the executive branch of government. The executive branch carries out the laws that Congress passes and runs the programs Congress creates. These laws and programs include Social Security, taxes, housing, energy, civil rights, health care, education, and the environment. There are more than 150 departments and agencies that are responsible for carrying out the laws. More than 2 million people work for the federal government. They might be FBI agents or air traffic controllers. The president is in charge of these workers and the departments and agencies for which they work. Source of President’s Executive Power The president’s executive power is named in the Constitution, but it does not give much detail about what this power is. Article II, Section 1, simply says that executive power is vested in the president. Section 3 says that the president must make sure the laws are faithfully executed. What does it mean to “faithfully execute” the laws? When Congress passes a law, it is the president’s duty to execute it, or carry it out. Congress cannot put enough details in a law to explain exactly how that law should be carried out. The president must make decisions about how to carry out the law. The president must also work within the limits stated in the law, which is being faithful to the law. A 2012 law ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a way for members of the military on official business to get through airport security faster. The DHS could decide exactly how to screen, or check, members of the military. However, the DHS also had to faithfully execute the law. That means the DHS had to create a system to help military personnel get through faster than the average person. A president’s executive power can be limited when he or she has to faithfully execute the laws. Congress controls the money needed to carry out laws when it authorizes and appropriates funds, or money. The judicial branch also limits the president’s power to carry out laws. Federal courts can decide whether a president’s actions to carry out laws are constitutional. The Appointment Power No president could directly manage the activities of the many agencies in the executive branch. Instead, the president appoints about 2,200 federal officials to run the agencies. The 15 people who will lead the cabinet departments are the most important. The cabinet departments are the main 3 NAME ________________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________ Reading Essentials and Study Guide Chapter 9 The Presidency Lesson 2 Head of State and Chief Executive, continued agencies of the executive branch. Their leaders form the president’s cabinet, or group of advisers. A president can use the power to appoint top officials as a way to influence how laws are put into effect. Presidents appoint officials who share their political beliefs so the officials will help the president succeed. It is important for a president to choose the right people. However, the Senate must approve many key appointments, which limits this power. Presidents can also control the way laws are carried out by firing officials they have appointed. President Nixon fired one of his department leaders for being against his Vietnam policies. However, it can be difficult to remove a popular official who has congressional and public support. The president also appoints all federal judges, including the justices, or judges, of the Supreme Court. The Senate must approve all judicial appointments. Judicial nominations can cause major conflicts between the legislative and executive branches. This is especially true when different political parties control the executive branch and Congress. Presidents can have a strong influence on government and society by choosing justices who have certain views about the Constitution and other issues. Federal judges may hold their positions for life, so the effect of judicial appointments continues long after a president leaves office. Executive Orders Presidents also give executive orders. These are presidential orders that have the force of law without needing congressional approval. The Constitution implies this power because Article II gives the president “executive power.” It also says the president must make sure that the laws are “faithfully executed.” President Dwight Eisenhower used an executive order to put the Arkansas National Guard under federal control. He was forcing the Little Rock, Arkansas public schools to desegregate. A president might give an executive order to describe what federal agencies must do to carry out a law. President Jimmy Carter used an executive order to put thousands of acres of land in Alaska under the control of the National Park Service. Presidents have also used executive orders to make new policy. President Abraham Lincoln gave an executive order known as the Emancipation Proclamation. President Harry Truman used an executive order in 1948 to integrate the military. President Franklin Roosevelt used one to put Japanese Americans in special camps during World War II. Recent presidents have used executive orders to avoid Congress when it would not pass laws on some issues, such as protecting the environment. Presidents cannot give executive orders for anything they want. Executive orders must relate to powers given to the president in the Constitution or by Congress. Presidents usually explain the constitutional or legal basis for their executive orders. The courts give presidents broad limits for orders about foreign policy and the military because of the president’s role as commander in chief. Presidents can easily give executive orders, but later presidents can easily change them. In 1984 President Ronald Reagan gave an executive order limiting federal funds for family-planning groups Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education Education © McGraw-Hill Copyright who performed or supported abortions in other countries.