Roles of the President

1
Roles of the President

• Chapter 9
• Section 2

2
Section 2
Head of State

• As head of state, the president represents the
  nation and performs many ceremonial roles.

• As a living symbol of the nation, the president
  is not just a single individual, but the
  collective image of the United States.

3
Section 2
Chief Executive

• As the nations chief executive, the president
  sees that the laws of Congress are carried out.

• Presidents have several tools to influence how
  laws are carried out

• executive orders, or rules that have the force of
  law,
• the power to appoint people to important offices
  in the executive branch,

4
Section 2
Chief Executive (cont.)

• the right to fire officials they have appointed,

• impoundment of fundsrefusing to allow a federal
  department or agency to spend money Congress has
  appropriated, and
• the power to appoint officials to the judiciary.

5
Section 2
Chief Executive (cont.)

• The president can also grant reprieves and
  pardons for offenses against the United States.

• A reprieve grants a postponement of legal
  punishment.
• A pardon is a release from legal punishment.

6
Section 2
Chief Executive (cont.)

• The president may grant amnestya group pardon
  to people for an offense against the government,
  often in a military situation.

7
Section 2
Chief Legislator

• Congress expects the executive branch to propose
  legislation it wishes to see enacted.

8
Section 2
Economic Planner

• The Employment Act of 1946 gave new duties to the
  president

• It directed the president to submit an annual
  economic report to Congress.
• It created a Council of Economic Advisers

• The president prepares an annual budget.

9
Section 2
Chief Diplomat

• As chief diplomat, the president has sole power
  to negotiate and sign treatiesformal agreements
  between the governments of two or more countries.

• The president has the authority to make executive
  agreements pacts between the president and the
  head of a foreign government.

10
Section 2
Commander in Chief

• The president shares with Congress the power to
  make war.

• The president is responsible for the key military
  decisions that represent overall policy and
  strategy.
• The president has the authority to order the use
  of nuclear weapons.
• During war, Congress is likely to give the
  president special powers at home as well as
  abroad.