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Dan Park

Mrs. Baumann

AP Government Seminar

Period 1/3

5 March 2014

Unit 5 Essential Questions

How is the Executive Branch organized?

The head of the Executive branch is the President, who also serves as the Commander in Chief ofthe armed forces. The President appoints the Cabinet and oversees the various agencies anddepartments of the federal government, which actually deal with the more specific issues insociety and government.

What are the limits on the powers of the executive branch?

There are many limits on the powers of the executive branch that were created by the authors ofthe Constitution, who implemented a system of checks and balances as they were aware of the

potential for abuse of power of the individual branches. An example of a limit on executivepower would be how although the president has the power to make appointments, including newjustices to the Supreme Court, his choices must be approved by the Senate. Furthermore, the

president cannot introduce a bill into law, though he can exert strong influence over legislativematters. If he chooses to veto a bill he doesn't like, Congress can override his veto with a two-

thirds vote. The House of Representatives can also vote to impeach the president, who is thentried by the Senate which can vote him out of office. When the president negotiates a treaty, he

must wait for Senate approval, and though he may commit troops to foreign conflicts, he mustappear before Congress for an official declaration of war (War Powers Resolution of 1973).

How much power should the president have?

The presidents powers should not exceed that which is given to him in the Constitution. Becauseof checks and balances, the presidents powers shouldnt be greater than that of Congress or the

Supreme Court.

Can and should the federal bureaucracy be changed?

There are ways that the federal bureaucracy can be changed such as giving the president thepower to declare war. Such a change would make the decision making process much faster;

however, it would also unbalance the powers of the 3 branches, causing the Executive Branch tohave more power.

How do bureaucracies implement public policies?

Bureaucracies are involved in translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating,ongoing program. Policy implementation includes the creation of new agencies or assignments ofa new responsibility to an old agency, translation of policy goals into operational rules anddevelopment of guidelines for the program, and the coordination of resources and personnel to

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