Why is the executive branch important
What Is the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government? | History
- There are three branches
of government in the US.
Legislative, executive,
and judicial. [MUSIC PLAYING]
The president heads the executive branch
and has unique powers, including
executive orders, vetoes, appointing
federal judges, and appointing the heads
of federal agencies, also
known as the president's cabinet.
He also acts as the commander-in-chief
of the military.
The cabinet, itself part
of the executive branch,
also acts as an advisory board
to the president with the chief executive
of each agency mostly known
as the secretary of their department.
But the president doesn't have
absolute power to make
these appointments.
The Senate wants a vote
to confirm the president's
appointees.
One example of the checks and balances
at work.
Cabinet members also make up
part of the presidential line
of succession in the event
that the current president becomes
incapacitated, resigns, dies, or is
removed from office.
First in line is the vice president, then
the speaker of the house,
and then the Senate president
pro tempore.
After that, we start down the line
of cabinet members.
The president also appoints the heads
of more than 50 independent federal
commissions as well as ambassadors
and federal judges.
Of course, those nominees
need to be confirmed by the Senate
as well.
Check and balance.
But the president also
checks Congress.
When Congress enacts bills,
the president either signs
the legislation into law
or rejects it through a veto.
The president also has the power
to pardon and grant clemencies
for federal crimes, except in cases
of impeachment on both the state
and federal level.
In the global sphere, the president
serves as the nation's
representative.
He can negotiate and sign treaties
with another nation, but it only becomes
ratified with the support of 2/3
of the Senate.
The president also has the power
to issue executive orders which allows
him to direct the actions of members
of the executive branch
without it having to be approved
by Congress.
But while Congress has no say when it
comes to executive orders,
the judicial branch, in the form
of the Supreme Court, does
have the power to overturn
an executive order.
But considering how much power
the president is given,
the eligibility requirements
for the office of the presidency
aren't very strict.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The Constitution lists only
three requirements.
The president must be 35 years of age,
a natural born citizen,
and must have lived in the United States
for at least 14 years.
Presidents are limited to two
four-year terms as stipulated
by the 22nd amendment ratified in 1951.
Before that, two terms
was traditionally the limit
until President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt served four.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
In the US, we elect a new president
every four years through a system
called the electoral college.
This means when we go to the polls
to vote for president,
we actually vote for electors
who will cast their vote on our behalf.
While all of these rules
or stipulations may sometimes befuddle
us, they reflect how important
maintaining a balance of power
was to our founding fathers.
So while the president's power
has expanded as the United States has
grown as a force on the world stage,
the judicial and legislative branches
still keep the leader of the free world
in check.
![How Powerful is the Executive Branch? [No. 86]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lJVDidH4Nuw/mqdefault.jpg)
