Do you know the job description of the President of the United States of America? If you were interviewing the person for the job would you know what he is expected to do, once elected by the people. It is your business, who would you want to run it?
Requirements:
The President and Vice-President are the only people elected by all of the people in the entire United States of America. A candidate for President must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born U.S. citizen and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
Terms:
When elected, the President serves a 4 year term, with a maximum of 2 terms. Prior to 1951 the President could serve as many terms as elected, but after Franklin D. Roosevelt died early in his fourth term, the U.S. Senate passed the 22nd Amendment, which limits Presidents to two terms.
The President can be removed from office through the process of impeachment. If the House of Representatives feels the President has committed acts of “Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors” they can impeach him with a majority vote. An impeachment is only a legal indictment, not a conviction. The case then goes to the Senate, overseen by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and if convicted, he is removed from office.
Duties:
The Constitution assigns the following powers to the President:
The President of the United States of America is the head of the U.S. Military. As Commander in Chief, he can authorize the use of troops overseas without declaring war. To declare war officially, he must get the approval of the Congress.
2-Make treaties, with two-thirds consent of the Senate
3-Receive ambassadors and other public ministers from foreign countries
4-Appoint ambassadors, Supreme Court justices, federal judges, and any officials as provided for by the Congress, with the approval of the Senate
5-Give an annual State of the Union Address to Congress:
Each year by the first Monday in February, the sitting President must present to the Congress a proposed spending plan for the Federal Government in the coming fiscal year. The Budget is basically a series of goals with price tags attached and allows the President to provide a suggested spending framework to Congress for use in deciding (1) how much money to spend, (2) what to spend it on, and (3) how to raise the money they have decided to spend.
According to the Constitution, all Federal appropriations much be authorized by Congress. This is a source of great power for Congress known as the “power of the purse”. Once the budget is received by Congress, the House of Representatives work to create a budget resolution, which sets the base line level of spending for the Federal Government. Congress then acts to decide how this level of funding will be dispersed among Federal activities. The online version of the President’s Budget may be found at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget
6-Recommend legislation to Congress:
The President does not have the power to write legislation. Only Congress can do that. The President may recommend law, and then a member of Congress must introduce the bill for consideration. When a bill is passed it is sent to the President and he has three options: approval, veto or doing nothing. When the President signs a bill into law, it immediately goes into effect. When the President vetoes a bill, it does not go into effect, and he returns it to Congress unsigned. He usually sends them an explanation of why he rejected the legislation. Congress can override a Presidential veto with two-thirds of each chamber, but this does not happen very often.
If the President chooses to do nothing with the bill and the Congress is in session ten business days after the President received the bill, the legislation will become a law without the President’s signature. If Congress adjourns within ten business days of giving the bill to the President, the bill dies. The President may only veto a bill in its entirety; he does not have the power of line-item veto. Because of this limitation, the President often compromises and passes a bill that he agrees with, but Congress has attached riders that go against his policy.
7-Convene Congress on extraordinary occasions
8-Adjourn Congress, in cases of a disagreement about adjournment
9-“Take care that the laws be faithfully executed”
10-Fill in administrative vacancies during Congressional recesses
11-Grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the U.S.
Conclusion:
Compromise is a vital aspect to a President’s success in working with Congress and the President relies on the support of the American people to accomplish his goals. The American people are the ultimate authority over the President, the Congress and the Senate. Do your research and decide who you would hire for the position to run your country. Be informed before you vote!
