The Duties of the President’s Cabinet
Abstract: This paper will speak to the duties of the cabinet that surrounds the President. In the text I will identify each cabinet position with a brief description of their role and importance to the president. The paper will prove that the president him/herself cannot do this job alone, an example from the Bush administration will also be included following the duties portion of the paper. All in all, the cabinet will be explored with their operational functions in the United States government.
James Castellano
July 14, 2015
Political Science 510
Prof. Grulke
The Presidential Cabinet
The United States of America has the privilege to select a leader and his
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The five most active vice presidents in this regard have been Richard Nixon, Walter Mondale, George Bush, Dan Quayle, and Al Gore.1 although there are a number of reasons for this increased role, 2 an early spark came from the Truman-FDR experience. Vice President Harry S. Truman, who saw FDR only eight times during his vice presidency, was left totally uninformed about the most crucial events facing the world in the final days of World War II, from the development of the atomic bomb to the content of FDR's discussions with Churchill and Stalin” (Kengor …show more content…
His or her position and expertise counterparts with the President to inform him of decisions. Recently, this position has moved into a more important role than it ever did previously. Department of State: presently Secretary John Kerry leads the state department. One of the original cabinet positions, the Secretary of State important for foreign relations. He or she is the main point of contact for foreign issues and first to advise the president of any issues that may occur. “Under the Constitution, the President of the United States determines U.S. foreign policy. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department and the Foreign Service of the United States” (US Department of State 2009). When it comes to handling foreign issues, from treaties to conferences, conflict and resolution, the Secretary of State is the second most important person in regards to gaining and developing foreign relations. It is important to understand this vital role in maintaining peace talks, expanding our trade market, and forming alliances. Though President Washington did not want to be involved with international issues, President Jefferson served as the first Secretary of State implementing the ground rules for this position
Everything the President says is followed closely, at home and in other countries. Some of the roles president does is sign/make treaties, executive agreements, and recognition.
This precedent had great impact in the conduct of the Presidency because it ensured the President would be well-informed on matters which may have been alien to him but were very common among his Cabinet members. The President’s lack of experience was compensated for by having members with past experience in certain affairs updated with the latest in their department. This precedent set by Washington disregarded the President’s own shortcomings to provide the most effective approach when dealing with matters abroad or
The president doesn’t have complete control over foreign policy, so there are cabinet departments, intelligence agencies, congress and the courts, state and local governments, and the military-industrial complex to help out. The department of state engages diplomacy with other nations, the department of diplomacy coordinates the American military around the world, and the department of homeland security deals with natural disasters and protects America from terrorist attacks. State and local governments consult business deals with many foreign governments. The congress has a lot to do
the role is complex and demanding; (b) intuition, (c) individual, (d) short term presidencies, and
The Secretary of State is an official of the Federal Government that heads up the U.S. Department of State. The Secretary of State is appointed by the President, and is the highest ranking appointed executive branch official. A Secretary of State’s main concerns deal with foreign policy, and the position is considered to be the United States successor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs job. The Secretary of State as well as the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, and Attorney General are thought of as the four most important cabinet members. As the highest ranking member of the cabinet, the Secretary of State is the third-highest official of the executive branch of the Federal Government, after the President and Vice President. Six Secretaries of State have gone on to be elected President. The Secretary of State, with the counsel of the Senate, is the President’s main foreign affairs representative. The Secretary of State carries out foreign policies through the Foreign Service and the State Department of the United States. The duties of the Secretary of State in relation to foreign policy hasn’t changed that much since the late 1800s, but they have become much more complex and complicated as international countries evolved and multiplied. The secretary of State has many duties within the inner circle of the President, as The Secretary of State acts as the President 's first adviser on current issues within United States foreign policy. It’s also their job to
The president had quite a role in foreign policies. They were in charge of a nation and had to decide how they would deal with other countries. A major piece of advice to the country about relations with other
As chief Diplomat the president has the power to to make treaties, make executive agreements with foreign nations, and extend or withdraw diplomatic recognition to a nation. This job also requires you to have a foreign policy. Taft’s foreign policy was based on the concept of Dollar Diplomacy. Dollar Diplomacy was to ensure the financial stability of a
The President of the United States (U.S.) as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the head of Government as well, has an enormous responsibility to maintain the balance between politics and security matters. In this regard, the role of advisors and counselors, responsible for directing sensitive security agencies and organizations, is fundamental to the success of the decision-making process, especially when the eyes of the world are expectant of the behavior of such a leading nation. However, nations and organizations are led by imperfect human beings who in turn translate their strengths and weaknesses to such structures. The National Security environment is not strange to this phenomenon and some administrations have had a more prominent
The Joint Chief of Staff has played an integral role in shaping foreign policy in the post-9/11 era. The Joint Chief of Staff offers military advice and strategy to the President, Secretary of Defense, Congress, and the National Security Council. In addition, the staff is compromised of the Secretary Army, Secretary of Navy, and the Secretary of Air Force and led by the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff .
The United States has been at the forefront of international affairs for many years and has gotten to a point where the democratic nation has established a strong political influence, a political presence that sends shockwaves throughout the international arena whenever nations display political indifferences; some of which may involve the United States. If tension were to ever arise between feuding nations, a proficient and skilled leader must take ahold of the matter and find all possible solutions to diffuse the situation in order to protect the public interests of it’s citizens. As a representative of the United States and their international policies, a successful secretary of state must be able to project themselves with an
Current system of the US foreign policy decision making process is best defined by Hilsman’s model. My model aims to offer a different approach to the existing policy making process model. According to my model; the main actor in foreign policy decision making process is the National Security Council (NSC) instead of the President of the United States. By putting the NSC to the center of my model, I aim to balance the president’s seemingly extreme power in the foreign policy making process and prevent the destructive effects of internal conflicts and rivalries among bureaucratic institutions to affect foreign policy decision making process. President’s status is second to the National Security Council, the President’s
In our country, the position we notice more is the President. When being presented in news outlets, the topic of the article that catches everyone’s attention is the President. The President’s role is evident compared to the Vice President. Moreover, during the election process the people cared more about what the views of the new President would be. However, the Vice President’s role is essential when the current President is unable to fulfill their tasks. As a result they’d take control over the current affairs the President was dealing with.
Although it is often said that the President of the United States holds the most powerful office in the world, this does not mean that he is able to decide very much for himself. The American Constitution, which was adapted in 1789, clearly states the Separation of Powers. Thus, the president makes up only one third of the government, namely the executive branch. He is also controlled by a complex system of checks and balances, which makes sure that he (or any of the other branches, for that matter) does not become too powerful. We will now have a look at the different problems which may be facing a recently elected president, and then discuss to what extent his powers are important.
As the commander in chief, the president plays a significant role in shaping foreign policy. The president possesses the power to appoint senior cabinet members, commit troops and conduct high level talks with foreign governments. Congress, on the other hand, has the power to ratify treaties, confirm the president’s appointees and approve budgetary measures. And while the president has the ability to commit troops, only Congress has the authority to declare war. Despite criticisms of the American policy making process describing it as inefficient and slow moving, the main purpose and thus benefit of the constitutional separation of power is the framework of checks and balances that safeguard against monopolization of foreign policy decision making.
The text is founded on the idea that the “President must lead and have influence [and] … the president leads through persuasive communication with the situation in mind.”