Multiple Choice
Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
|
|
|
Who Are the Cabinet
Members?
The president
appoints the heads of the executive departments, thereby appointing the cabinet members.
Each
of these appointments is subject to confirmation by the Senate . The cabinet is viewed as part of the
president's official "family," and the Senate gives the president considerable freedom
in selecting cabinet members. Rejections have been rare . Out of hundreds of such appointments, only
a few have been turned down.
Presidents choose cabinet members for several reasons . Political
party affiliation plays an obvious role . Republican presidents usually choose Republicans, and
Democrats usually choose Democrats. Usually, presidents award a few cabinet posts to important party
members who supported their presidential campaigns
The president also tries to balance the
nominees geographically according to their backgrounds. For example, the secretary of the interior is
usually someone from a western state who has experience dealing with land policy and conservation
issues . This is because of the large store of natural resources in the West and federal ownership of
large portions of western land. The secretary of housing and urban development is usually some one
with an urban background. The secretary of agriculture is usually from one of the farming states
.
Presidents sometimes take into account the desires of interest groups that are affected by a
cabinet department's policies . For example, the secretary of labor is generally someone
acceptable to labor unions. The secretary of the treasury could be a well-known banker or someone
with close ties to the financial community.
Recent presidents have also considered gender,
race, ethnic backgrounds, and other personal characteristics when choosing department heads. Public
pressure has forced presidents to try to create a cabinet that reflects the ethnic and cultural
diversity of the nation.
By custom, cabinet members resign after a new president is elected .
In this way, the new president can create a new cabinet.
|
|
|
1.
|
Who must confirm the
President’s Cabinet appointments before they can take office?
a. | Entire
Congress | c. | House of
Representatives | b. | FBI | d. | Senate |
|
|
|
2.
|
Which Statement is true about
Cabinet appointments
a. | the president usually picks people
from his own party | c. | the President
usually picks people from the opposition party | b. | the President usually picks people from both
parties | d. | political party plays no role in the selection of the
Presidents Cabinet |
|
|
|
3.
|
The desires of interest groups
and cultural diversity are factors that the President takes into consideration when choosing a
cabinet
|
|
|
The Role of the
Cabinet
The cabinet has no
power as a body. The president alone determines the extent of the cabinet's power and influence.
Presidents are not required by law even to form a cabinet or to hold regular meetings. Therefore,
meetings may be held frequently or infrequently, depending on the individual president. Meetings are
held in the Cabinet Room of the White House and are usually closed to the public and the media.
Frequently, they are attended by other government officials, such as the director of the Office of
Management and Budget.
Changing Roles
Presidents have never been obliged to
follow the advice of their cabinets . How much presidents use the cabinet as a whole is strictly up
to them. Some presidents, such as George Washington, James Buchanan, and Dwight Eisenhower, relied on
their cabinets often for advice and assistance. Other presidents relied on their cabinets very
little. On one famous occasion, when President Abraham Lincoln convened his cabinet to read them the
draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, he started off by saying: "I have gotten you together to
hear what I have written down. I do not wish your advice about the matter, for that I have determined
myself." On another occasion, Lincoln is reported to have rejected a unanimous negative vote of
his cabinet, saying, "seven nays, one aye-the ayes have it." Lincoln's vote was, of
course, the one aye (or "yes" vote) . Woodrow Wilson went even further-he held no cabinet
meetings at all during World War 1 (1914-1918) .
Other presidents have bypassed their official
cabinet altogether and have relied on informal groups of political friends for advice. Andrew
Jackson, for example, began meeting with a small group of friends and minor government officials to
discuss important matters . Because they often met in the White House kitchen, they came to be called
the kitchen cabinet. Franklin Roosevelt created a famous group of advisers called the "brain
trust." These business executives, professors, research specialists, and other special advisers,
including- the chief justice of the Supreme Court, helped him construct many of the New
Deal programs of the 1930s.
Some recent presidents have tried to make effective use of the
cabinet as an advisory body. Usually, such attempts have failed. Most recent presidents have tended
to seek advice from a very select number of individuals outside the cabinet .
|
|
|
4.
|
Which statement is
true
a. | The Department heads have the final
say in matters that concern their departments | c. | If enough Department heads agree they can over-ride the President on
policy | b. | The President takes advice from the Department heads but he has the final say
on policy | d. | Congress alone determines executive
department policy |
|
|
|
The Executive Office of the
President
The EOP is made
up of the top advisers and assistants who help the president carry out major duties . Over the years,
the executive office has changed according to the needs and leadership styles of the presidents. It
has become an increasingly influential and important part of presidential government.
White House Office
Of all the executive staff agencies in the EOP, the White
House Office has the most direct contact with the president. The White House Office consists of the
president's key aides, whom the president sees daily, as well as several hundred professional
and clerical staff members. The most important advisers occupy the West Wing, where the
president's Oval Office and the Cabinet Room are located . (Some staff members work in the East
Wing as well.)
The Staff
The White House Office is led by the chief of staff,
who advises the president on important matters and directs the operations of the presidential staff.
The chief of staff, who is often a close personal friend of the president, has been one of the most
influential of the presidential aides in recent years.
A number of other top officials,
assistants, and special assistants to the president also aid in areas such as national security, the
economy, and political affairs. A press secretary meets with reporters and makes public statements
for the president. The counsel to the president serves as the White House lawyer and handles the
president's legal matters. The White House staff also includes speechwriters, researchers, the
president's physician, the director of the staff for the first lady, and a correspondence
secretary. Altogether, over four hundred men and women work in the White House Office and make up the
White House staff.
|
|
|
5.
|
The Executive Office of the
President is made up of the top advisors to the president
|
|
|
6.
|
Who has the closest daily
contact with the president?
a. | the
Congress | c. | the
EOP | b. | his Cabinet | d. | his political party |
|
|
|
7.
|
The Executive Office of the
President usually occupies the
a. | Old White House Office
Building | c. | the Left Wing of
the White House | b. | the basement of the White House | d. | the West Wing of the White House |
|
|
|
Duties of White House Staff
The White House staff has
several duties . First, the staff investigates and analyzes problems that require the
president's attention. Staff members who are specialists in a specific area, such as diplomatic
relations or foreign trade, gather information for the president and suggest solutions. White House
staff members also screen the questions, issues, and problems that people present to the president,
so matters that can be handled by other officials do not reach the president's desk. The staff
provides public relations support as well. For example, the press staff handles the president's
relations with the White House press corps and sets up press conferences. Finally, the White House
staff makes sure the president's decisions are carried out. Several staff members are usually
assigned to work directly with members of Congress for this purpose.
|
|
|
8.
|
The White House
Staff
a. | screen the questions, issues, and
problems that people present to the president | d. | investigates and analyzes problems that require the president's
attention | b. | makes sure the president's decisions are carried
out | e. | does all of these | c. | gather information for the president and suggest
solutions |
|
|
|
Office of Management and
Budget
The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) was originally called the Bureau of the Budget . Under recent presidents,
the OMB has become an important and influential unit of the executive office. The main function of
the OMB is to assist the president in preparing the proposed annual budget, which the president must
submit to Congress in January of each year. The fiscal year (official accounting period) for the
national government runs from October 1 to September 30.
The budget of the national
government lists the revenues and expenditures expected for the coming year. It indicates which
programs the national government will pay for and how much they will cost. Thus, the budget is an
annual statement of the public policies of the United States translated into dollars and cents.
Making changes in the budget is a key way for presidents to try to influence the direction and
policies of the government.
Preparing the budget is a long, complicated process similar to the
process of preparing a budget for a business firm or municipal government. First, each government
agency estimates the amount of funds it needs for the coming year. Then, the OMB sets objectives for
each federal program. It reviews all estimates at a series of budget hearings. At the hearings,
agencies must defend their dollar requests. The figures for each department are then revised and
fitted into the president's overall program. They become part of the budget document the chief
executive submits to Congress . After the budgets of the various agencies have been resolved, the
next step is to work to get the administration budget passed by Congress, which has budget proposals
of its own.
The president appoints the director of the OMB with the consent of the Senate .
The director of the OMB has become at least as important as cabinet members and is often included in
cabinet meetings . He or she oversees the OMB's work and argues the administration's
position before Congress . The director also lobbies members of Congress to support the
president's budget or to accept key features of it. Once the budget is approved by Congress, the
OMB has the responsibility of putting it into practice. It oversees the execution of the budget,
checking the federal agencies to ensure that they use funds efficiently.
Beyond its budget
duties, the OMB also reviews new bills prepared by the executive branch. It checks these bills to be
certain that they agree with the president's own positions .
|
|
|
9.
|
What does the Office of
Management and Budget do (OMB)
a. | budget the supplies and finances for
running the White House | c. | approve the final
budget bill that is passed by Congress. OMB must approve the bill. | b. | prepare a budget for the United States and advise the
President on budgetary matters | d. | all of these |
|
|
|
10.
|
The Director of the OMB Office
Management and Budget
a. | is part of the official Presidential
Cabinet | c. | is a member of the
House Budget Committee | b. | is not part of the Cabinet but is often included in
meetings | d. | is a member of the Senate Budget
Committee |
|
Matching
|
|
|
The
Cabinet
The cabinet is an
advisory group chosen by the president to help accomplish the work of the executive branch. Although
the cabinet is not mentioned in the Constitution, every president has had one. The cabinet has
evolved since 1789, when Congress set up four executive departments. President George Washington met
regularly on policy matters with Thomas Jefferson, head of the State Department; Henry Knox, head of
the War Department; Alexander Hamilton, head of the Treasury Department; and Edmund Randolph, head of
the office of the attorney general (which later became the justice Department) . Newspaper writers of
the day called this group Washington's "cabinet ." Every president since Washington
has relied to some degree on the advice and work of the cabinet .
Today, the cabinet is made
up of the heads of the fifteen executive departments, the vice president, and other key officials
chosen by the president . The fifteen departments of the executive branch
are: a. | State | i. | Interior | b. | Treasury | j. | Agriculture | c. | Defense | k. | Education | d. | Commerce | l. | Energy | e. | Labor | m. | Transportation | f. | Health and Human Services | n. | Veterans Affairs | g. | Housing and Urban Development | o. | Homeland Security | h. | Justice |
|
|
|
11.
|
Trade relations and policy
with other countries
|
|
|
12.
|
In charge of the National
Parks like Yellowstone
|
|
|
13.
|
Tracks terrorists and guards
against acts of terrorism against the U.S.
|
|
|
14.
|
Responsible for our dealings
with foreign countries
|
|
|
15.
|
Looks out for the well being
of former servicemen and women
|
|
|
16.
|
Relationships with unions and
other workers
|
|
|
17.
|
Prosecutes criminals and
enforces federal law. In charge of the FBI
|
|
|
18.
|
No Child Left Behind Act
|
|
|
19.
|
The nations airlines, trains,
busses and trucking
|
|
|
20.
|
Responsible for the money
supply. Also responsible for the Coast Guard
|
|
|
21.
|
Provides low cost loans for
low income people to purchase homes in cities
|
|
|
22.
|
Supplies of oil, electricity,
nuclear power plants
|
|
|
23.
|
In charge of the Armed forces
and planning for war
|
|
|
24.
|
Makes sure drug supplies are
pure. General well being of the people
|
|
|
25.
|
Farming policy - looks out for
the interests of farmers
|
|
|
a. | National Security
Council | e. | Office of
Science and Technology | b. | Office of Administration | f. | Council on Environmental Quality | c. | Council of Economic
Advisers | g. | Office of National Drug Control
Policy | d. | Office of the U.S. Trade Representative | h. | Office of Policy Development |
|
|
|
26.
|
establishes and carries out
U.S. trade policy. The trade representative, appointed by the president and approved by the Senate,
speaks for the United States at international trade meetings and directs negotiations and trade
agreements with foreign governments.
|
|
|
27.
|
advises the president on
domestic policy matters, such as trade, energy, housing, and farming. The office studies the
nation's needs and makes domestic policy suggestions to the president. Once the policies have
been formed, this office helps the president put the government's programs into
effect.
|
|
|
28.
|
Office of Administration
|
|
|
29.
|
was created in 1947 to provide
advice on and managerial assistance with matters concerning American military and foreign policy, as
well as national security. The members are the president, the vice president, and the secretaries of
state and defense. An adviser appointed by the president directs the staff . The director of the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have also become
members. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group made up of the commanding officers of the four branches
of the armed services, plus a chairperson
|
|
|
30.
|
was created in 1969 to assist
the president with matters of environmental policy. It studies government programs designed to
protect the environment and helps the president to prepare a yearly report on the environment to
Congress . The council is made up of three members appointed by the president with Senate approval
yearly report on the environment to Congress . The council is made up of three members appointed by
the president with Senate approval yearly report on the environment to Congress . The council is made
up of three members appointed by the president with Senate approval
|
|
|
31.
|
advises the president on
scientific, engineering, and other technological matters that have a bearing on national policies and
programs . It reviews the national government's contributions to science and technology. The
director, chosen by the president with Senate approval, is drawn from the nation's scientific
community.
|
|
|
32.
|
was created by Congress in
1946 to advise the president on economic matters . It analyzes the national economy, advises the
president on how the economy is doing, and recommends measures to maintain economic stability in the
nation. The council also helps the president prepare the annual Economic Report of the President. The
council usually includes three leading economists, appointed by the president with the consent of the
Senate, and a small staff of persons who prepare statistics.
|
|
|
33.
|
was established in 1989. The
director is appointed by the president with Senate approval and is regularly identified by the press
as the nation's "drug czar." The office is responsible for drafting continuing plans
to wage the national government's war on drugs. It also coordinates the efforts of the more than
fifty federal agencies that deal with drug control
|