Just as the power of the presidency has grown in the recent years so have the numbers of people that surround him in high-level jobs in the executive branch. Today many advisors in the White House Office, the cabinet, and the Executive Office assist the president in his work. The Executive Office consists of agencies that report directly to the president and perform staff services for him. Some agencies are large bureaucracies. The president appoints the top positions, but unlike White House Staff members, these executive offices must be confirmed by the Senate. Some of the Executive Agencies include the Office of Management and Budget, which is the largest office in the EOP and it has the job of preparing the national budget that the president proposes to Congress every year. The OMB also monitors the spending of funds approved by Congress and checks the budgets and records of executive agencies. The National Economic Council helps the president with economic planning. The council consists of 3 leading economies and is assisted by about 60 other economists, attorneys, and political scientists. The NEC is the president’s major source of advice and information about the nation’s economy. The Executive Office of the President was established by FDR to oversee his New Deal programs. It was created to provide the president with a general staff to help him direct the diverse activities of the executive branch. It is a mini bureaucracy of several advisers and offices located in the ornate Executive Office Building as well as in the White House itself, where the president’s closest advisors are often located. The EOP has expanded over time to include several advisory and policy-making agencies and task forces. Over time the units of the EOP have become the prime policy makes in their fields of expertise as they play key roles in advancing the president’s policy preferences. Among the EOP’s most important members are the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of the Vice President, and the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. The National Security Council was established to advise the president on American military affairs and foreign policy. It advises the president on American military affairs and foreign policy. The NSC consists of the president, the vice president, and the secretaries of state and defense. The president’s national security adviser runs the staff of the NSC and also advises the president. The chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of the CIA also participate. Others such as the White House chief of staff and the general counsel may attend. The national security adviser run the staff of the NSC, coordinates information and options, and advises the president. Although the president appoints the members of each of these bodies, they must perform tasks in accordance with congressional legislation. As with the Cabinet, depending on who serves in key positions, their mini agencies may not truly be responsible to the president. Presidents can give clear indications of their policy preferences by the kinds of offices they include in the EOP. The cabinet is the oldest traditional body of the executive branch. Cabinet officers are the heads of 15 major departments. When the Cabinet meets, the secretary of state sits on one side and the secretary of treasury on the other, and so forth down the table so that the newest departments are the farthest away from the president. They are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The most important function of the vice president is to take over the presidency if the president is unable to fill his term. Over recent years, the presidents have given more and more important duties to vice presidents. They often represent the presidents for important ceremonies, sit on boards or lead/participate in projects, advise him on major, sometimes, specialized issues. The vice president is often considered as a presidential candidate when the president’s term expires The First Lady has always assisted presidents as informal adviser while making other, more public, and significant contributions to American society. Often more directly responsible to the president are the members of the White House staff including the personal assistants to the president such as the senior aides, the deputies, assistants with professional duties, and clerical and administrative aides. As personal assistants, these advisers are not subjected to Senate confirmation nor do they have divided loyalties. Their power is derived from their personal relationships to the president, and they no independent legal authority. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the general trend has been for presidential decision making to be more and more important. The start of this trend can be traced to the 4-term presidency of FDR. The growth of presidential power and the growth of the federal government and its programs in general are now criticized by many people. However when FDR took office in the midst of a major crisis, he asked Congress for broad powers. He immediately fashioned a plan for national recovery called the New Deal. He served 12 years in office. During his term, the nation went from economic war of the Great Depression to the real international conflict of WWII. The institution of the presidency changed profoundly and permanently as new federal agencies were created to implement New Deal. Not only did FDR create a new bureaucracy to implement his programs, but he also personalized the presidency by establishing a new relationship between the president and the people. He left the modern presidency including a burgeoning federal bureaucracy, an active and leading role in both domestic and foreign policy and a nationalized executive office that used technology to bring the president closer to the people.
The White House staff is a term applied to the staff working directly for the President as aides, advisors, assistants, etc. The modern presidency has many moving parts and a full range of individuals is needed to help the Chief Executive run the nation on a day-to-day basis. First and foremost, the vice president “sits at the top” of the virtual hierarchy within the Executive Branch; and though considered only a “ceremonial” position by many, it remains an important extension of the Presidency, often balancing the presidential ticket come election time. Recent vice presidents have received more power than the position garnered during its first 200 years of history (i.e. Cheney’s influence in the Bush presidency/Walter Mondale’s office in the White House under Carter administration). Perhaps the most important institution in the Presidency, the Cabinet formed during the Washington Presidency – is a body comprised of appointed executive department heads that serve as advisors to the president. There are 15 department secretaries, with the vice president and any other appointed agency heads also present during Cabinet meetings. The executive department heads are as follows (duties in parentheses): secretary of state (foreign policy and treaty negotiation), secretary of the treasury (government funds, regulation of alcohol/firearms/tobacco), secretary of defense (national defense, comprises Army/Navy/Air Force), attorney general (represents U.S. government in all federal courts, investigates and prosecutes violations of federal law), secretary of the interior (manages nation’s national resources), secretary of agriculture (assists farmers, oversees food-quality programs, food stamps), secretary of commerce (aids businesses and conducts U.S. Census), secretary of labor (runs labor programs, keeps labor statistics), secretary of health and human services (runs health, welfare, and Social Security programs), secretary of housing and urban development (responsible for urban and housing programs), secretary of transportation (responsible for mass transportation and highway programs), secretary of energy (responsible for energy policy and research, including atomic energy), secretary of education (responsible for the federal government’s education programs), secretary of veterans affairs (responsible for programs aiding veterans), and the secretary of homeland security (responsible for all issues pertaining to national security).
These additions to the cabinet, and consequently, the resulting distribution of responsibility in the federal executive branch, have led to a complex set of interactions between the president and his cabinet. In addition, the president’s reliance on department secretaries and other cabinet members has decreased due to its expanded size. Despite this, there are generally a few key members that “have the president’s ear” in the cabinet (e.g. Bobby Kennedy and JFK in the movie “13 Days”). Don’t forget the first lady among all these “important advisors” to the president! The first lady certainly retains a great deal of influence on important issues in the White House, as the wife and partner of the president. They also play an important role in the administration’s public relations and world image, casting their own shadow over the presidency. More recently, Laura Bush focused on improving women’s rights around the globe, while former first ladies such as Eleanor Roosevelt were known for their tireless dedication to their “own half” of the presidency. The Executive Office of the President, established by FDR in 1939, plays an important role in directing the diverse activities of the executive branch. The EOP has grown to include several mainstay advisory and policy-making agencies and task forces such as the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of the Vice President, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The offices of these circles of advisors are located in the Executive Office Building near the White House, or in the White House itself. Generally, the president’s closest staffers and advisors reside in offices adjacent to the Oval Office. In addition, presidents can give clear indications of their policy preferences by the kinds of specialized offices they include in the EOP. Directly responsible to the president are the members of the White House staff: personal assistants to the president, senior aides, clerical and administrative aides, etc. These advisers are “brought in personally” by the president and their only duty is to assist the president in day-to-day affairs. The president’s chief of staff heads up this personal staff, ensuring the smooth daily operation of the executive branch. Other key White House aides include the counselor to the president; domestic, foreign, and economic policy strategists; communications staff; White House counsel; and a lobbyist who acts as a liaison between the president and Congress. Today, the White House staff runs close to 500 members, thanks to the increasing power and demanding nature of the modern presidency. All in all, the cabinet members, vice president, first lady, EOP, and White House staff constitute a large, influential group of advisers/staffers to the president. They have the ability to influence the president on nearly any decision, since they manage every aspect of the president’s daily life/policy-making decisions. Nonetheless, the ultimate to power to decide resides with the president – hence the term “advisors.”
The secretaries of the various cabinet departments are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. They work in their department's building and sometimes become more loyal to their department than the personal wishes of the president. Cabinet departments must be established by Congress.
The White House Staff consists of the president's closest personal advisors. They do NOT require Senate approval. The president can rearrange the White House staff as he prefers.
President Clinton preferred a CIRCULAR model of advisors, lots of people who could contact him directly with ideas.
President Nixon used a PYRAMID model, assistants reported to a chief of staff who filtered information to the president.
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ReplyDeleteJust as the power of the presidency has grown in the recent years so have the numbers of people that surround him in high-level jobs in the executive branch. Today many advisors in the White House Office, the cabinet, and the Executive Office assist the president in his work.
ReplyDeleteThe Executive Office consists of agencies that report directly to the president and perform staff services for him. Some agencies are large bureaucracies. The president appoints the top positions, but unlike White House Staff members, these executive offices must be confirmed by the Senate. Some of the Executive Agencies include
the Office of Management and Budget, which is the largest office in the EOP and it has the job of preparing the national budget that the president proposes to Congress every year. The OMB also monitors the spending of funds approved by Congress and checks the budgets and records of executive agencies. The National Economic Council helps the president with economic planning. The council consists of 3 leading economies and is assisted by about 60 other economists, attorneys, and political scientists. The NEC is the president’s major source of advice and information about the nation’s economy.
The Executive Office of the President was established by FDR to oversee his New Deal programs. It was created to provide the president with a general staff to help him direct the diverse activities of the executive branch. It is a mini bureaucracy of several advisers and offices located in the ornate Executive Office Building as well as in the White House itself, where the president’s closest advisors are often located. The EOP has expanded over time to include several advisory and policy-making agencies and task forces. Over time the units of the EOP have become the prime policy makes in their fields of expertise as they play key roles in advancing the president’s policy preferences. Among the EOP’s most important members are the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of the Vice President, and the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. The National Security Council was established to advise the president on American military affairs and foreign policy. It advises the president on American military affairs and foreign policy. The NSC consists of the president, the vice president, and the secretaries of state and defense. The president’s national security adviser runs the staff of the NSC and also advises the president. The chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of the CIA also participate. Others such as the White House chief of staff and the general counsel may attend. The national security adviser run the staff of the NSC, coordinates information and options, and advises the president. Although the president appoints the members of each of these bodies, they must perform tasks in accordance with congressional legislation. As with the Cabinet, depending on who serves in key positions, their mini agencies may not truly be responsible to the president. Presidents can give clear indications of their policy preferences by the kinds of offices they include in the EOP.
The cabinet is the oldest traditional body of the executive branch. Cabinet officers are the heads of 15 major departments. When the Cabinet meets, the secretary of state sits on one side and the secretary of treasury on the other, and so forth down the table so that the newest departments are the farthest away from the president. They are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The most important function of the vice president is to take over the presidency if the president is unable to fill his term. Over recent years, the presidents have given more and more important duties to vice presidents. They often represent the presidents for important ceremonies, sit on boards or lead/participate in projects, advise him on major, sometimes, specialized issues. The vice president is often considered as a presidential candidate when the president’s term expires
ReplyDeleteThe First Lady has always assisted presidents as informal adviser while making other, more public, and significant contributions to American society.
Often more directly responsible to the president are the members of the White House staff including the personal assistants to the president such as the senior aides, the deputies, assistants with professional duties, and clerical and administrative aides. As personal assistants, these advisers are not subjected to Senate confirmation nor do they have divided loyalties. Their power is derived from their personal relationships to the president, and they no independent legal authority.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, the general trend has been for presidential decision making to be more and more important. The start of this trend can be traced to the 4-term presidency of FDR. The growth of presidential power and the growth of the federal government and its programs in general are now criticized by many people. However when FDR took office in the midst of a major crisis, he asked Congress for broad powers. He immediately fashioned a plan for national recovery called the New Deal. He served 12 years in office. During his term, the nation went from economic war of the Great Depression to the real international conflict of WWII. The institution of the presidency changed profoundly and permanently as new federal agencies were created to implement New Deal. Not only did FDR create a new bureaucracy to implement his programs, but he also personalized the presidency by establishing a new relationship between the president and the people. He left the modern presidency including a burgeoning federal bureaucracy, an active and leading role in both domestic and foreign policy and a nationalized executive office that used technology to bring the president closer to the people.
The White House staff is a term applied to the staff working directly for the President as aides, advisors, assistants, etc. The modern presidency has many moving parts and a full range of individuals is needed to help the Chief Executive run the nation on a day-to-day basis. First and foremost, the vice president “sits at the top” of the virtual hierarchy within the Executive Branch; and though considered only a “ceremonial” position by many, it remains an important extension of the Presidency, often balancing the presidential ticket come election time. Recent vice presidents have received more power than the position garnered during its first 200 years of history (i.e. Cheney’s influence in the Bush presidency/Walter Mondale’s office in the White House under Carter administration). Perhaps the most important institution in the Presidency, the Cabinet formed during the Washington Presidency – is a body comprised of appointed executive department heads that serve as advisors to the president. There are 15 department secretaries, with the vice president and any other appointed agency heads also present during Cabinet meetings. The executive department heads are as follows (duties in parentheses): secretary of state (foreign policy and treaty negotiation), secretary of the treasury (government funds, regulation of alcohol/firearms/tobacco), secretary of defense (national defense, comprises Army/Navy/Air Force), attorney general (represents U.S. government in all federal courts, investigates and prosecutes violations of federal law), secretary of the interior (manages nation’s national resources), secretary of agriculture (assists farmers, oversees food-quality programs, food stamps), secretary of commerce (aids businesses and conducts U.S. Census), secretary of labor (runs labor programs, keeps labor statistics), secretary of health and human services (runs health, welfare, and Social Security programs), secretary of housing and urban development (responsible for urban and housing programs), secretary of transportation (responsible for mass transportation and highway programs), secretary of energy (responsible for energy policy and research, including atomic energy), secretary of education (responsible for the federal government’s education programs), secretary of veterans affairs (responsible for programs aiding veterans), and the secretary of homeland security (responsible for all issues pertaining to national security).
ReplyDeleteThese additions to the cabinet, and consequently, the resulting distribution of responsibility in the federal executive branch, have led to a complex set of interactions between the president and his cabinet. In addition, the president’s reliance on department secretaries and other cabinet members has decreased due to its expanded size. Despite this, there are generally a few key members that “have the president’s ear” in the cabinet (e.g. Bobby Kennedy and JFK in the movie “13 Days”). Don’t forget the first lady among all these “important advisors” to the president! The first lady certainly retains a great deal of influence on important issues in the White House, as the wife and partner of the president. They also play an important role in the administration’s public relations and world image, casting their own shadow over the presidency. More recently, Laura Bush focused on improving women’s rights around the globe, while former first ladies such as Eleanor Roosevelt were known for their tireless dedication to their “own half” of the presidency. The Executive Office of the President, established by FDR in 1939, plays an important role in directing the diverse activities of the executive branch. The EOP has grown to include several mainstay advisory and policy-making agencies and task forces such as the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of the Vice President, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The offices of these circles of advisors are located in the Executive Office Building near the White House, or in the White House itself. Generally, the president’s closest staffers and advisors reside in offices adjacent to the Oval Office. In addition, presidents can give clear indications of their policy preferences by the kinds of specialized offices they include in the EOP. Directly responsible to the president are the members of the White House staff: personal assistants to the president, senior aides, clerical and administrative aides, etc. These advisers are “brought in personally” by the president and their only duty is to assist the president in day-to-day affairs. The president’s chief of staff heads up this personal staff, ensuring the smooth daily operation of the executive branch. Other key White House aides include the counselor to the president; domestic, foreign, and economic policy strategists; communications staff; White House counsel; and a lobbyist who acts as a liaison between the president and Congress. Today, the White House staff runs close to 500 members, thanks to the increasing power and demanding nature of the modern presidency. All in all, the cabinet members, vice president, first lady, EOP, and White House staff constitute a large, influential group of advisers/staffers to the president. They have the ability to influence the president on nearly any decision, since they manage every aspect of the president’s daily life/policy-making decisions. Nonetheless, the ultimate to power to decide resides with the president – hence the term “advisors.”
ReplyDeleteThe secretaries of the various cabinet departments are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. They work in their department's building and sometimes become more loyal to their department than the personal wishes of the president. Cabinet departments must be established by Congress.
ReplyDeleteThe White House Staff consists of the president's closest personal advisors. They do NOT require Senate approval. The president can rearrange the White House staff as he prefers.
President Clinton preferred a CIRCULAR model of advisors, lots of people who could contact him directly with ideas.
President Nixon used a PYRAMID model, assistants reported to a chief of staff who filtered information to the president.