The chief executive of the United States is the president, who together with the vice president is elected to a four-year term. As a result of a constitutional amendment that went into effect in 1951, a president may be elected to only two terms. Other than succeeding a president who dies or is disabled, the vice president's only official duty is presiding over the Senate. The vice president may vote in the Senate only to break a tie.
The president's powers are formidable but not unlimited. As the chief formulator of national policy, the president proposes legislation to Congress. The president may veto any bill passed by Congress. The president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president has the authority to appoint federal judges as vacancies occur, including justices of the Supreme Court. As head of his political party, with ready access to the news media, the president can easily influence public opinion.
Within the executive branch, the president has broad powers to issue regulations and directives carrying out the work of the federal government's departments and agencies. The president appoints the heads and senior officials of those departments and agencies. Heads of the major departments, called "secretaries," are part of the president's cabinet. The majority of federal workers, however, are selected on the basis of merit, not politics.
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- The 2009 U.S. Presidential Inauguration eJournal USA
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- Executive Branch
- Executive Branch Reorganization and Management Initiatives: A Brief Overview - CRS Report
- The Executive Office of the President: An Historical Overview - CRS Report
- Our American Government- US House of Representatives, Committee on House Administration
- U.S. Government Manual
- Center for the Study of the Presidency
- Federal Government Resources: Executive Branch University of Michigan
- Legislative Powers of the President
- Order of Succession
- Presidential Libraries National Archives
- The President of the United States
- The President's Budget
- Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
- Presidents of the United States
- Requirements and Terms to become President
- U.S. Government Manual
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
- Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia
- The Executive Branch The White House
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- U.S. Postal Service
- Voice of America
[Last Updated: 10/20/2010]