Changes

The [[President of the United States of America|president]] is also commander-in-chief of the military.  He controls its operations, and supervises its conflicts with foreign militaries.  After [[Congress]] declares war (and often when it does not), the [[President of the United States of America|president]] assumes the day-to-day responsibility for conducting that war.  [[President of the United States of America|President]] Lyndon Johnson would personally review and make decisions about daily bombing runs in Vietnam. [[President of the United States of America|President]] Lincoln was hiring, firing, and ordering generals during the Civil War.

The [[President of the United States of America|president]] is also commander-in-chief of the military.  He controls its operations, and supervises its conflicts with foreign militaries.  After [[Congress]] declares war (and often when it does not), the [[President of the United States of America|president]] assumes the day-to-day responsibility for conducting that war.  [[President of the United States of America|President]] Lyndon Johnson would personally review and make decisions about daily bombing runs in Vietnam. [[President of the United States of America|President]] Lincoln was hiring, firing, and ordering generals during the Civil War.

More generally, the [[President of the United States of America|president]] is responsible for all foreign policy.  He appoints the ambassadors, and decides what treaties to negotiate and sign.  But 2/3rd approval by the [[United States Senate|Senate]] is required for any treaty to become law.  The North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established so-called “free trade” between the United States and Mexico and Canada.  [[President of the United States of America|President]] [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] bypassed the requirement of [[United States Senate|Senate]] approval by arranging for [[Congress]] to pass the treaty directly into federal law.  Why do you think he did that?  (Answer: it only requires a majority to pass a law rather than 2/3 in the [[United States Senate|Senate]] to ratify a treaty).

More generally, the [[President of the United States of America|president]] is responsible for all foreign policy.  He appoints the ambassadors, and decides what treaties to negotiate and sign.  But 2/3rd approval by the [[United States Senate|Senate]] is required for any treaty to become [[law]].  The North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established so-called “free trade” between the United States and Mexico and Canada.  [[President of the United States of America|President]] [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] bypassed the requirement of [[United States Senate|Senate]] approval by arranging for [[Congress]] to pass the treaty directly into federal [[law]].  Why do you think he did that?  (Answer: it only requires a majority to pass a [[law]] rather than 2/3 in the [[United States Senate|Senate]] to ratify a treaty).

The [[President of the United States of America|president]] also has legislative authority in signing or vetoing new laws.  If the [[President of the United States of America|president’s]] political party is in control of [[Congress]], then he has implicit control over its agenda too.  The [[President of the United States of America|president]] typically submits a budget each year for [[Congress]] to pass in order to pay for the operations of the [[government]] and all its programs.  Typically [[Congress]] will add spending to that budget and include it in one massive bill for the [[President of the United States of America|president]] to sign.  An attempt to give the [[President of the United States of America|president]] “line-item veto” authority to strike out certain spending items was held to be unconstitutional.

The [[President of the United States of America|president]] also has legislative authority in signing or vetoing new [[law]]s.  If the [[President of the United States of America|president’s]] political party is in control of [[Congress]], then he has implicit control over its agenda too.  The [[President of the United States of America|president]] typically submits a budget each year for [[Congress]] to pass in order to pay for the operations of the [[government]] and all its programs.  Typically [[Congress]] will add spending to that budget and include it in one massive bill for the [[President of the United States of America|president]] to sign.  An attempt to give the [[President of the United States of America|president]] “line-item veto” authority to strike out certain spending items was held to be unconstitutional.

The [[President of the United States of America|president]] has influence over trade with foreign countries.  The Commerce Department, created as the Department of Commerce and Labor in 1903 (the Labor Department split off in 1913), is devoted to promoting trade with foreign countries.

The [[President of the United States of America|president]] has influence over trade with foreign countries.  The Commerce Department, created as the Department of Commerce and Labor in 1903 (the Labor Department split off in 1913), is devoted to promoting trade with foreign countries.

Agencies in the Executive Branch handle many types of disputes before they become lawsuits.  The Department of Education hears complaints about violation of federal law in public schools; the Department of Labor hears labor disputes, including alleged discrimination; the Department of Health and Human Services handles the massive federal health care spending.  Each of the 15 federal agencies, including the new Department of Homeland Security, have responsibilities that grow over time.

Agencies in the Executive Branch handle many types of disputes before they become lawsuits.  The Department of Education hears complaints about violation of federal [[law]] in public schools; the Department of Labor hears labor disputes, including alleged discrimination; the Department of Health and Human Services handles the massive federal health care spending.  Each of the 15 federal agencies, including the new Department of Homeland Security, have responsibilities that grow over time.