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By the US Constitution the government of the nation is
entrusted to three separate authorities: the Executive, the
Legislative and the Judicial. The executive power is vested in
the President, who holds his office during the term of four
years, and is elected together with the Vice-President.
Among the duties and powers of the President listed by
the Constitution are the following: the President is Commanderin-Chief of the armed forces, he makes treaties and appoints ambassadors to foreign powers as well as other high officers of the United States. Within his competence is also the
responsibility for taking care that the laws be faithfully
executed. From this one can see that the Constitution gives
the President some measure of control of the military
establishment, imposes upon him a responsibility for foreign
policy and assigns to him the obligation to administer federal
programmes.
The administrative business of the nation is conducted by
Secretaries who form the Cabinet. They are appointed by the
President but their nomination must be confirmed by the
Senate. The Cabinet is a kind of an advisory group to the
President which has developed by custom rather than by the
provisions of the Constitution. The Vice-President likewise
participates in the cabinet meetings. The cabinet members
are: the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the
Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Postmaster
General, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of
Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labour,
and the Secretaries of Health, Education and Welfare. As
chief executive officer, the President can at his discretion
remove any Secretary.
The Executive Office of the President is represented by a
group of agencies. First of all, these are: the White House
Office, the Bureau of the Budget, the National Security Council,
the Central Intelligence Agency, the Council of Economic
Advisers, and the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilisation.
These are not advisory bodies but the bodies which carry out
administrative functions.
The whole legislative power in the USA is vested in the
Congress. There are two chambers in the US Congress: the
Senate and the House of Representatives. Besides the legislative
function the Senate is entrusted with the power of ratifying
or rejecting all treaties made by the President.
Questions:
1. Who is the executive power in the USA vested in?
2. What duties and powers of the President are listed by
the Constitution?
3. Who forms the Cabinet?
4. What is the Cabinet?
5. Who is the Executive Office of the President represented
by?
6. Which bodies carry out administrative functions?
Vocabulary:
to vest in — наделять, облекать
executive power — исполнительная власть
to make treaties — заключать договоры
officer — должностное лицо
chief executive — глава государства
advisory — совещательный
chamber — палата
treaty — договор
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