The Executive Branch

The Constitution says that the United States must have a President and a Vice President. These two people, and the people who work for them, belong to the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. It is the duty of the President of the United States to run the Federal Government and to see that the laws of our nation are carried out.

The President is the highest representative of the people of our nation. The Presidential Seal has fifty stars surrounding it to show that the President represents all United States citizens. He or she must focus on the welfare of the entire nation, not just the people in one state or district like senators and representatives.


The President

  • Represents our country in discussions with other nations.
  • Leads our nation in times of war.
  • Makes suggestions to Congress about laws.
  • Writes the budget but must get Congress to approve it.
  • Works closely with Congress to get laws passed or rejected.

The President has a critical role in the nation. If a President dies or is in some other way unable to carry out his or her job, the Vice President becomes the new President of the United States.

The President chooses people to help him or her. Some of these are on the President’s personal staff, like the press secretary, speechwriters, and policy aides. Others are the heads of executive (Cabinet) departments. Others are heads of White House Offices and Agencies.


The White House Website

Click on the button below to view the website of the White House. Explore some of the Offices and Agencies to learn more.
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Duties of:

  • The President is both the head of state and head of government of the United States of America and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
  • Under Article II of the Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress. Fifteen executive departments — each led by an appointed member of the President’s Cabinet — carry out the day-to-day administration of the federal government. They are joined in this by other executive agencies such as the CIA and Environmental Protection Agency, the heads of which are not part of the Cabinet, but who are under the full authority of the President. The President also appoints the heads of more than 50 independent federal commissions, such as the Federal Reserve Board or the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as Federal Judges, ambassadors, and other Federal Offices. The Executive Office of the President (EOP) consists of the immediate staff to the President, along with entities such as the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
  • The President has the power either to sign legislation into law or to veto bills enacted by Congress, although Congress may override a veto with a two-thirds vote of both houses. The Executive Branch conducts diplomacy with other nations and the President has the power to negotiate and sign treaties, which the Senate ratifies. The President can issue executive orders, which direct executive officers or clarify and further existing laws. The President also has the power to extend pardons and clemencies for federal crimes.
  • With these powers come several responsibilities, among them a constitutional requirement to “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
  • President Joseph R. Biden is the 46th President of the United States. He is, however, only the 45th person ever to serve as President; President Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and thus is recognized as both the 22nd and the 24th President. Today, the President is limited to two four-year terms, but until the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1951, a President could serve an unlimited number of terms. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected President four times, serving from 1932 until his death in 1945; he is the only President ever to have served more than two terms.
  • By tradition, the President and the First Family live in the White House in Washington, D.C., also the location of the President’s Oval Office and the offices of his or her senior staff. When the President travels by plane, his or her aircraft is designated Air Force One; the President may also use a Marine Corps helicopter, known as Marine One while the President is on board. For ground travel, the President uses an armored Presidential Limousine.

  • The primary responsibility of the Vice President is to be the President of the Senate.
  • The Vice President of the United States is to be ready at a moment’s notice to assume the Presidency if the President is unable to perform his or her duties. This can be because of the President’s death, resignation, or temporary incapacitation, or if the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet judge that the President is no longer able to discharge the duties of the presidency.
  • The Vice President is elected along with the President by the Electoral College. Each elector casts one vote for President and another for Vice President. Before the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, electors only voted for President, and the person who received the second greatest number of votes became Vice President.
  • The Vice President also serves as the President of the United States Senate, where he or she casts the deciding vote in the case of a tie.
  • Kamala D. Harris is the 49th Vice President of the United States. She is the first woman and first woman of color to be elected to this position. The duties of the Vice President, outside of those enumerated in the Constitution, are at the discretion of the current President. Each Vice President approaches the role differently — some take on a specific policy portfolio, others serve simply as a top advisor to the President. Of the 48 previous Vice Presidents, nine have succeeded to the Presidency, and five have been elected to the Presidency in their own right.
  • The Vice President has an office in the West Wing of the White House, as well as in the nearby Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Like the President, he or she also maintains an official residence at the United States Naval Observatory in Northwest Washington, D.C. This peaceful mansion has been the official home of the Vice President since 1974 — previously, Vice Presidents had lived in their own private residences. The Vice President also has his or her own limousine, operated by the United States Secret Service, and flies on the same aircraft the President uses — but when the Vice President is aboard, the crafts are referred to as Air Force Two and Marine Two.

  • Every day, The President of the United States is faced with scores of decisions, many of which have important consequences for America’s future. To provide the President with the support that he or she needs to govern effectively, the Executive Office of the President (EOP) was created in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The EOP has responsibility for tasks ranging from communicating the President’s message to the American people to promoting our trade interests abroad.
  • The EOP, overseen by the White House Chief of Staff, has traditionally been home to many of the President’s closest advisers. While Senate confirmation is required for some advisers, such as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, most are appointed with full Presidential discretion. The individual offices that these advisors oversee have grown in size and number since the EOP was created. Some were formed by Congress, others as the Presidents have needed them — they are constantly shifting as each President identifies his or her needs and priorities. Perhaps the most visible parts of the EOP are the White House Communications Office and Press Secretary’s Office. The Press Secretary provides daily briefings for the media on the President’s activities and agenda. Less visible to most Americans is the National Security Council, which advises the President on foreign policy, intelligence, and national security.

  • The Cabinet is an advisory body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments. Appointed by the President the members of the Cabinet can be the President’s closest confidants. In addition to running major federal agencies, they play an important role in the Presidential line of succession — after the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and Senate President pro tempore, the line of succession continues with the Cabinet offices in the order in which the departments were created. All the members of the Cabinet take the title Secretary, except the head of the Justice Department, who is styled Attorney General.