The President in Office

The President in Office

6. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация: Television contributed greatly to the growth of presidential power in the USA.

а) 1

б) 2

в) 3

г) 4

The President in Office

1. At noon on the January 20th following Election Day, the new President stands on the Capitol steps in Washington, D. C., and takes the Oath of Office. At the moment he takes the oath, he becomes the President of the United States.

The Constitution grants the President enormous powers. Those powers have grown through the years. Today, the President of the United States is the most powerful elected official in the world. As the nation’s Chief Executive, it is the President’s job to make sure all federal laws are enforced. He makes proposals for new laws and urges Congress to act upon them. The President is Commander in Chief of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. He speaks for our country in dealing with foreign nations. The President nominates Supreme Court judges, ambassadors, and other high officials. These nominations must be approved by the majority rule of the Senate.

2. For the same reason, the power to make laws is shared by the President and Congress. When Congress passes a law, the President can either sign it or veto it. His veto kills the law unless Congress re-passes it by a two-thirds vote. Vetoes are seldom overridden.

As leader of his political party, the President has taken on powers not spelled out in the Constitution. For example, most Presidents have enough control within their party to get themselves renominated easily. If a President does not choose to run, he can usually pick a candidate to run in his place.

3. The power of the presidency has also increased because of television. It gives the President the opportunity of reaching tens of millions of people directly in their homes, to ask for their support. When the President greets foreign heads of state in the White House, presents awards or decorations, or talks to the winning coach on the telephone after the Super Bowl, television is there. Newspapers and magazines keep their attention focused on the White House, too. The President is always in the public eye, a big advantage in an election year.

No one person could possibly handle all the President’s duties without help. The Executive Office staff shoulders much of the burden. This staff includes the President’s Chief of Staff and other advisers; his press secretary, speech writers, and social secretaries; his physician and military aides; and the White House maintenance staff. There are also several Executive Agencies that include the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.), and others.

4. Also to assist the President are the heads of 14 executive departments of the government. When these 14 officials meet as a group, they are known as the Cabinet. The Cabinet offices are: Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.