January 31, 2017

THE BASICSTopic: The President’s Cabinet

Articles “Trump Memorandum on Organization of National Security Council” (1/28) (VOA) “Senate confirms Haley as U.S. ambassador to the UN” (1/24) (Fox News) “The Donald Trump Cabinet Tracker” (1/24) (The Atlantic) “Hispanic leaders decry lack of Latinos in Trump’s Cabinet” (1/23) (Las Vegas Review Journal) “Trump’s nominees face ethics, divestment challenges” (1/20) (The Center for Public Integrity) “Donald Trump’s Cabinet is complete: No Latinos for the first time since 1989” (1/19) (Los

Angeles Times)

Questions to Consider What is a “Cabinet”? How did the President’s advisors get the name Cabinet? Why doesn’t the Constitution specifically mention the Cabinet? Why does the Senate approve Cabinet positions? Is this approval a critical piece of shared

powers? Why is an ethics investigation included in confirmation hearings for prospective Cabinet Officers? What is the number of votes needed for confirmation? Is the vote margin on approval of Cabinet

nominees from the full Senate significant? Is a filibuster possible? Why or why not? Which Cabinet members are most important and why? What is the order of Presidential

succession? How does it show the relative importance of the Cabinet members? Would you place the Secretary of State in the top position in the Cabinet? Why or why not?

How do Cabinets reflect the priorities of the President? How have the Cabinets increased in modern times? Which departments are most controversial,

most influential? Is there a preferred size for a full functioning Cabinet? Might the advising the President role interfere with the management of a department role?

Why does the speed of confirmation matter to an incoming President?

Which Cabinet member might you eliminate? Which Cabinet member would you add? How significant is diversity in the Cabinet? How does the professional bureaucracy who serves under each Cabinet officer affect the

business of the Cabinet? Should a Cabinet member disagree with the President’s policies? How do the confirmation hearings reflect the values of the nominee, Senate Committees, the

American people, the media? What did the confirmation hearing of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as Ambassador

to the United Nations tell us about President Trump’s choices? What did her overwhelming approval tell us? Is her nomination a contrast with other nominations? Why or why not?

How does the choice for Secretary of Education outline policies that will impact teachers and students? How important is experience for the head of an agency?

THE EXTRASPre-teaching, Extensions & Further Reading

“Pros and Cons of Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks” (procon.org) “Cabinet Members” (Mt. Vernon) “#AskCo kie: How Cabinet Members Get Confirmed” (1/25) (WOSU radio) “Roadblocks to the White House: 4 key times presidential nominees failed to gain Senate

confirmation” (1/14) (Salon)

Lesson Plans “Advising the President: A Simulated Cabinet Meeting” (Bob O’Connor, Gahr High School) “A Very Big Branch” (iCivics) “Taking a Peek in the Cabinet” (The Learning Network) “If I Were a Member of the President’s Cabinet” (Newspaper in Education, The Washington Post) “The President’s Cabinet” (Congress for Kids)

What’s the Connection? Constitutional

“Cabinet” (wikipedia)Oregon

“Oregon lawmakers rally to oppose Trump education pick Betsy DeVos” (1/27) (The Oregonian) “Neil Goldschmidt” (Wikipedia)

Students “Donald Trump’s Cabinet Choices Stumble By” (opinion) (1/18) (The NY Times)

Oregon State Social Science Standards8.26. Examine a controversial event, issue, or problem from more than one perspective. HS.33. Explain the role of government in various current events.HS.35. Examine the pluralistic realities of society (e.g., race, poverty, gender, and age), recognizing issues of equity, and evaluating need for change. HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.HS.60. Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon from varied or opposing perspectives or points of view.

CCSS Anchor Standards2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

We the People Lesson ConnectionsMiddle School, Level 2

Unit 3, Lesson 16: How much power should be given to the executive and judicial branches?

Unit 6, Lesson 30: How might citizens participate in civic affairs? High School, Level 3

Unit 4, Lesson 21: What is the role of Congress in American constitutional democracy? Unit 4, Lesson 23: What is the role of the President in the American constitutional

system? Unit 6, Lesson 34: What is the importance of civic engagement to American

Constitutional Democracy?