Ford Dbq

into one of the twelve statutory exceptions. This act was popular amongst citizens because it gave them a sense of security, they felt as though they were more protected from unjust activity. Ford’s main focus was battling inflation and unemployment. He had originally planned on increasing taxes and cutting government spending, which would stop inflation from increasing. However, his plans changed, in an attempt to lower the unemployment rates, Ford proposed tax cuts and the limitation of government spending. In acts like the Tax Reduction Act of 1975, Ford cut taxes by nearly 23 billion dollars. Even though the tax cut may have been relieving to the citizens, it led to an economic recession. The government spending, tax cuts, and the unemployment
Initially, the only difference was Ford’s nomination of Nelson Rockefeller as vice president. Rockefeller’s nomination came in a similar means as Ford's had, Ford needed someone that both the senate and house would approve of. A combination of being wealthy, and having been a successful governor of New York, put him in a good spot for approval, not to mention his family names. Both of his grandfathers were two of the most influential men in United States’ history, one being John D. Rockefeller, founder of the Standard Oil company, and the other being Nelson Aldrich, one of the most powerful senators of all time. Other than Ford's new vice president, Nixon's cabinet remained untouched until what is considered the “Sunday Morning Massacre.” This massacre, also known as the “Halloween Massacre,” occurred on November 4, 1975, it involved the replacement of all but three of Nixon's appointed cabinet members. The three members Ford kept included; Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon, and Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz. The sudden replacements were an attempt to set himself up to beat his future Republican Party opponent, Ronald Reagan, for the candidacy spot in the 1976 election. Ford forged his cabinet into a political powerhouse, appointing many people that continued to serve as political figures after Ford’s presidency. Amongst these influential cabinet members were; Donald Rumsfeld as the Secretary of Defense, Eliot Richardson as Secretary of Commerce, future president, George H.W. Bush as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), White House Chief of Staff, Dick Cheney, and Edward Levi as Attorney