The executive branch of the Unites States government consists of the President, Vice President, Executive Office of the President (EOP), and the Cabinet (Citation). The President is the highest official of the Executive branch. The powers of the President are wide-ranging and highly substantial but were also drafted in the constitution to be limited by the other two branches of government. The remaining branches of government are the Legislative branch and the Judicial branch. There functions of all the branches are interrelated and the restraints on the amount of power each reserves are also coordinated. This correlation involves the system of checks and balances which was implemented by the framers of the Constitution. The President, as the highest ranking official in the Executive branch was appointed ample duties such as, Commander in Chief of the armed forces, the power to appoint federal court judges, and other top officials (with Senate approval) as well as, ensure that the laws of Congress are faithfully executed among others (U.S. Constitution, 1788). Once the President is elected, they assume the role of Commander in Chief as they take office. Along with this position, perhaps the most authoritative power is command and operation of the armed forces however, the power to declare war lies conclusively on Congress. Essentially, the President is trusted to defend the nation from attacks or threats and as stated in the Constitution, to maintain the peace of the Unites States The original drafters of the Constitution illustrated the subject of war as a dual power divided amongst the President and Congress. First the President, under the clause to defend the nation, can act and essentially wage war, but not without the cons... ... middle of paper ... ...opular politically around the nation, or the globe, there is also a better opportunity for a good relationship with Congress. Our current President Barack Obama is an exceptional speaker and has won over many people with his orations. However, the people of the United States have high standards for the President and expected him to deliver in such a short amount of time. Since, he has not been in office very long, naturally, he is unable to deliver everything everyone exceeds from him. Especially, in the state the former President left the nation. I believe Barack Obama is one of the few Presidents who genuinely governs for the working class American and most of the officials in Congress do not agree with his decisions. Although most members of Congress are democrats, they are still representing their own states and they each practice democracy at different levels.
The President of the United States is instrumental in the running of the country. He serves as the chief executive, chief diplomat, commander in chief, chief legislator, chief of state, judicial powers, and head of party. Article II of the Constitution states that the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress. He also is tasked with the authority to appoint fifteen leaders of the executive departments which will be a part of the President’s cabinet. He or she is also responsible for speaking with the leaders the CIA and other agencies that are not part of his cabinet because these agencies play a key role in the protection of the US. The President also appoints the heads of more than 50 independent
As the President of the United States, a president have powers that other members of the government do not. Presidential power can be defined in numerous ways. Political scientists Richard Neustadt and William Howell give different views on what is presidential power. These polarized views of presidential powers can be used to compare and contrast the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Congress has the power to declare war and raise and support the armed forces (Article I, Section 8), while the president is the Commander in Chief (Article II, Section 2) (War Powers Resolution, Wikimedia). It is generally agreed that the Commander in Chief role gives the president power to repel attacks against the United States and makes him responsible for leading the armed forces. During the Korean and Vietnam wars, the United States found itself involved for many years in undeclared wars (War Powers Resolution, Wikimedia). Many members of Congress became concerned with the erosion of congressional authority to decide when the United States should become involved in a war or the use of armed forces that might lead to war. The Senate and the House of Representatives achieved the 2/3 majority required to pass this joint resolution over President Nixon s veto on November 7, 1973.
Congress also has the ‘power of the purse’ which can control the Presidents war makings, but again this as not always been effective. Article II of the constitution states that, ‘The president shall from
(Sell Lecture Notes, p.6) Congress shares responsibility with the president in declaring war, negotiating treaties with other countries and proving funds for soldiers and weapons. This is when conflicts come to head. The Vietnam War is a perfect example of this conflict, when the President waged war without a formal declaration of war from Congress. Because of this Congress then passed the War Powers Act in 1973. (Sell Lecture Notes, p.2) The Presidency has many responsibilities and powers.
President Obama was no different. Five weeks after the election, President Obama met with his economic and political advisors that presented him with their reports of the rapidly deteriorating economic conditions and their plan to hinder the economy from collapsing. President Obama delegated the legislative work to party members and committees because, as a former legislator, he believed that giving Congress discretion in writing the bill would contribute to its enactment (Wayne, 2013). “In general, crises, when they first occur, enhance opportunities for presidential leadership” Stephen J. Wayne stated in Rivals of Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations. “Members of Congress, much like the general public, look to the president and rally behind him” (Wayne, 2013). At first, president Obama hit the ground running after he won the election, and immediately started to figure out with his advisors on how to get the United States back on its feet again. And Congress members look up to the president just as much as American citizens do when the United States faces a crisis. Which in turn can boost the president’s and Congress’ relationship to American citizens. However, Obama’s operating style spawned criticism from both the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats companied that he did not give much support for their
From the inception of the Constitution, there has always been a power struggle between the President and Congress. In the beginning, Madison and the Jeffersonians were placed in a gridlock with Hamilton and his school of political philosophy. Andrew Jackson fought to extend the powers of the President, then Congress spent 50 years fighting to repeal the powers of the Executive. Abraham Lincoln refined Jacksonian presidential politics, then Congress impeached his successor, Andrew Johnson, for fear of another quasi -- tyrannical President. Even today, a Congress, whose majority is of the same party as the President, fights 24 hours a day to check the power of President George W. Bush. But why, and how? Inherent Power Struggles Within the Constitution: Article I, Section I -- "All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives" VS. Article II, Section I -- "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America" Article II, Section II -- "The President shall be the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States" - The Founders' ambiguous and contradicting language sets the stage for a power struggle between the Executive and the Legislative branches - Being that the Founders were political masterminds, they realized that unique circumstances would demand some deviations from the restraints that the Constitution places on both the Executive and the Legislature - Founders anticipated that during times of crisis', the nation would need ...
War-making powers were given to Congress to prevent a single person from being able to declare war. The president needed continuous approval from Congress before doing anything regarding foreign policy. Escaping from the rigid monarchy of George III ensured that the settlers would avoid giving one entity the power to make such influential decisions. However, presidents increasingly started and carried out unauthorized wars, such as President Polk and Mexico. This “emergency prerogative” was and continues to be abused to it’s fullest extent. It allows the president to ignore the Constitution by declaring a state of emergency. Granted, many of these decisions were very crucial to national safety and there are times where presidents have used the prerogative to push their own objectives forward without having to explain themselves. As a result, the military expenses by presidential action have consumed more than half of the budget. Schlesinger has written that even the CIA is not under the control of Congress, “fewer than a dozen members of Congress have any idea how much money the CIA spends each year, and probably none of them has much of an idea what the agency actually does with that money” said Representative Findley in 1973. This lack of regulation from Congress shows that it is not only the fault of the president for their abuses of power, it is also the responsibility of Congress to enforce their own rules
The president has a significant amount of power; however, this power is not unlimited, as it is kept in check by both the judicial and legislative branches. The president is held responsible for passing legislation that will improve the lives of everyday Americans, even though he shares his legislative powers with Congress. The sharing of power acts as an impediment to the president’s ability to pass legislation quickly and in the form it was originally conceived. However, Americans do not take this into account when judging a president, as they fully expect him to fulfill all of the promises he makes during his campaign. By making promises to pass monumental legislation once elected without mentioning that Congress stands as an obstacle that must be hurdled first, the president creates unrealistic expectations of what he can fulfill during his time in office (Jenkins-Smith, Silva, and Waterman, 2005). A president is expected to have the characteristics that will allow him to efficiently and effectively lead the nation and to accomplish the goals he set during his campaign (Jenkins-Smith et al., 2005). There have been a handful of presidents that have been immortalized as the ideal person to lead the United States and if a president does not live up to these lofty expectations the American public will inevitably be disappointed. Since every president is expected to accomplish great things during his presidency, he is forced to created and project a favorable image through unrealistic promises. The combination of preconceived ideas of the perfect president and the various promises made by presidential candidates during their campaign create unrealistic expectations of the president by the American public.
The division of power is one of the most often cited principles of our constitutional system. For example, in terms of foreign policy, the Senate must provide advice and consent to the president when making treaties and appointments. Conversely, the constitution grants Congress the authority to declare war and provide the military funding while the President acts as the commander in chief of the armed forces. This sharing of power creates friction between the executive and legislative branches when they are in disagreement and “is an invitation to struggle for the privilege of directing American foreign policy”.
As the president is the head of the executive branch, he has the authority to make policy changes that would make a significant impact on society. One example of this would be the time when “…. President Obama signed an order barring federal contractors from retaliating against employees who disclose their salaries as a measure to help close the pay gap between men and women” (Bianco & Canon, 2015). Additionally, because of these powers, the president may not have the power to declare war. This is important because the War Powers Act was put in place. In order to properly declare war, the president has to first identify a clear and imminent threat and he has 60 days to move troops into an
The primary constitutional conflict between the Congress and the President over the decision to go to war can be traced back to the constitution. First, the American constitution divides the control of the military between the executive and the legislative branches. While the Congress has the role of providing common defense and the power to declare war, the President is the commander in chief of armed forces. The conflict exists between the two branches because there is no sole agreement on who is the actual one to declare war. Even though the President may be the commander in chief, he would have to refer to the Congress to officially declare to the world that the United States is at war. Due to such discrepancy, presidents have tested their war power numerous times and Congress also has devised a law to curb such power of the presidents as well.
The Executive branch is all under the President's command, he is the one in charge of the final decisions. The Executive may veto the bill, all the hard work from the rest of the branches for the Executive to deny the bill. It also enforces laws which can be a major responsibility. It can also negotiate foreign treaties with other countries, in other words they inform and talk to other countries about what is happening. The President appoints the federal judge and this judge has his job for life or until he resigns.
The Role of the Executive Branch The Constitution declares that the executive power shall reside in the president and mentions “executive departments,” but it does not go into detail about the structure or organization of the president’s branch of government (Pfiffner, James 118). The Constitution grants the president limited powers, which is a good thing because we’re not looking for an authoritarian leader to run our country. In this paper I will discuss the powers of the executive branch, how he faithfully executes laws, and what powers the president has that is associated with his branch. Article II Section I of the United States Constitution states, “The executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States of America.” The president has many roles and performs many duties.
The executive branch includes the head of government/head of state and their cabinet. As the leader of the state, the executive is considered the “top-tier of government.” Their job is to be the political leader of a country. In the case of