In the past 100 years, the power of the presidency has increased immensely. Many presidents have expanded upon the rights given to the executive branch in the Constitution, usually to push topic and issues important to them. These expansions of power beg the question: Has the presidency become too powerful? This is what I will explore in my essay. I will dive into some specific instances in which the power of the president has been questioned, and explore how the power has grown, and where the executive branch still has limitations on power. The executive power has grown but still is checked by the other branches of government. One specific president that has expanded upon the powers of the executive branch is George Bush. In one of the most …show more content…
Critics argue that to pass a bill, lawmakers must pass through a series of checks and balances created by the Framers, which inhibit efficient policymaking in times of emergency or achieving the President’s agenda. One recent example of this occurred three months ago, with the confirmation of Loretta Lynch as Attorney General. “In the country has been now sitting there longer than the previous seven Attorney General nominees combined. And there’s no reason for it. Nobody can describe a reason for it beyond political gamesmanship in the Senate. On an issue that’s completely unrelated to her. This is the top law enforcement job in the country… And I have to say, that there are times where the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far. This is an example of it. It’s gone to far. Enough. Enough. Call Loretta Lynch for a vote, get her confirmed, put her in place, let her do her job.” (CNN) This quote highlights the mutual frustrations inside of the government regarding the struggle of sharing powers. One would think that one way to remedy this problem would be to concentration more power in the executive branch. This struggle of power is a problem that is found in many countries. Where do you draw the line for executive powers? When does a system become tyrannical? These two questioned were explored by the Framers, and continue to be the point of contentious debate among …show more content…
During 1972, the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel was tapped by burglars hired by none other than Richard Nixon, the president at that time. This secret eventually was released to the general public, who were understandably outraged. Nixon had over-extended his powers of president and had tried to illegally expand upon his control of the government. Congress responded with a swift and decisive response. The House of Representatives created an “Articles of Impeachment” and was set to have him impeached, until he resigned in 1974. “RESOLVED, That the Committee on the Judiciary acting as a whole or by any subcommittee thereof appointed by the Chairman for the purposes hereof and in accordance with the Rules of the Committee, is authorized and directed to investigate fully and completely whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States of America. The committee shall report to the House of Representatives such resolutions, articles of impeachment, or other recommendations as it deems proper.” (Watergate) In this quote, I wanted to show that even when the President tries to expand upon his powers, Congress still has the power to depose a president they feel is unfit. Despite the power-lust of Nixon, Congress ultimately found him violating the laws
Expressed within the US Constitution is Congress' authority to write laws, while the Executive Branch is firmly restricted to enacting the laws. However, in 200 years' time, Executive power has consistently enacted arbitrary laws, and governed with unconstitutional agencies and czars. Greg Abbott's proposed Constitutional amendments recalibrate federal power by banning the executive branch from writing laws. The history of executive overreach is long and illustrious.
In most areas of government, the legislative branch of government lost some of its power in the 20th century. As government expanded, and as the U.S. gained more of a stake in other parts of the world and with the advent of nuclear weapons, there was a need for quicker decision-making. A greater number
The use of these powers determine if the president is going beyond the limits of the office. Many argue that the president has abused these powers with the use of the Unitary Executive Theory, which states that the Constitution puts the president in charge of executing the laws, and that nobody can limit the president’s power when it comes to executive powers. It therefore tips authority from Congress to the presidency, upsetting the power of checks and balances.
Over the years, the United States government has been obligated to face different scandals, some of which have raised concerns as to whether or not government is in fact working in the interest of the people and being respectful of the rights and sovereignty of other nations around the world. Two scandals that shook the foundations of Washington to its core were Watergate and the Iran-Contra Scandal. Looking into the specifics of the methods, i.e. the illegal actions and deceptions, which government officials used in each case to further their agendas, it is possible to see that there was a marked difference. The similarity between both cases, however, was that Congress was deliberately deceived and circumvented by an executive branch that
Each President has experienced these powers in different ways. Some had not used any of the powers given to them, some used them more than they should. Over the past hundred years the ways
However some would argue that Nixon acted appropriately as president to "protect" the nation, but no president is above the law. Overall giving Congress a solid clear reason for Nixon being impeached. President Nixon abused his position of authority by paying several people to breach the DNC in an effort to get information for his benefit. Which one can achieve with the authority of the U.S. president. Being proved when Barabra Jordan states “The evidence reflects the payment to defendants of money.
For who has the most power, I think the Executive Branch has the most power. My first reason for why the President has the most power is because the President can approve and execute the laws that the Congress pass. (Section 2, Article 2). My second reason is that the President can also give a speech to the Congress on the “State of the Union” and recommending the laws that should’ve been passed.(Article 2, Section 3). My last and third reason on why the President has the most power is because he President appoints the heads of all the departments, appoints ambassadors, appoints Federal judges, and also appoints Supreme Court Justices.(Article 2, Section 2).
Impeachment was first used in the British political system in the second half of the 14th century, since then it has been used by many other countries including the United States. The House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach and the Senate has the power to try an impeachment. Both President Johnson and President Clinton were impeached and President Nixon resigned before he could be impeached. Impeachment is a charge of misconduct made against the holder of the public office. The constitution states that a person in power can be impeached for/ conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes of misdemeanors.
Following the ratification of the United States’ Constitution, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison compiled a list of letters to provide more information to the American public. These letters, also known as the Federalist Papers, detail the specifics regarding branches of government, status of citizenship, and the democratic role of the people. Federalist Paper No. 67, titled the Executive Department and written by Alexander Hamilton, focuses on the powers of the executive branch and calms the fears of the doubtful citizens. In addition, it provides information on the executive branch’s responsibilities and ways to increase the overall effectiveness of running an admirable government for the newly-independent United States of America.
“The president 's power is felt all over the world.” No nation is so remote from the U.S. that they can avoid the repercussions of American diplomacy. The president can abuse their powers and it will affect the U.S as well as other countries that associate with us. “The formal powers as listed in the Constitution say little about a modern president 's real power.” Modern presidents have way more power than was is listed in the constitution, they do not have to follow the guidelines completely like past presidents would have had to.
Another power the president has is to veto laws; there is a check afterwards however for congress to override the veto with a two-thirds vote (US Const. Art. II, Sec 2). Also, the addition of the pocket veto was made.-- Because of these checks and balances placed upon the executive branch, the president cannot make illegitimate appointments or treaties without consent of the senate and may have their say on weather a law should not be passed, overruled. Phyllis Naegeli explains that “the president’s powers are limited in the system of checks and balances (“Keeping”).
In other words, Congress grants delegated powers to the president. The Constitution is especially concise when it gets to the heart of the presidency: the powers and duties of the chief executive. It grants the president a limited number of expressed powers, or explicit grants of authority. Because the vagueness of the constitution and because the courts are being biased towards the presidential power, over time the president’s power has evolved into authorities much more powerful than the Framers would have ever imagined.
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS EXECUTIVE POWERS The President of The United States of America (hereinafter referred to as “the President”) is one of the most powerful people in the world. This may be attributed to the executive powers that are vested in him. For the purpose of this paper I will discuss two of his executive powers. First, the President is vested with the power to veto any legislation that he thinks is unfit.
By allowing the judicial branch to interpret the law so that the executive branch can implement and enforce it, the United States government has found a way to combat this issue caused by divided government. Though divided government has been known to create problems, they can be overcome. Solutions such as these can keep the government functioning
As the chief diplomat of the United States, the president is the dominant force in foreign policymaking. The explicit powers of the president granted by the Constitution are all associated with foreign affairs and policymaking in different degree. The president has the highest power compared to any other individual citizen within the nation. Even though Congress does play a rather significant role and does use its powers to assert its role in foreign affairs, the president problematically remains the stronger force. I believe it is necessary for Congress to play a crucial in foreign policymaking in order to prevent the abuse of presidential power which may cause serious consequences for the nation.