In what ways does the president seek to enhance their formal powers?
The presidents formal powers are outlined in Article II of the constitution and although the
Constitution grants far fewer explicit powers to the president in Article II than it does to
Congress in Article I, the ambiguity and vagueness of Article II have made it possible for
presidents to expand their authority greatly beyond that specifically listed in the
Constitution. The two passages in the Constitution which have allowed for the president to
expand his powers are Article II, Section 1, which grants “the executive Power” to the
president, and Section 3, which makes the president responsible for the enforcement of
federal laws: “He shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” As a result,
“unofficial” presidential roles have evolved through both history and tradition. Some of the
official and unofficial roles assumed by the president include the following:
The president is Chief of the Federal Bureaucracy. One of the most important administrative
powers of the president is to appoint people to fill high-level positions in the administration.
Article II, Section 2, gives the president the power to select top officials, subject to Senate
approval. The president must also and manage the wide variety of departments and
agencies in the modern bureaucracy, including approximately 2 million employees.
The president is chief diplomat. Although the Constitution does not explicitly grant
presidents the power to recognize foreign governments, it is generally accepted that they
have this power as a result of their constitutional authority to “send and receive
ambassadors”. Presidents over time have successfully gained the the authority to decide
which foreign governments are recognized by the United States. It follows, then, that they
have the power to terminate relations with other nations as well.
The president is Chief of the Party. The president is automatically the chief of his party and
the leader of the political party that controls the executive branch. Political parties are not
mentioned in the Constitution, but they are an important part of presidential governing.
Presidents help members of their party get elected or appointed to office, make campaign
speeches needed for re-election, head fundraising for the party, and select the party’s
national chairperson. The president can alsoo exercise political patronage by rewarding
those who support him and his party during the election, for example with jobs and
contracts.
The president is Commander in Chief. This Reflects the clear consensus at the Constitutional
Convention that the nation’s highest civilian officer should have charge of the military, the
Constitution states that the president “shall be 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.” However, the Constitution does not give the president
complete domination over the war-making function. The power to declare war is reserved
for Congress, as is the ability to raise and maintain an army. Nevertheless, presidential use
of the power to order U.S. forces into combat without a congressional declaration of war
increased greatly during the twentieth century.
The presidents formal powers are outlined in Article II of the constitution and although the
Constitution grants far fewer explicit powers to the president in Article II than it does to
Congress in Article I, the ambiguity and vagueness of Article II have made it possible for
presidents to expand their authority greatly beyond that specifically listed in the
Constitution. The two passages in the Constitution which have allowed for the president to
expand his powers are Article II, Section 1, which grants “the executive Power” to the
president, and Section 3, which makes the president responsible for the enforcement of
federal laws: “He shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” As a result,
“unofficial” presidential roles have evolved through both history and tradition. Some of the
official and unofficial roles assumed by the president include the following:
The president is Chief of the Federal Bureaucracy. One of the most important administrative
powers of the president is to appoint people to fill high-level positions in the administration.
Article II, Section 2, gives the president the power to select top officials, subject to Senate
approval. The president must also and manage the wide variety of departments and
agencies in the modern bureaucracy, including approximately 2 million employees.
The president is chief diplomat. Although the Constitution does not explicitly grant
presidents the power to recognize foreign governments, it is generally accepted that they
have this power as a result of their constitutional authority to “send and receive
ambassadors”. Presidents over time have successfully gained the the authority to decide
which foreign governments are recognized by the United States. It follows, then, that they
have the power to terminate relations with other nations as well.
The president is Chief of the Party. The president is automatically the chief of his party and
the leader of the political party that controls the executive branch. Political parties are not
mentioned in the Constitution, but they are an important part of presidential governing.
Presidents help members of their party get elected or appointed to office, make campaign
speeches needed for re-election, head fundraising for the party, and select the party’s
national chairperson. The president can alsoo exercise political patronage by rewarding
those who support him and his party during the election, for example with jobs and
contracts.
The president is Commander in Chief. This Reflects the clear consensus at the Constitutional
Convention that the nation’s highest civilian officer should have charge of the military, the
Constitution states that the president “shall be 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.” However, the Constitution does not give the president
complete domination over the war-making function. The power to declare war is reserved
for Congress, as is the ability to raise and maintain an army. Nevertheless, presidential use
of the power to order U.S. forces into combat without a congressional declaration of war
increased greatly during the twentieth century.
