Pow er s ( that infl uence dom estic an d for eign policy) . - bad use . - good use
Veto – an expressed power. Bush only had 4/12 vetoes overturned. Trump
signed a $1.3t spending bill just hours after threatening to veto it on Twitter
W r ite B udget – an expressed power. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act
and the budget proposals to fund the expansion of health care were part of a
broader effort to address health care reform. President Donald Trump’s initial
budget proposals often featured large tax cuts and military spending increases,
but many of the proposals faced significant opposition from Congress, leading to
little to no success in implementation.
Sign in g a bill – an expressed power. Biden signs Infrastructure Investment and
Jobs Act in 2021 in a ceremony outside the White House. Trump signs Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act in 2017 alone in the Oval Office – rushed nature
Executive Or der – an implied power. In 2020, Biden used order 13990 to
cancel key stone pipeline and 100 other environmental actions of Trump.Obama
said “I’ve got a pen and a phone, and I can use that pen to sign executive
orders”- easily overturned
Take No Action – A president has 10 days to decide what they are going to do
with a bill. If during those 10 days Congress goes into recess, then the bill dies.
State of the Un ion – This is an annual legislative request from the President to
Congress, from which Congress can decide which legislatives requests to ignore,
pass or debate. An example in Obamas presidency was the Don't ask, Don't tell
repeal act being signed, which was a request in his SotU. However, the request on
immigration reform in 2016 was a failure, and Obama had to rely on executive
orders for this to be passed. It all depends on the mandate of the President.
Appoin tm ents – the president has the power to appoint around 4,000 officials,
with roughly 1,200 needing Senate approval. This includes their cabinet, which
today includes the heads of 15 executive departments and other officials as the
president wishes, which are often symbolic of areas that the President feels needs
to most attention.
Execu tive pow er s
, Executive or der s – these are directions to the federal bureaucracy telling them
how a law, either new or existing, should be carried out. They are instructions to
federal departments and agencies regarding the enforcement of legislation and
they cannot be used to create legislation. for example, President Obama in 2009
used the executive order #13,491 to ensure lawful interrogations, essentially
banning torture.
Com m an der in Chief – the president It's constitutionally the head of the Army
and Navy. However, only Congress can declare war. With the development of new
weaponry, particularly nuclear weapons, Congress has tried to regain control in
this area, passing the War Powers Act in 1973. This act has been widely
interpreted as unconstitutional by presidents and their unwillingness to adhere to
it has not been challenged.
Make Tr eaties - Formal treaties such as the new Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty in 2010, require negotiation by the President and 2/3 vote of approval in
the Senate. Executive agreements are like treaties; however, they do not need
Senate approval, and they are often seen as a way of getting around the
constitutional difficulties of gaining Senate approval. For example, President
Obama negotiated the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change by executive
agreement.
Receive Am bassador s – the president receives ambassadors to the USA from
foreign nations. They can choose not to, which shows the president uses this
power to recognize nations and decide with whom the USA is prepared to work
with, which has great influence on foreign policy.
Gr an t r epr ieves an d par don s - the president has the right to pardon people,
meaning they can forgive them for a federal crime. Anything that cannot be
pardoned is impeachment, which explains why president Nixon resigned over the
water get to fair as to avoid impeachment proceedings and therefore he was able
to be pardoned by successor, President Ford. President Trump pardoned over
1500 people for their connection to the January 6 coup. There are no checks on
this power.
Con vene special sessions of Con gr ess - the president has the power to call a
special session of Congress. While rarely used today, it has notable use in the
past, with the entirety of Congress convened on 27 occasions and the Senate
alone convened a further 46 times. For the Senate, most of these sessions have
been related to its unique powers, such as a president needing a senate to confirm
a cabinet nominee or treaty.