Executive Branch Flashcards
The executive is…
The head of government that puts laws and programs into effect
In the UK the executive is the…
Prime minister
And in the USA the executive is…
The President
In this essay, the powers of the prime minister focused on is…
The power of appointment, control of government business and representative abroad
The powers of the president focused on are…
The power of appointment, legislative power and representing the USA abroad
This essay argues…
The executive has few limits on its powers in the UK and the US executive has more limits.
Prime minister power of appointment meaning
The prime minister has few limits on the power of appointment in the UK. The prime minister has the power to appoint cabinet members of their choice and will specifically hire people they know will support their policy decisions
Limitation of prime minister of the power of appointment
However over time this power of appointment can prove limiting if the person they appointed becomes more influential and powerful than the Prime Minister themselves
Prime minister’s powers of appointment example
For example, Boris Johnson appointed Rushi Sunak as chancellor in 2019 as he felt he would deliver on his policy ideas
Prime minister power of appointment analysis
This shows the prime minister as the head of the executive has clear power through appointing a chancellor of his choice to guide his economy policy direction
President power of appointment meaning
However, in the USA the president has more limits placed upon the power of appointment that the prime minister does. Whilst the president has complete power over appointing his Vice President and White House staff,
President in power of appointment limitation
He is limited when appointing a Supreme Court justice as it requires 2/3 of senate approval.
President in power of appointment example
For example, in 2016 Barack Obama had his Supreme Court nomination of Marick Garland rejected by the Senate due to him having less than 200 days left as president
President in power of appointment analysis
This suggests that the president is very limited in the power of appointment in Supreme Court nominations, suggesting they’ll only be accepted if there is a senate majority favouring the presidents party
Overall: power of appointment
Overall, the suggestion that the executive has few limits on its powers of appointment is accurate for the prime minister who can generally appoint cabinet ministers of their choice without restriction, unlike the president who especially in the case of Supreme Court justices has limited power due to requiring senate approval on nominations