The Executive Flashcards
What was the FF image?
- the president to have a limited role
- mirror personality of George Washington
- non- partisan
- moderate
- second to Congress
Where do presidential powers come from?
- Article II of the constitution
- ‘responsible for the execution and enforcement of laws created by Congress’
What are the qualifications to become President?
- 35yrs+
- a natural born citizen
- lived in USA for 14yrs
What is the Evolution of the Presidency?
- 1800s-1930, Congress dominant, likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
- 20th Century- increase in power, Jackson vetoed more then 6 previous presidents combined, Lincoln in Civil war used emergency powers e.g. s of hbc
1930s- Roosevelt and Wilson turning point, developed President international significance e.g. WW1
What are the Presidents powers a combination of?
Constitutional and Evolutionary powers (e.g. past precedents)
- largely bought by ‘strong’ presidents
Powers
What are enumerated powers?
- powers explicitly granted by the Constitution or given to President by Congress
- e.g. Appointments
What are implied powers?
- implied by the text of the constitution
- e.g. emergency powers
- e.g. Roosevelt suspension of Jap-Amer civil liberties and 120,000 sent to Labour camps
What are inherent powers?
- not given by constitution
- needed to carry out constitutional role of the President
- e.g. Bush post 9/11 terror attacks allowing president to take away civil liberties and torture laws
What are the 5 formal powers of the President?
- Executive Powers
- Influence Legislation
- Appointment
- Foreign Policy
- Pardons
Explain Executive Powers
- are chief executive of the federal government
- control 15 reps in federal bureaucracy
- prepare annual budget in Office of Management and budget
- e.g. Trumps largest one ever $4.8 trillion 2024
- e.g. But Congress have power of the purse to pass it
Explain Influencing Legislation
- Section III allows them to do this
- propose it at annual State of the Union Address
- GW only proposed 3
- Roosevelt proposed many, instigator of Modern Presidency
- sign bills, veto bills, leave on desk, pocket veto (veto overturned 2/3)
- Vetos- Trump 10 times, Obama 12
Explain Appointments
- over 4000 positions in federal gov
- employ SC justices, e.g. Obama and Merrick Garland
- appoint top diplomatic representatives
Explain Foreign Policy
- commander in Chief of US military
- e.g. Clinton in Kosovo, Obama in Syria, Obama drone strikes in Somalia, Bush in Iraq
- must inform Congress of action of military action
- e.g. 1973 War Powers Act, cannot start war, but can use drone and plane strikes
Explain Pardons
- excusing citizens or officials of scrutiny or judicial consequence
- e.g. Nixon Watergate scandal bugging Democrat campaign and pardoned by Gerald Ford
- e.g. Trump pardoned chief strategist and 143 people
** Informal Powers**
What are the 7 informal Powers?
- The power to persuade
- Deal Making
- Setting the Agenda
- De Facto Party Leader
- World Leader
- Direct authority
- Bureaucratic power
What is the Power to Persuade?
- Professor Richard Newstadt, ‘presidential power is the power to persuade’
- use personal influence, authority and political capital
- use phone calls, offer support for a campaign
- must have good relations with VP
- unified gov, means president has greater accessibility to persuasion (e.g. Obama president support score of 96.7% in 2009)
What is deal making?
- deals with Congress(wo)men to achieve aims
- Donald Trump Partisan deal to pass 2018 First Step Act
- Grid lock can happen without deal making, e.g. Trumps budgets caused 35 day GL
Gives concessions to opposing party for further support
What is setting the agenda?
- they command media support
- Trump used controversial tweets to set agenda
- described democrats as ‘socialist’
- 2019 ‘The Squad’ ‘fix the crime infested countries they came from’
- Trump
What is de facto party leader?
- direct ideology and direction the party is going
- head of party in practice
- helpful with a unified gov, can influence and pass legislation
e.g. not always, Trump 2017 both houses were republican, and Affordable Care Act was not overturned on his demand
What is the belief as the US President as ‘world leader’?
- USA, most powerful liberal democracy and superpower
- President ‘leader of the free world’
- dominate global institutions, UN, NATO, WTO
- importance e.g. Post-9/11 Bush’s ‘War on Terror’
- Obama lead on 2015 Paris Agreement
- IMPACT OF TRUMP: withdrew Paris agreement, Pandemic + WHO relationship
What is ‘direct authority’ and the stretching of implied powers?
- means official orders given without Congress
- largely stared by F.D. Roosevelt
What are some examples of this direct authority?
- Executive Orders
- Signing Statements
- Executive Agreements
- Memoranda
- Proclamation
- National security directives
- Impoundent
Describe Executive Orders:
- Official order made to federal gov
EXAMPLES - F.D. Roosevelt 3721
- G.W. Bush for anti terrorist measures
- Biden 2024 on school shooter drills + serial numbers on guns
- Trump issued 3x of Obama
IMPACT - can only be challenged by courts
- similar to UK statutory instruments
Describe signing statements:
- Can comment on a bill they are signing
- can be positive
- can say aspects are unconstitutional
EXAMPLE - Trump criticised 2017 bill imposing Russia, Iran and North Korea sanctions
Describe executive agreements:
- between USA and other international govs
- do not require senate ratification
- easier to remove then a ratified treaty
EXAMPLE - Trump withdrew US from Iran Nuclear deal
- Biden signed 57, Trump 716
- PG ABA ‘undermines rule of law and our constitutional role of seperating of powers’
Describe a Memoranda:
- addresses a state official
- clarifies powers of that official
- not published in federal register
EXAMPLES - Biden on Foreign Assistance Act 1961
Describe a Proclamation:
- states a condition, law, recognises an event/pardons
- binding on public
EXAMPLES - Obama recognising pride month
- Biden or Minority Enterprise Development Week 2024
Describe National Security Directives:
- on issues of national security
- highly classified so not published
Describe Impoundment:
- Where president refuses to spend funds
BUT - Congress restrained this Practice in 1974in ‘Impoundment Control Act’ and again in 1978
- now, can only deter spending for ‘special contingency’ and needs Congress approval
OTHER EXAMPLE - ‘Line item veto act’ where Presidents can partially cross out some of a bill was struck down. By SC in 1998
What is bureaucratic power of the executive branch?
- In charge if EXOP (executive office of the President)
- created by F.D. Roosevelt
- collection of offices providing policy advise and administrative support
ROLES - run federal gov
- develop policy
- communicate with public + Congress
- promote their agenda
- negotiate trade deals
What are the the Strengths and Limitations of Executive Powers?
Strengths:
- quick in emergency situation
- not much attention
- signing statements encourage consensus, and less complex vetos
Limitations:
- accumulation of power in executive hands
- difficult for successors to then govern
- undermines existing legislative process
- closed policy making, less checks and balances
Checks and balances by Congress on the President: to restrain powers
What are the 8 main checks and balances?
- Amending, delaying or rejecting presidential legislation
- Overriding a presidential veto
- The power of the Purse
- Confirmation of Presidential Appointments
- Ratification of Treaties
- Power to Declare War
- Investigation
- Impeachment and trial of the President
How can Congress amend, delay or rejecting presidential legislation presidential legislation?
- Pr cant pass without Congress, even with public support
EXAMPLE - 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary Obama plans for stricter gun laws not fulfilled
- this check less effective in unified gov
EXAMPLE - Obama 2009-2010 had both houses, 2010 midterms changed this
How can Congress override a presidential veto?
- 2/3 supermajority needed in both houses
EXAMPLES - Congress only overrided one of Obamas, Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act
- Trump only had 1 veto over tuned, on anual spending
How can Congress excerise power of the purse?
- Congress must pass the federal budget
- to pass budject, Congress(wo)men can ask for concessions
- can lead to gov shutdown if not passed
EXAMPLE - Trump 2017 £1.4 million gridlock
How does Congress confirm presidential appointments?
- SENATE ONLY
- they confirm over 1000
- need simple majority (51-49)
- so pr must make sensible appointments
- Senate has only ever rejected 9 cabinet nominees and 11 SC judges
- Hundreds more are just withdrawn, to avoid rejection
- most useful in times of a unified gov
EXAMPLE - Merrick Garland 2016 by Obama