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3.1 Formal sources of presidential power as outlined in the US…
3.1
Formal sources of presidential power as outlined in the US Constitution and their use
Enumerated powers
: key formal source of presidential power + does not vary between presidents/through time in office
HOWEVER
, although it doesn't vary, the ability for a President to exercise these powers effectively depends on a range of factors (e.g:
popularity
,
control over Congress
,
time in office
, etc.)
^these are
informal sources
of the President's power
Constitution gives
'executive power'
to
'a President'
= means that all other parts of the
executive branch
(i.e: Cabinet, etc.) have limited or no constitutional power
Enumerated powers
execute laws faithfully
power of pardon
veto or sign legislation
commander-in-chief (of army & navy)
State of the Union address(es)
make treaties
appts of federal justices & Cabinet officers
request opinions of heads of exec. depts
recess appts
receive ambassadors
convene or adjourn both houses on
extraordinary
occasions
Informal sources
are proactive - they allow President to act first & then ask for congressional approval
In response, Congress is reactive - require President to bring something to Congress before it can act
Head of State
(see study guide
for examples)
Military:
dealing with foreign affairs (as
commander-in-chief
)
Judicial:
exercising power of pardon
Diplomatic:
receiving ambassadors & making treaties
Ceremonial:
undertaking expected public tasks & duties
Legislative:
giving State of the Union address (list of leg. priorities from President)
Representative:
meeting world leaders, attending summits, responding to national events
Head of Government
(see study guide
for examples)
Executive:
executing laws of Congress through federal bureaucracy/appointing Cabinet members & federal justices
Legislative:
delivering legislative programme at State of the Union address
& signing or vetoing legislation from Congress
Military:
protecting individual states
(
constitutionally,
refers to civil war between states, but now more likely means responding to natural disasters or acts of terrorism)
Role of HoG has more checks than on HoS because Congress' primary concern is
domestic politics
Common for President to rely more on HoS powers (because approval rating tends to fall, making them more reliant on powers that have fewer checks)