The President of the United States is considered the most powerful person in the world. Article II, sections 2 and 3 of the Constitution of the United States, outline the powers and duties of the president. The Constitution designates expressed powers which are established in the language of the Constitution. Expressed powers are the base for the second set of powers. Implied powers are used by the president to execute his expressed powers. The third is the power delegated by Congress to the office of the President.
The expressed powers of the President include military, judicial, diplomatic, executive and legislative. The President is the commander in chief of the United States military and oversees the nation’s intelligence agencies. The office can grant pardons, reprieves, and amnesty as part of its judicial power. Diplomatic powers consist of being the head of state and is our highest representative in dealing with foreign nations. The president is the chief executive according to the Constitution. As part these executive powers, he can enforce laws and appoint executive officers such as federal judges. Another power as chief executive is the executive privilege which allows the president to keep all communication between him and advisors confidential. According to our textbook, the president has two primary legislative powers that make him/her the single most important legislative leader. The first is stated in a portion of Article II, Section 3 of the constitution, which requires the president to inform Congress from time to time of the “state of the union’ and to recommend measures for their consideration. The veto is the second legislative power, according to Article 1, Section 7. The veto affords the president the power to reject acts of Congress, and it would require a two-thirds vote from the house and congress to override a presidential veto. Another is the pocket veto which is when the president doesn’t act on a piece of legislation passed within the final ten days of a legislative session.
The Implied powers consist of legislative initiatives and executive orders. The framers considered initiatives as a critical executive power. The president can propose the legislative agenda to Congress and is depended on to present the public policy by introducing the federal budget. Another option to affect legislation and policy is the executive order or executive memorandum. The President utilizes this power to direct, set systems or reorganizes agencies within the executive branch. Presidential executive orders have gone as far as establishing a new government agency, the EPA.
Many presidential powers are not written in the Constitution but instead are delegated by Congress. According to our textbook, as the government has continued to grow, Congress has voluntarily transferred some of its legislative authority to the executive office. Congress has the power to pass legislation, and the executive branch with all its many departments and agencies is tasked with enforcing them. Congress will pass a broad legislator and then delegate the executive office to regulate the goals or objectives.
The fourth power claimed by the president and is not written in the constitution or any laws is inherent powers. According to our text, these powers are beyond and above powers expressed or implied in the Constitution. These powers are commonly applied during war or a national emergency. Despite Congress having the power to declare war there have been many campaigns ordered by the president. The last war declared by Congress was in 1942. Since then the US has been in conflicts in North Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq without a declaration of war. In 1973, the war powers resolution was passed and was to reestablish congressional power over war. The president was to inform Congress of any planned military operations and must withdraw troops within 60 days without congressional approval. However, the presidents overlook the war power resolution and claim due to inherent power instead. Most recently, presidents have used their inherent power to protect the US domestically and internationally. President Bush declared it after September 11, 2001, to fight the “war on terror” in Afghanistan. President Obama used it to facilitate black operations to kill Bin Laden.
The most important powers of the president are the military and legislative powers. The veto asserts the President with the power to reject acts of Congress. Inherent powers allow the President to facilitate military campaigns without congressional approval. Although there are checks and balances established to counter these powers, such that Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote from both houses and has been done 11 times in history. The second is the war powers resolution passed in 1973 and control of the federal budget. Other checks and balances are the congressional approval of Supreme Court justice appointees as well as cabinet appointees. Per our textbook, the power of the presidency began to change during the “New Deal” era of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In this era, the presidency was more responsible for the states, and Congress was America’s dominant branch. President Roosevelt changed this by “going public.” He began establishing a popular mobilization campaign by speaking to the public directly through the radio. He was also the founder of press relations, which started with biweekly press conferences where he informed the audience of policy issues.
In conclusion, the president is the most powerful person in the world. The Presidency is an institution overseeing thousands of officials and staffers such as the cabinet, the white house staff, independent agencies, government corporations and the executive office of the president. In the nineteenth century, President Roosevelt changed the way the department was perceived by “going public” and mobilizing the public support of his initiatives. Today, “going public online” attracts new people to participate in politics, the platforms make it is easier to mobilize groups to support the Presidents initiatives, and contradict the media directly to the public. The President is the commander in chief of the military forces and in-charge of all national intelligence agencies. Finally, the president is considered the single most crucial legislator with the power to veto acts of Congress.