The Presidential Powers

The Presidential Powers

In the U.S. government, the President of the United States is given formal powers under the U.S. Constitution (Kerbel). These powers include: appointments, treaties, Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, veto powers, to convene Congress, receive ambassadors, the power to pardon, and executive privilege (Kerbel). This paper will explain what these powers let the president do, and some of the controversies around them. The powers given to the president also let him influence other branches of government, this is called checks and balances.

The power of appointment give the president the power to assign people to different positions in government. This gives him influence in a branch like the judiciary branch, as he assigns people to the Supreme Court and federal court judges. He also appoints people to his cabinet, certain agencies, and other federal positions. In all, the president must appoint more than 6,000 positions, but they must be confirmed by the Senate before placed in office.

The president has the power to negotiate treaties with other countries (Kerbel). This power is given to him under the Treaty Clause in Article II, Section II, Clause II of the US Constitution. This clause states, "[The President] shall have Power, by and with Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur." Congress can also move to change or repeal a treaty if the need arises, this also requires a two- thirds vote to pass.

The president is America's Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. This lets him ,under certain circumstances, to control and direct military operations. The president, however, is not allowed to make war, so he cannot attack for no reason without approval from Congress, but he is allowed to declare war when attacked. A president can declare war in a time of emergency, such as when president Bush declared war against Al Qaeda after 9/11 (Kerbel). A president can be very active in leading the war, such as how President Lincoln lead during the Civil War, or they me just let other military officials direct. The president was given this power because it was thought that we would not be able to wait for a vote from Congress during emergency, as our enemies also would not wait.

Another power granted to the president is the power to veto. This means he can block an act of Congress if he chooses to. The veto is one of the many checks and balances in limiting the power of the different governmental branches. If Congress has a two-thirds majority rule, however, they can bypass the veto and carry on as if nothing happened. The president can use his power of veto to delay a bill from being passed, or to outright stop a bill if Congress cannot come up with a two-thirds majority.

The president has the power to convene Congress. This means he can call Congress to meet at any time (Kerbel). Usually he will try to find a date that the Senate and House of Representatives can agree to meet on. If he cannot get the two houses to agree on a date, he can set a date that they have to attend, and they will be required show meet.

The president also receives ambassadors from other countries, and represents America to other counties. He is responsible for the protection of Americans in foreign countries,