Balance: The Power Between Congress And The Presidency

The United States government system is for the security and happiness of the people and for the union of this country. The government keeps us safe, and it keeps us free. There are three branches of government: Judicial branch, the legislative branch, and the executive branch. The Supreme Court is head over the judicial branch, Congress is the head of the legislative branch, and the President is the head over the executive branch. Congress makes the laws, the Supreme Court interprets the law and the President enforces the law (house.gov)

The Power and Significance of Congress Firstly it is important to look at the power and significance of congress as a legislative body. This includes the creation of law, and the scrutiny of the executive. Because the US federal system is ruled by 'separation of powers', it is important that the legislative - congress - acts as a good check and restraint on the executive - the president.

The main breaking point between the President and Congress was in the Vietnam war. This war sparked a debate on who has the right to declare war, and who has the right to only send advisory troops. Only Congress has the right to declare war, the President can only send advisory troops to other countries. This is a very controversial topic because many people think that the President can declare war, but they have to ask the Congress first. Another convincing reason on why Congress is more powerful that the President is the fact that Congress can make laws and the President has no say. Laws are the outline of America, and they are the only thing keeping crime from all streets in all states across America. Those are only two reasons why Congress is more important to America than the President. All of these powers are stated in Article 1 of the Constitution and the powers of the President are listed in Article 2 of the Constitution. Some people still disagree, though, they think that the President has more rights than

Being a part of Congress is one of the most powerful political positions in America. Congress is made up of the House of Representative and Senate for a grand total of 535 members. While that may not give give an individual power, it gives the large group so much power to do many things and even override the president on certain occasions. Most decisions they make need a ⅔ vote from the group. Congress many other powers, maybe too much power. Congress has too much power because of its expressed powers, implied/inherent powers, and its “voting powers”.

The relationship between the president and Congress has changed drastically in the past two hundred years. The framers of the constitution did not want an executive power in charge of the whole country in fear of it turning into a monarchy. They knew they needed a leader for America though. The framers did not want political parties. “Political parties established after Washington left the presidency” (Mandate). The relationship between Congress and the president changed in a very visible way. In the past, the president would meet to discuss issues with Congress, but that is not how it is today. Also the president would have to go through congress to pass a bill or an amendment, but presidents found a way around going through congress. The president can sign a bill without congress’s approval. For example, president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln wanted to pass an amendment that would end slavery but Congress said no. Lincoln then did what the people wanted and signed the emancipation proclamation anyways to end slavery. Also known as the thirteenth amendment. Some presidents even put the people in power.

The checks and balances that the founders of our country put into place to limit the power of the executive branch have failed and allowed the Prime Minister to gather unprecedented and unchecked power. There is a need to establish or re-establish effective checks for the prime minister, at different steps along the policy making process. The traditional checks and balances on the executive branch have come from the house of commons, the senate, and the Governor General. These institutions are meant to work together to ensure that the country is being governed fairly and in the name of the people. However, over the last thirty years the power has been moving away from the legislative branch towards the executive. In a system where majority

The Constitutional framers would never have believed how much power the President of the United States has obtained to this present day. Based off their work, it seems as if the framers expected Congress to have the vast majority of power. It is true that Congress still has maintained some of their power; yet, as a collective society we tend to place our sole interest on the president and magnify on all his accomplishments and especially on all his losses (sometimes even blaming him for events that are out of his jurisdiction). Nonetheless, the president has gained quite a remarkable amount of power over the years and it is highly noticeable when analyzing differences in the institutions, the policies, and culturally.

America and its balance of government branches haven’t always been orderly. Under the Articles of Confederation, the legislative branch held an overwhelming amount of power over the two other branches. Not only did this apply to branches, but also between states and localities. At the Constitutional Convention, the Framers examined the need of balance, and with that, separation of powers and checks and balances were formed.

I agree with the statement that the president usurped the power of congress by his actions because he did usurp the power of congress. It may seem the president wields the most power not congress. It was not his job to deal with the immigrants it was congresses job. He overstepped his boundaries in that is wasn’t his place. I think that the president should have let congress do their job. I think that the president was just trying to help. He did go against the constitution so I think that he was way in the wrong.

Congress has the power not only to make its own laws, but to refute the president’s laws if it is deemed necessary and to override presidential vetoes. According to the separation of powers, Congress is the legislative branch. It is the most powerful branch of government because it can control who is in the other two branches. It has the power to impeach members of the other branches. It can also change the judicial branch by changing the size or number of Supreme Court justices in the federal court system and reject nominees for the Supreme Court. “The U.S. Congress is the “first branch” of government under Article I of our Constitution, and is also among the world’s most important representative bodies,” (pg. 186). However, the executive

The President is regarded as the most powerful individual in the United States government nowadays, with powers expressed in the constitution or congressional act, inferred from the constitution, or assumed by himself. While the executive branch appears the most powerful at current times, most framers had thought that legislative branch would possess the most power. In The Federalist No. 51, James Madison expressed his concerns in the inequalities between the three branches; particularly, he stated that, “[i]n republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates”. Most framers did not foresee a future with strong

The three branches of government are supposed to balance each other out equally so none of them has more power than the other. Congress can pass laws, the president can veto, Congress can override a veto, and the Supreme Court can decide whether or not a law is unconstitutional through judicial review. While it all seems to be an equal balance, there has been debate on whether or not the Supreme Court actually has more power over the other branches. Judicial review gives the court the power to override both the president and Congress based on the fact that the court decides if a law is unconstitutional or not. The president can veto Congress, but Congress can counter that by overriding his veto. Once the Supreme court decides whether or not

Currently, the president holds a combination of constitutional powers and statutory powers. Congress on the other hand, acts as the “leash” on the president. Therefore, Congress should be able to implement restrictions and have the power to overturn a presidential order. When it comes to the topic of how much power

There are both similarities and differences, when referring to checks and balances and separation of powers. Both have to do with the Government. But separation of powers is a model of government in which different parts of the government are in charge of different tasks; in the United States, these parts are known as the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. Checks and balances is a means of trying to ensure that these three parts of government stay equal, and that one does not try to take over another.

Congress has helped develop the Presidency as we know it today. This is because Congress argues over proposals and legislation proposed by the President. They are a major determent in whether bills turn into laws. But it’s not easy. One reason for this is because there are many powerful groups out there who argue about what should be discussed such as air pollution with the EPA or jobs.