Presidential Powers When the Framers

Presidential Powers

When the framers of the constitution delineated the powers of the executive branch in article II of the famous document, they could not have imagined the role that international relations of the 20th century would thrust the President of the United States into playing. Their mindset upon structuring the office was one of caution when it came to handing over too much power to a single executive. The hard lessons of the reign of King George III and the bitter reminders of the Revolutionary War made them wary of investing too much power in the branch, yet there were some carefully defined formal powers of the office. Over the years, the formal powers have remained the same, but there has been an expansion of informal powers as a result of custom, tradition, and the changing international demands of a nation that has become a superpower.

The formal powers of the executive as listed in Article II of the Constitution fall into several major categories. These categories include executive, legislative, diplomatic, military, and judicial powers. The executive powers give the president the ability to enforce laws, treaties, and court decisions; issue executive orders; appoint and remove officials in the federal bureaucracy; and preside over the Cabinet. Legislative powers include the power to issue the State of the Union address; issue annual budget and economic reports; sign and veto bills; propose legislation; and call special sessions of Congress. As the nation's chief diplomat, the president can appoint ambassadors, make treaties and executive agreements with other nations, and offer or withhold diplomatic recognition to other countries. Presidential military powers include acting as commander in chief of the armed forces and ensuring domestic order. Formal judicial powers of the president are to appoint members of the federal judiciary such as Supreme Court members, and grant reprieves, pardons, and amnesty to accused criminals (Turner, Switzer, & Redden, 1996, p. 320).

These many formal powers delineated by Article II of the Constitution are complemented by informal powers that the President of the United States has typically enjoyed. These informal powers include symbolic roles such as lighting the national Christmas tree, handing out military awards and honors, and acting as head of state in meeting with foreign dignitaries. Presidents also fulfill the role of leader of their political party. Although this power is not mentioned in the Constitution, presidents represent the best interests of their party and work to make sure that members of their political party get elected to positions within the government.