Presidential Power

The Formal Sources Of Presidential Power: Constitutional And Statutory

The formal powers of the president are constitutional, statutory, or a combination of both. Constitutional powers are derived from the provisions of the Constitution. An example of a constitutional power is the President’s role in the legislative process. After both Houses of Congress enact a law, the President is given the option of signing the law (in which case it goes into effect) or vetoing it. If the President issues a veto, the law is dead unless the House and Senate re-enact it by 2/3rds majorities.  

The Constitution also makes the President Commander in Chief of America’s armed forces. However, Congresses’ control of the federal budget gives them some influence over military operations, and the War Powers Act (enacted in 1974) gives congressional majorities the power to force the President to withdraw American forces from combat. And, while the President can order secret military operations without warning Congress, current law requires the President to promptly inform congressional leadership about these operations.

The Constitution’s vesting clause makes the President the head of government and the head of state. The head of government is the leader of the executive branch, and the head of state is the symbolic and political representative of the country. The constitution also gives the President the administration of the executive branch, which includes the cabinet. The President also has the power to grant pardons.

The President’s statutory powers are derived from laws enacted by Congress. One such presidential power is the ability to issue orders to declassify documents, plans, and other information. Legislation also gives the President the authority to declare national emergencies. This power was used during the COVID pandemic to order national lockdowns and compel protective equipment manufacturers to increase production rates.

Other statutory powers include the implementation of laws, nominations and appointments, and the negotiations of treaties and executive agreements. The President can appoint individuals to about 8,000 positions, including high-level positions like Supreme Court Justices and agency heads. However, many of these appointments require Senate approval. Additionally, in response to the Vietnam War, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973 to limit the President’s power to get the country involved in wars. The President often avoids Senate approval and consent by entering into executive agreements, which do not require Senate approval like a treaty. The President’s statutory power has mostly grown over time, usually because of wars or times of emergency.

What Are Executive Orders?

An executive order is a declaration by the President that has the effect of law. Executive orders enable the President to set policy without going through Congress. However, Congress can reverse an executive order by enacting appropriate legislation.

Most executive orders deal with relatively minor matters, such as allowing federal employees to work a half-day on the day before Christmas. As the figure below shows, all Presidents issue numerous executive orders.

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However, some executive orders implement sweeping policy changes. For example, in 2014, President Obama used an executive order to establish the DACA (Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals) program that allowed undocumented individuals brought to the United States as children by their parents to obtain work permits and freedom from deportation. Similarly, in 2017, President Trump issued an executive order to limit travel to the United States from six predominantly-Muslim countries.

What Are The President’s Informal Or Unwritten Powers?

Although the Constitution sets out the responsibilities of each branch, the ambiguity of the text has allowed for the expansion of presidential powers. For example, the Constitution does not refer to unilateral power. Still, Article II endows the President with “executive power” and the responsibility of ensuring that “laws be faithfully executed.” This vagueness has allowed Presidents to execute unilateral powers in various circumstances.  

The use of unilateral, unwritten powers is not unique to any President. All U.S. Presidents have issued at least one executive order except for William Henry Harrison, who died in office before he could. President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was an executive order that declared all enslaved people free in the rebellious states. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order that forced people of Japanese heritage in the Western states into internment camps during WWII. In 1948, President Truman used executive powers to desegregate the military. The use of unilateral action is not unique to any party either. In recent history, President George W. Bush used an executive order to create the Department of Homeland Security in response to the 9/11 attacks, and as mentioned earlier, President Obama used an executive order to create DACA to protect unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from being deported. President Biden has issued nearly as many executive orders as President Trump had at this point in his presidency.

Similarly, while the President requires the approval of the Senate to enter international treaties, they can unilaterally enter international “agreements” that have arguably the same effect as a treaty. For example, while the United States currently complies with the requirements of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, this treaty has never been submitted to the Senate for approval.  As a result, each new President can decide whether to respect or ignore the agreement.    

What Are The Constraints On Presidential Power?

This brief describes the broad extent of power given to America’s Presidents. However, Presidents are not Kings or Queens. Their authority is limited in multiple ways, from the need for congressional action to implement presidential decisions, the ability of other branches of government to constrain or veto presidential initiatives, and the fact that the President holds their power only after winning an election.

Congressional consent is needed most clearly when a presidential decision requires funding to take effect. A President might commit the United States to land people on Mars, but the program will only come into being if members of Congress enact sufficient funding for it.

Members of Congress can also override presidential vetoes of enacted legislation, as well as the ability to pass resolutions that reverse a President’s executive orders or other unilateral actions. Such events are relatively rare, but that is because Presidents consider how Congress will react to different decisions and generally avoid making decisions that members of Congress will overturn.

Presidential actions can also be overturned by action in the federal courts. For example, in June 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could not end the Obama-era DACA policy mentioned earlier. (For more details, see our policy brief on Judicial Powers linked in the Additional Reading section.)

The final check on presidential action is public opinion. Particularly in their first term, Presidents are keenly aware of the need to maintain and build public support as they seek reelection. In their second terms, public opinion remains important as Presidents work to ensure that their party controls the presidency after their departure.