Executive Power in US Politics

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Executive Power

Executive Power	Example
Executive Orders Directive issued to officers of the executive branch, requiring them to take or stop taking an action, alter policy, change management practices, or accept a delegation of authority Used to be an informal process, but now a proper process Published and numbered in Federal register	Exec. Order 13492 (issued by Obama in 2009 ordering the closure of Guantanamo Bay) Exec. Order 13543 (2010, Obama placed a moratorium on new offshore oil drilling after the 2010 BP oil rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico)
Presidential Memoranda Pronouncement directed to executive branch officials No publication in the federal register Below the radar of media	War powers 15.12.11
Presidential Proclamations States a condition, declares law and requires obedience, or recognises an event (also pardons) Binding on the public Published in the Federal register	Wright Brothers day 15.12.11
National Security Directives Formal declaration to an agency or department head of a presidential national security decision Not published and mostly classified	NSPD-9: Combating Terrorism 25.10.01
Impoundment President refuses to spend funds appropriated by Congress Congress has restricted this practice (1974, 1987) He can only propose to permanently rescind funds, but Congress must approve within 45 days
Signing Statements A written comment issued by a President at the time of signing legislation. Often signing statements merely comment on the bill signed, saying that it is good legislation or meets some pressing needs. Used as de facto line item veto since Reagan, then after line item veto was declared unconstitutional in 1998 (Clinton v city of New York)	Obama's statement on signing American recovery and reinvestment act 2009

Why use executive powers?

⇒ Quick in an emergency situation

⇒ Pay debts to important groups without committing too many resources

⇒ The executive powers don’t attract much attention

⇒ Signing statements prevent vetoes of complex/end of session legislation

Why not use executive powers?

⇒ Contribute to accumulation of power in executive hands

⇒ Makes it more difficult for successors to govern

⇒ Undermine existing administrative law procedures

⇒ Easy for the next administration to undo

Importance of the Vice-President

⇒ 'Balances the ticket' in elections providing experience or expertise

⇒ Taking responsibility in specific areas of policy

⇒ The VP works as an 'attack dog', critiquing opponents more forcefully than the President can

⇒ The VP stands in for the president

⇒ The VP acts as a cheerleader, taking the lead on potentially unpopular policies

⇒ The role of VP reached a new level of importance during the tenure of Dick Cheney, principally because of Bush's relative inexperience in several key areas; Joe Biden had assumed an increasingly high-profile role as VP, but did not match Cheney's influence (Cheney was a key neo-con who pushed for Iraq 2003)