Checking The Powers Of The President Essay

Assess the effectiveness of Congress and the Supreme Court in checking the powers of the President
The President of the United States of America has many powers. However, through congress and the Supreme Court the powers of the President are checked. This is to make the US a more fair and democratic country and to ensure one person does not hold all the power. This essay will access the effectiveness of Congress and the Supreme Court in checking the powers of the president. One power the President has is commander in chief. The president is commander in chief of the armed forced and is charged with the defence of the USA. The President has the power to order the use of troops overseas without actually declaring war. For example, in 2002
Bush deployed troops on Warships of the coast of Iraq. However, the declare war officially the President must get the approval of Congress. This is an example on how Congress can check and in some ways limit the power of the President. However, the way in which congress must approve the war before the US can officially declare war has mixed success.
For example when Bush had troops stationed of the coast of Iraq Congress still had to approve the war but by the time the media had caught hold of Bush’s plan so the War was inevitable. The President also has the power to make treaties with other nations but the treaty must be approved by the senate before it becomes official. The president of the USA also has the power to propose legislation. In January at the start of the Congress session the president tells both houses what the main problems are and how he is planning on addressing these issues. He will tell congress what actions he and his administration are planning on taking over the next year to sort out America’s issues. However, the President cannot introduce Bills directly; a member of congress must submit the bill on behalf of the President. Congress has the power to filibuster. Filibustering, also known as talking out a bill is when congress talk at length and debate for a very long time to stop a Bill preceding to the next stage. This is another method congress uses just to limit the power of the President slightly. Congress also has the power to propose
Bills. When this happens the role of the President and Congress switch, Congress needs the approval of the President. However, the President has the power to veto Bills from congress. Congress can overturn the vetoes made by the president but this is unlikely in reality. The president is responsible for the executive part of the US government. This means the President has to carry out the laws passed by the legislative part of Government. In order to fulfil this task the President appoints the heads of each executive branch department such as the secretary of Education. For example, President Bush appointed fifteen secretaries, each of whom runs a government department. The president also has the power to appoint ambassadors and Supreme Court judges. One way the Congress and Senate can check or limit the power of the President is by impeaching the president. Impeachment is used when the President is accused of acting wrongly or irresponsibly and he is consequently removed from office. Another way the power of the President can be checked is the system of election. The president is elected for one term, 4 year, and the president can only stay in office for a maximum of two terms. Therefore there is a time limit on the amount of power the President can have. The president must face election 4 years after getting into office so he must be aware of the wished of the electorate or he will not be re-elected. In conclusion, there are many ways the power of the President can be checked by Congress or the senate. These checks are very useful because if they were not in place the USA would be run by just one man. Having these checks in place makes the US a more democratic country and they make sure the US is not run by a dictator.