Select one of the formal or informal powers of the U.S. President from your text or the lists below. Explain how your selected power has played a role in expanding the powers of the modern presidency. Use one specific example of presidential actions.
Examples of formal powers granted to the president by the Constitution are:
Commanding the military.
Appointing Supreme Court justices and cabinet heads.
Vetoing legislation.
Examples of the president’s informal powers are:
Issuing executive orders.
Negotiating executive agreements.
Claiming executive privilege.
Full Answer Section
The power to issue executive orders is a powerful tool that can be used by presidents to shape the direction of the country. However, this power can also be abused by presidents who use it to exceed their authority or to circumvent Congress.
Here are some other examples of how presidents have used executive orders to expand their powers:
- President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order that created the Peace Corps.
- President Lyndon B. Johnson issued an executive order that created the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- President Ronald Reagan issued an executive order that banned the use of federal funds for abortions.
- President George W. Bush issued an executive order that created the Department of Homeland Security.
The power to issue executive orders is a controversial power, but it is one that has been used by presidents to expand their powers and to shape the direction of the country.
Sample Answer
Executive orders are directives
issued by the president that have the force of law. They are not subject to congressional approval, and they can be used to implement or interpret laws, or to create new policies.
The power to issue executive orders has been expanded over time by presidents who have used this power to assert their authority and to bypass Congress. For example, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a number of executive orders during the Great Depression that expanded the role of the federal government in the economy.
One specific example of presidential actions that expanded the power of the presidency through the use of executive orders is President Harry S. Truman's executive order desegregating the military in 1948. This executive order was issued without the approval of Congress, and it had a significant impact on race relations in the United States.