1. Surname 1
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Subject
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Describe 3 constitutional powers of the presidency. How have these roles expanded over the
years?
Presidential Powers.
Contacts for help:dorineadalyn@gmail.com
1a). Describe three constitutional powers of the presidency.
The United States Constitution (Article II) creates the executive powers of the president,
which are consistent with other executive officials. The presidential powers are explicitly granted
by the constitution and Acts of the Congress. The Framers of the constitutions during
gratification ensured that the seat of the president was active and powerful and thus outlined the
power of the president as provided by Article II (formal powers); however, over the years, the
president’s limits have acquired more powers which are called informal powers. This essay aims
at describing the constitutional powers of the presidency and how these powers have changed
over the years.
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One of the most significant powers of the United States presidential power is being the
command-in-chief of the United States armed forces. Despite Congress being vested power to
declare war, currently, the president directs and commands the military, and he is in charge of
planning the military strategies. And thus, the president is in charge not only for the citizens
within the United States but also for the United States foreign policies. He is responsible for the
Americans abroad through the Department of Defense and Department of States. In this regard,
the president can make treaties with foreign states, nominate and receive ambassadors. He or she
can receive diplomatic recognition from other governments.
Treaty powers: The United States president has the authority to negotiate treaties with
other nations. He has a formal power to make treaties with other nations without the consent of
the states; however, this power must be affirmed by the two-third majority by the senate.
The president has the power to appoint different people to serve in the government. Most
importantly, the appointment of the Supreme Court judges, federal court judges, and cabinet
secretaries. One of the legislative powers of the president is to grant amnesty to criminals for
criminals. Most of these appointees must go a vetting by the senate’s to get their approval. As
provided by Article II, the president can propose legislation that outlines the administration’s
legislative agenda (Foley 485-490). Also, under the section, the president has a veto power to
check on the Congress. For instance, if a president rejects a bill, it requires that a two-thirds
majority of both houses and must be achieved to override the veto powers. Sometimes, the
president can adjourn or call Congress into special seating.
1b). How have these roles expanded over the years
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The president is the commander of the military and the intelligence agencies; he has
control of the powerful military, thus providing him immense to further his political agenda. The
executive branch of the government has undergone tremendous changes over the years and thus
expanding the presidential powers. Currently, the executive branch is much larger with increased
presidential powers. The current president has acquired more power compared to the restrictive
power given by the Framers. These powers have changed based on the crisis and situation the
president faces. While a small elector nominated the former presidents, the current president
must be nominated by a hundred electorates who represent the citizen of the United States;
therefore, they have an advantage of the popular mandate, which grants them the bully mandate
that member of the Congress cannot match.
On the foreign affairs policy, the president cannot consult contend of the Congress on
foreign affairs. One of the reasons for the expansion of this power is the growth of the United
States and influence in foreign nations (Dallek 1). Presidential powers have increasingly been
expanded because the United States is being polarized into a two-party System; hence, a member
of the Congress has a more significant interest in their president's success than the Congress for
their survival.
The president can declare war without Congress's approval. There is a need for the
president to act quickly during an emergency; thus, he does not need the Congress’s approval to
declare war. The president controls the Military and Intelligence because he is the commander-
in-chief of the armed forces; thus, his powers expanded to access and control the flow of
information. Moreover, the current constitutional Indeterminacy of the Precedency expands the
president's powers to act during times of emergency (Krutz 455-460). The president has control
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over the bureaucracy and also controls the flow of information. Initially, these were not the
powers granted by the Framers to the president.
Works Cited
Dallek, Robert. Power and the Presidency, From Kennedy to Obama. Smithsonian. (vol.1.
(2011). P.1 Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/power-and-the-
presidency-from-kennedy-to-obama-75335897/
Foley, Edwards. “Some Aspects of the Constitutional Powers of the Presi2011)”. American Bar
Association. Vol. 27. No. 8 (1941). Pp. 486-490. Retrieved from:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25713214?seq=1
Krutz, Glen. American Government 2e. Rice University. Openstax. (2019). Pp. 455-460.
Retrieved from: https://d3bxy9euw4e147.cloudfront.net/oscms-
prodcms/media/documents/AmericanGovernment2e-OP.pdf
