The Major Congressional Checks on the Presidential Authority

The Major Congressional Checks on the Presidential Authority Introduction The US government is tripartite, and its branches perform the critical role of performing checks and balances on one another to as a way of preventing any of the branches from overstepping its mandate.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Major Congressional Checks on the Presidential Authority specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, the limits to presidential powers include a political culture that has as one of its characteristics features a distrust of government and an array of congressional checks on presidential authority, including the ability to approve presidential appointments, the laws that the president wishes to approve and the budget to the executive departments. This essay will examine the congressional powers in relation to checking on the presidency. How the Congress checks on the presidency The Congress has powers to check on the presidency in different aspects one of which is che cking on the budgetary allocations by the executive. The creation of a budget requires integrity given the massive amounts of cash involved, and as such, Congress ensures that the budget drafting process by the executive is both transparent and appropriate. The Congress performs this role by debating and approving or rejecting budgets depending on their perceptions of the budgetary allocations (Gitelson, Dudley and Dubnick 60). The president can only recommend a budget for congressional consideration, but the actual appropriation of funds lies in the hands of the Senate and House of Representatives. Congress can also challenge the treaties signed by the president is Congress feel that it is inappropriate. This issue has however attracted much debate centered on whether the president should have the final word on approving or discarding treaties. As noted by Gunter (354), these debates arrived at the conclusion that the president is not the only one affected by the treaties as an ind ividual and as such, granting the presidency the last word on treaties would be according it too much power as an individual, is not the one actually affected by these treaties on the ground. And as such, the president should not be the only one to decide the fate of treaties. Even though Congress lacks the force of law, there are numerous ways by which it can exact restrictions on a military operation, including the denial of Congressional authorization, disapproving resolutions and specific reporting requirements. These restrictions provide the Congress with opportunities to signal its opposition or the limits of its support and to impose political costs on the president and his senior advisors for pursuing intervention policies that deviate from Congressional preferences.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, Congress may threaten to vote on War Powers question, o r through complaints about the absence of prior consultation, insistence on extensive consultation, ons of US presidents who were impeached by Congress include President Johnson in 1868 and most recently, President Clinton in 1998. Another way in which Congress checks on presidential powers is through its capabilities to confirm or reject presidential nominees for executive and judicial positions. Before assuming office, the Senate has to debate the nominated candidates and based on the votes; a candidate may either be approved or rejected.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Major Congressional Checks on the Presidential Authority specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion The constitution gives the government authority to the government’s three branches each with its specific roles concerning the running of day to day governmental duties. Each branch is governed by a checks and balances system that ensures that all the three branches cooperate in making important decisions. This essay has explored various ways by which Congress checks on the executive. Ehrman, John, and Flamm, Michael. Debating the Reagan presidency. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield, 2009. GÃ ¼nter, Gerald. Constitutional law. New York: Foundation Press, 1991. Gitelson, Allan, Dudley Robert, and Dubnick. Melvin American Government: Student Choice Edition. California: Good Cengage Learning, 2008. Heath, David. The Congress of the United States. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.