Presidential Powers of the President of Us

PRESIDENTIAL POWERS

1. LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP

THE AMERICAN FOUNDERS established the doctrine of separation of powers with the idea that the Congress and the president would share power and have clearly defined roles. According to the Constitution, Congress's job is to make the laws and the president's is to make sure they are carried out. The Constitution is silent, however, on which governmental branch should suggest or draft prospective legislation. Thus, while the president has no power to pass a law, he is perfectly free to suggest one and ask that the legislators pass it. But most early presidents were not very active in the legislative process. During the nation's first century, the Congress drafted, as well as passed, nearly all legislation. As a result, in the nineteenth century, Congress largely dominated the government and overshadowed the president, particularly in the area of domestic affairs.

2. CONDUCT FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Under the Constitution, the president is the federal official that is primarily responsible for the relations of the United States with foreign nations. The president appoints ambassadors, ministers, and consuls —subject to confirmation by the Senate—and receives foreign ambassadors and other public officials. With the secretary of state, the president manages all official contacts with foreign governments. On occasion, the president may personally participate in summit conferences where heads of state meet for direct consultation. Thus, President Woodrow Wilson headed the American delegation to the Paris conference at the end of World War I; President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Allied leaders during World War II; and every president since then has sat down with world leaders to discuss economic and political issues and to reach agreements.

Through the Department of State and the Department of Defense, the president is responsible for the protection of Americans abroad and of foreign nationals in the United States. The...