Does the Executive have too much Power?
In today’s politics it is difficult to have a discussion without mentioning the President. We have seen outrageous policy proposals within the last decade from presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump that make studying politics more interesting. However, now we must ask ourselves two questions, does the Executive have too much power and did the framers intend for the President to execute his or her power in the ways we see it executed today?
Personally, I believe that within the Constitution, the President has ample power to carry out the duties of his office. However, recently, presidents have been overstepping their bounds. According to the National Review and CBS News, President Obama violated his Constitutional powers numerous times. The most famous instance is Obamacare’s Bay State Bailout in which the federal government bailed out the commonwealth Massachusetts’ malfunctioning healthcare exchange. Critics argue that this action is unconstitutional because it violates states rights by allowing the federal government to intervene in a state’s economy that does not affect intrastate commerce.
Furthermore, President Trump has arguably attempted to violate his Constitutional powers by imposing a ban on immigrants from primarily Muslim countries. However, many fail to recognize that the federal government has the power to deny anyone access to the United States for any reason deemed necessary. Subsequently, the federal government has the right to control immigration and the executive branch has the power to enforce the immigration laws on the books.
In modern American politics, I believe that the President has become too powerful and is able to overstep his or her boundaries too easily. Furthermore, I do not believe the framers intended the vast use of executive orders to bypass congressional approval and the use of such tactics is unconstitutional.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-obama-overstepping-his-bounds-with-executive-actions/