Congress Executive Branch

There are three branches of the United States government which shape and control society in our day to day lives. These three branches are known as the separation of powers which is “the division of government power across the judicial, executive, and legislative branches” (Bianco 7). The two main branches this paper will focus on are the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, specifically the President and Congress. The President and Congress function on the Madisonian system of checks and balances which are defined as “a system in which each branch of the government has some power over the others” (Bianco 7). These checks and balances delineate what titles and powers are given to the President, what powers Congress …show more content…
The President also has the power to issue executive orders; “The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States” (Constitution). Executive orders of the President are defined as “proclamations made by the President that change government policy without congressional approval” (Bianco 323). However, this does not mean that the President can make any law he wants whenever he wants. Also, the President has the power to make treaties, approved by congress, with foreign nations and work with world leaders; “He shall have the power, by and with Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make treaties” (Constitution). Another power of the President is appointing people for government positions such as Supreme Court Justices. This power is stated under the Constitution as “shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Minister and Consuls, Judges of the supreme court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law” (Constitution). If one of these officials or another in the United States government commits a federal crime, the President has the power to …show more content…
Sometimes both branches work together to solve the issues and other times the branches don’t due to certain political and social factors such as what political party dominates each branch. The issue of gun control is a very “hot topic” in the American society today and is a prime example of how each branch has a role in resolving the issue. “President Obama has signed 23 executive orders designed to address the problem of gun violence in America” (). These executive orders that The President has issued call for stricter background checks and a ban on certain guns such as “assault weapons”. On the other hand, when Congress attempted to use its powers, “The Senate rejected first a Republican proposal to update the background check system for gun purchases, which would have required states to add more information on mental health records to a national database. It also included a provision to alert law enforcement agencies when an individual who was on a government terror watch list in the last five years buys a gun” (Liptak, Wright, Lim, & Bohn). Another “hot topic” issue in the American society is the illegal immigration debate on whether or not illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States. When it comes to immigration policy, “the president has signed orders to halt the deportation of those who came to the United States when they