Presidential power today 441Presidential Power Today
As we have discussed, presidential authority comes from two sources, on paper:
the limited powers granted by the Constitution, and laws that have expanded the
president’s power. Even so, assessing presidential power requires expanding our
notions of where this power actually comes from. Saying that presidents have become
more powerful over time because of the expansion of the United States or the increased
size of the federal budget or bureaucracy tells only part of the story. What about these
circumstances made presidents more powerful?
One important clue about where presidential power comes from is that, after more
than two centuries, many of the limits to these powers are not well defined. It is unclear,
for example, which executive actions require congressional approval and which ones
can be reversed by Congress. The very ambiguity of the Constitution and most statutesEXPLAIN HOW MODERN
PRESIDENTS HAVE BECOME
EVEN MORE POWERFULNUTS
& B O LT S
12.5Cabinet and Cabinet-Level Positions
The president’s Cabinet is composed of the heads of the 15 executive departments along with other
appointees given cabinet rank by the president.Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Commerce Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Education Vice President
Secretary of Energy White House Chief of Staff
Secretary of Health and Human Services Attorney General
Secretary of Homeland Security Head of the Environmental Protection Agency
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Head of the Office of Management and Budget
Secretary of the Interior Head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Secretary of Labor United States Trade Representative
Secretary of State“Why
Should
I Care?”
Having read the job description for America’s president, you might reasonably ask, How
does any one person handle all of these responsibilities? The answer is that presidents
have help: trusted advisers and people chosen for policy knowledge, political skills,
and loyalty. Put another way, if you want to know whether someone will make a good
president, don’t look at his or her experience or campaign promises—look at the people
he or she picks to help run the government.Full_13_APT_64431_ch12_418-453.indd 441 16/11/18 10:34 AM