Those powers of the President, not specifically stated but which may be inferred from the Constitution are referred to as inherent powers. Since the Constitution is silent about the removal of officers, the President’s power to remove has been interpreted as inherent in his executive power. A striking example of this power is President Truman’s abrupt removal of General Douglas MacArthur from his command in the Far East in 1951.

Another significant inherent power is the President’s ability to negotiate executive agreements with foreign powers. The President’s position as commander-in-chief of armed forces, permits him to send armed forces anywhere in the world (in peace as well as well as in war) on his own initiative. Such agreements with other countries do not require the consent of the Senate. An impressive use of this inherent power was the extensive use the military forces, belonging to the United States of America, in Vietnam in the 1960s.

Through the creation of new cabinet departments and federal agencies, the President and the executive branch have been given broad powers in the area of domestic policy by the Congress. A notable instance in this direction was when President Roosevelt had received extraordinary powers to deal with the crisis of Depression. This authority has been awarded to the President in order to deal with problems like education, welfare and the environment. By the line-item veto of 1996, an important power has been delegated to the President: he/ she can reject a section of a bill without having to veto the entire legislation. This helps to control unnecessary expenditure as well as to balance the federal budget. Thus the line-item veto is a powerful weapon in the President’s hands.

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Index

4.0 Introduction
4.1 The Powers of the President
4.2 The Functions of the President
4.3 The Organization of the Executive Branch
4.4 The Vice President and Presidential Succession

Chapter 5