The President as Chief Executive

The role of the President as Chief Executive is a complex matter because it covers a wide area of responsibility and involves many government agencies and offices, that the President is responsible for overseeing. The history of Chief Executive starts in the constitution with Article II section I “Executive Power shall be vested in the President of the United States of America” this did not create the role although it was a front runner to it. Executive Power is understood to mean “seeing that laws are executed” this would be a hard task for one person to accomplish in a newly formed government let alone in today’s political world (Kalllenbach) . To briefly explain this requires and understanding of what it is, what it does and how it works. This in turn leads to an understanding of why it was instituted and why it is necessary. It also gives insight into how it has expanded over time and how it has enhanced Presidential power.

Although the constitution laid the framework for the Executive Office it was not formalized until Franklin Roosevelt became President and “authorized the Executive Reorganization Act of 1939” that allowed the President to staff the office with aids (Erwin). The Executive Branch has changed from its early years; probably more than the Founding Fathers could have imagined. In the beginning it consisted of three department; Foreign Affairs, Treasury and War. Today the Executive branch includes the Vice President, the Cabinet, personal aids and other offices that are not as noticeable such as the White House Military Office. The purpose of this Executive Branch is to help the President to govern efficiently. The Executive office employs over 1,800 people today. It is worth examining those that make ...

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...e or department to deal with possible issue. As a result the President must delegate responsibility and some of those delegations are responsible for the expansion of the role of the Vice Presidency and the White House Staff. This also has expanded Presidential Power because it has increase Presidential responsibility. The citizens look to the President not the congress as more and more power goes to the Executive Branch of the Government.

Works Cited

Erwin, C. Hargrove. The Power of the Modern Presidency. Vol. First Edition. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1974.

George C. Edwards III, Wayne Stephen J. Presidential Leadership Politics and Policy Making. Boston: Cengage Wadsworth, 2010.

Kalllenbach, Joseph E. The American Chief Executive. New Yourk, and London: Harper& Row, 1966.

Unknown. The Power of the Presidency. Washington DC: CQ Press, 2008.