Expansion Of Presidential Power Essay

The role of the president is an increasingly contentious subject matter, and is especially relevant in the late 20th and early 21st centuries due to an increase in partisan gridlock. The question surrounding how much power the President should be able to have has been a discussion in government dating back to the framers of the constitution. The framers purposefully did not want the President to have too much power due to their opposition to an all-powerful central government. The checks and balance provision between the Legislative, Judicial and Executive branch was implemented to ensure that no branch of government could obtain a disproportionate amount of power. The broad nature of the second article surrounding executive power has been used as a tool for presidents to

Those who oppose the expansion of power argue that the Constitution and the framers did not intend for the President to have a great amount of power. Although the second article regarding the executive branch was made broad, it still intended to distinguish a clear separation of powers. There is fear that the expansion of presidential power will increase too much and that continuous use of presidential powers without the consent of congress, in regards to national security, will result in a violation of the Constitution or citizen’s rights. During President Reagan’s term, he was under criticism for abuse of power when he made a secret deal with Iran to sell U.S. them weapons. Reagan was criticized for this Iran deal and was said to have pushed his constitutional boundaries. There is concern over an excessive amount of ideologically charged policies and Presidents thinking they can step outside of the constitutional boundaries when they are involved with policy making and enforcing, especially in regards to national