Introduction
Decision making in the United States is a very important task. This paper will answer question number five. The question asks to compare and contrast presidential and congressional decision making. Whether the decision is congressional or presidential, the right decision is essential for the betterment of the American people. Congress and the President both have decision-making powers; although they work in different capacities. Congressional decision-making is by far the most powerful. Presidential decision-making is powerful as well. According to Dean (2010), “nothing is more important in the American presidency than decision-making” (Dean, 2010). It must be noted that although the president has decision making abilities, Congress must approve or confirm the majority of those decisions.
Presidential Decision-making
Decisions made by the President are powerful, yet limited. The Constitution did not give the President the same authorities as the United States Congress. Dean (2010) states that “presidential decisions can and do shape our history, for better or worse” (Dean, 2010). This is true, because the job of the President is a very influential and public position. A bad decision made by the President can damage the people’s trust in the presidency and may cause an embarrassment for the nation. The president has the power to convene Congress for special meetings, deliver a yearly State of the Union address, appoint ambassadors, and act as Commander In-Chief during a war, issue executive orders and veto a bill. Issuing executive orders has been a controversial issue in politics. The law says that in an emergency, the President may issue an executive order without the approval of Congress. Some opponents argue that executive orders are been abused. Some republicans state that Presidents use executive orders to avoid the approval process. The United States History Organization (2014) states that these executive orders are to only be used “in times of emergencywith almost limitless power” (The Powers of Congress, 2014). The argument then shifts to the definition of an emergency, and the political ramifications of declaring such an emergency. According to Decker (2015) “President Barack Obama has been fighting Congress almost since he took office Instead of trying to pass laws, Obama has pledged to act through executive orders ” (2015). Republicans feel that the President is taking too much power by using these orders. Therefore, they want to enact a little known policy called the Congressional Review Act. This act seeks to overturn regulations the executive orders approve.
The President can make other important decisions, but only with the approval of Congress. These decisions include issuing pardons, making treaties and nominating justices and federal judges. The President can issue federal pardons, however a pardon cannot be issued for an individual that has been impeached by Congress. The Cornell Law University (n.d.) states that the President “has the power make treaties with Senate approval” (Executive Power, n.d.). The President can also nominate federal judges and justices, but congress has the final approval. The President has the decision to veto a bill. If the bill is not satisfactory, the bill may be returned for revision. Even this power is limited however, because according to The Cornell Law University (n.d.) the veto “is not a line-item veto, meaning that he or she cannot veto only specific parts of legislation,” (Executive Power, n.d.). The entire bill would be returned to Congress. Congress can vote to overturn the veto however. Overturning a veto is not an easy process. Decker (2015) states that “If all Republicans in both houses of Congress voted to overturn a regulation, they would need 48 Democrats in the House and 13 in the Senate” (Decker, 2015). If this scenario were to occur, the veto would be in effect. These types of decisions would have the American people to wonder if the President is truly a leader, or if he or she is working for Congress.
Congressional decision-making
Congress is very powerful when it comes to policy and decision-making abilities. Congress members vote on various policies ranging from abortion rights, education and gun control. The United States History Organization states “The American Congress has more power than any legislature among the world's modern democracies” (Powers of Congress, 2014). Congress can make decisions that not even the President can make. The Constitution specifically grants Congress two of its most important powers, the power to make laws and the power to declare war. Additionally, Congress can make very crucial decisions for the United States people. The President can suggest war and send his or her recommendations to Congress; but war can only be approved by the United States Congress. Another decision that congress can make, free from presidential involvement is to the most important of these powers is to make laws. This is extremely important and by far the most important of their decision-making powers. There is no other authority that can make laws on a national basis. Some of the other decisions that Congress approves are nominations, impeachments, and the federal budget. When the President makes a nomination for court justices or federal justices, Congress has the final approval over the nomination. Some might not see the need for this additional step; however, Congress operates as a check-and-balance system for the President. Impeachment power is also given to Congress. The United States History Organization (2014) states that Congress has the authority to “charge the President and other civil officers with wrongdoing” (The Powers of Congress, 2014). The vote does not have to be unanimous; a majority vote will lead to the impeachment.
The federal budget is a major topic in America. For years Presidents have faced scrutiny for the budget being in the negative. Anderson (2015) states that “The budget sent to Congress relects presidential decisions and priorities on such matters as its overall size, its possible effects on the economy, its major direction in public policy, and its allocation of funds among the major agencies and programs” (Anderson, 2015, p. 191). Furthermore as cited as Anderson (2015), the budget is difficult to manage because “two-thirds of national expenditures are direct or mandatory in nature and do not depend upon annual appropriations” (Anderson, 2015, 9. 191). Managing the budget and making decisions on funds that are already allocated is not an easy task. When the budget is sent to Congress for approval, they are unable to change any funds that have been mandated by law or on a specified term. This makes the budget process more difficult, and cuts to other areas must be made.
Decision-making styles
Both styles of decision making work well. There is no better or worst style because presidential and congressional decision making are very different. The President is a single person, so this decision style usually reflects the person hold the office. Some Presidents might be methodical in their thought process, while others take a more laid back approach. Dean (2010) states that President Bush was known for “messianic and intuitive decision making” (Dean, 2010), while President Obama was described as being more of a deductive thinker with a critical mind. Decision making styles are subject to change. A President might change their styles based on their campaign, personal beliefs or a changing public opinion. Congress on the other hand uses a more patterned approach when making decisions. Because Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, their personal styles are often overshadowed because Congress is a group. When Senators and Representatives come to an impasse, Congress will schedule a conference to meet and work out disagreements. This is an effective decision-making style and is a great way to finding a compromise. So just because the two styles are different, they are both effective in their respective areas. These styles will always defer because of the human component and the characteristics of the people involved in the process.
Is Decision Making a Smoother Process in Congressional or Presidential?
The decision making process is smother for the President when approving bills. This is because the President is one person and does not have to worry about getting everyone together for approval. When the President receives a bill, he or she can either sign the bill, or veto the bill. Once the President makes a decision or nomination, the nomination only needs to be approved or confirmed by congress. When Congress convenes for bill approval, they must go through many steps to approve budgets and new legislation. The bills would first goes through a lengthy process in the House and the Senate. Various meetings and public hearings might be held regarding the bill, which could lead to delays and bills not making their way to approval. The voting process to approve a bill can become tedious in Congress. Although the steps are defined, there are many steps in the process. The Center for Congress (n.d.) states that the “overall average rate of participation in the last few Congress has been 95%” (Center on Congress, n.d.). This shows that the members of Congress are very active in the process. The participation from all involved should lead to a smoother process. However, because of the amount of individuals involved in the decisions, that is not always the case.
Outcomes and results
Both congressional and presidential decision-making may produce equally good and bad results. Although Congress is very powerful and has the ability to make laws, they are also subject to public opinion. Senators and Representatives must be skillful in their approach when responding to a decision by the President. The President’s position is very powerful and is seen as the leader of the nation; therefore Congress must use tact when approving laws and confirming nominations by the President. The Center on Congress (n.d.) states that
The President has a bully pulpit, from which to set the nation’s agenda and to appeal directly to the American people to support his positions. Members know that if they vote against the President’s position on an item they will be asked to defend their opposition by both the public and the press” (Center on Congress, n.d.).
In addition, some congress members feel that they must vote in the President’s favor, as to avoid backlash from the media. Congress members could vote in the President’s favor for fear of having a project blocked in their district or having to revise legislation several times to avoid a veto by the President. Decker (2015) says that “since the President is at the forefront and the leader of the United States of America, people might see him as having stronger or better powers” (Decker, 2015). These people are unaware that the Congress actually has greater powers than the President. The result is that the public will continue to be misleading on critical issues, and they will see all issues as being the responsibility of the President. The President also must be tactful and respectful of Congress. Disagreements should always remain professional. If the President is seen as untrustworthy, a bully, or unreliable, a negative chain of reaction could be in place for future Presidents. For example, if the President is a democrat, the public will be leery about voting another democratic candidate into office; based on
Decision making is crucial in American politics. Presidential decision-making is powerful and public, yet limited. Congressional decision-making is also powerful, not as publicly displayed, but very strong and important. Both styles are needed because they each bring their own processes, charisma and strategies to their offices. Additionally, they must work together to bring forth change; create new laws and ethical policies for the American people.
References
Anderson, J. E. (2014). Public policymaking (8th ed.). Australia: Cengage Learning.
Dean, J. W. (2010, August 6). How Our Decider-in-Chief Decides: Decisionmaking and the
Obama Presidency. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20100806.html
Decker, S. (2015, May 22). Congress Versus the President The Congressional Review Act.
Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.bloombergview.com/quicktake/congress-versus-president
Executive Power: An Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2016, from
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/executive_power
How a Member Decides to Vote. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2016, from
http://centeroncongress.org/how-member-decides-vote
The Powers of Congress. (2014). Retrieved March 18, 2016, from
http://www.ushistory.org/gov/6a.asp
Summary of Sources Used
Source 1
Public Policymaking is a textbook from Cengage Learning Publishing Company. Particularly Chapter five discusses budgeting policies, and how they are funded and approved.
Source 2
Find Law is a legal publishing group that writes articles on various legal and political topics. This article discusses decision-making related to the Obama presidency. The writer John Dean is an attorney and former counsel to the President.
Source 3
Bloomberg View is a political website that focuses on current governmental issues. This article discusses executive orders and how they are used by the President.
Source 4
The Legal Information Institute is an online law and research website ran by the Cornell University Law School. The article defines executive powers and what the President can and cannot do while in office.
Source 5
The Center on Congress is a political website on the campus of Indiana University. The article different steps in how members vote and some of the political ramifications for voting against the President
Source 6
The United States History Organization is a website dedicated to governmental processes. Various explanations and overviews of how the government works is included on the page. This particular webpage gives an overview of the Power of Congress.
