U.S. Government and Civics / Unit 7: The Presidency and the Federal Bureaucracy
7.6 Checking the Executive
Notes
Congress, the courts and the public all limit the president and the bureaucracy.
- Congress: overrides vetoes, controls funding, holds oversight hearings, confirms appointments, ratifies treaties, can rewrite laws to limit agencies, and can impeach and remove officials.
- Impeachment: the House impeaches by a majority vote for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"; the Senate holds a trial, presided over by the chief justice when a president is tried, and needs two-thirds to convict. No president has ever been convicted and removed. Nixon resigned in 1974 before a full House vote.
- Courts: can rule executive orders and agency rules unconstitutional or beyond the law.
- Public and media: approval ratings and press coverage affect a president's influence.
- Lame duck: an officeholder whose term is ending and who often has less influence.
Practice
Who presides over the Senate trial when a president is impeached?
The Constitution assigns this role to the chief justice.
A federal court strikes down an executive order for exceeding the president's legal authority. This is an example of:
Courts can rule executive actions unconstitutional or unlawful.
Congress refuses to provide money for a program the president wants. Which check is Congress using?
Congress controls federal spending through appropriations.
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