Congressional Checks on the President

Overview

Recall questions on the formal checks Congress holds, why refusal to fund bites hardest, the practical weakness of impeachment and the Court's role.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Name four formal checks Congress holds over a president.

   Model answer

   It can override a veto, refuse to appropriate funds, reject nominations and treaties, and impeach and remove the president.

2. 2

   Why is refusal to fund often a president's greatest obstacle?

   Model answer

   Almost every significant executive initiative requires money, and Congress can simply decline to appropriate it without needing to agree an alternative.

3. 3

   Why is impeachment a limited constraint in practice?

   Model answer

   Removal requires a two-thirds Senate majority, and in a polarised Senate a president's own party will rarely supply the votes.

4. 4

   How can the Supreme Court constrain a president?

   Model answer

   Through judicial review it can declare executive orders and other presidential actions unconstitutional, as it did when it struck down Truman's seizure of the steel mills in 1952.

5. 5

   Why is a president's own Supreme Court appointment not a guarantee of favourable rulings?

   Model answer

   Justices hold office for life and owe the president nothing once confirmed, so they frequently rule against the administration that appointed them.

6. 6

   How does party control of Congress affect a president's success rate?

   Model answer

   Unified government makes legislative success far more likely, while divided government leaves the president dependent on opposition votes and largely reduced to the veto.

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