The case for a weaker presidency
By David Schultz, opinion contributor — 12/09/20 12:00 PM EST
Contrary to what many people may think, the best thing Joe Biden can do as the next president is weaken his office. As an institution, the Office of the President has become too powerful, and it is time to reset the power of the presidency.
Biden will come to office on Jan. 20, 2021, issuing a wave of executive orders that will overturn many of those issued by Donald Trump in the closing days of his presidency and during his entire term of office. Governing by executive order has become a new norm. There have been nearly 14,000 executive orders issued since 1789. In recent history, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama respectively issued 254, 291 and 276 executive orders, each over two terms. Donald Trump has issued 195 so far in one term, more may be coming.
The Founding Fathers never intended for a president to be as powerful as he has become. The Constitution was drafted with the Framers still fearing the abuses of power by King George III when America was a colony, and it was written within a more than 100-years-long conflict between the British monarchy and its parliament’s effort to contain the former’s authority. In Federalist Paper 48, James Madison refers to the “superiority†of Congress over the other branches, proof being the expansive list of powers given to it compared to the president, the latter of which he described as “restrained†in its authority.
Nonetheless, presidents do have constitutional powers, including that to issue executive orders.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/529060-the-case-for-a-weaker-presidency