Realization of Simple Truths

It is apparent that the executive branch is the most powerful branch within the United
States government. This is clearly apparent for many reasons such as the power that the president
holds. Another is the vast size of the government and the peoples reliance on it. One last and
majorly important factor is how easily the executive branch controls and supersedes the other
branches of government. No matter what argument is brought against it, the executive branch is
undeniably the most powerful.
Before all else it is imperative that power of the chief executive is understood. The
president through Article II of the Constitution, controls the United States military which is the
most powerful in the world. Using it he can wage war even without the authorization of
Congress through the War Powers Act. This was an option that President Obama considered
using during the climax of the Syria crisis. The nation was divided on whether or not to engage
in the conflict which also meant a split Congress. President Obama understood the how the
option might be need and stood ready to use it. Another major power is to act as a figure the
American people look to to guide the country in times of crisis and depression. This gives the
executive branch an excessive amount of sway over the legislative process through the
persuasion of legislators by constituents who want to realize the Presidents message. Just as
FDR used the depression and Americas need for recovery to create the New Deal. He created
programs which helped to bring back America from the brink of collapse and helped to create
many of the social welfare programs we still have in place today. President Obama recently used
the State of the Union to convey his plan to America, by delivering a compelling speech that
helped to inspire the American people and show them his dream for America. The president is a
major factor that proves how powerful the executive branch is. Even so, the president is only one
cog within the gaping machine that is the executive branch, and the federal bureaucracy.
In connection to the president the executive branch is also made up of the extensive and
expansive federal bureaucracy. The federal bureaucracy is composed of the hundreds of
government agencies and commissions and the over one million workers who run it. They, as
part of the executive branch, work to execute the laws. This is an extreme responsibility and
power. Agencies and commissions have control of the country through quasi-laws. These are the
regulations that the bureaucracy can implement that have the force of law. The dependence of the
people on many parts of this extension of the executive branch also contributes to its power. As
made evident from 21 day government shutdown in 1995-1996 the people who depend most on
the bureaucracy, the employees, suffered greatly because of the many furloughs. Many people
who require these agencies to do business were also hurt because they are unable to obtain the
licenses and passes they need to do work. This slows down the country overall and can greatly
hurt the economy. In summary, the federal bureaucracy is a large and important extension of the
executive branch that helps it to maintain its dominance over the other branches. More important
than this is how the executive branch trumps the other branches.
The executive branch is able to beat the other two branches through its given and implied
powers. The president can create executive agreements that lack the need of senate approval. The
president can force policy into effect to help the country through the use of powerful executive
orders, like when President Harry Truman signed Executive Order No. 9981 which mandated
the immediate end to segregation within the military signed due to congressional apathy to the
situation. The Congress during his administration refused to act on the issue which split so many

Americans, so he used the power that he had to change the U.S. for the better. The president can
also veto laws by refusing to sign them. Even though this can be superseded by a supermajority
within Congress, this is highly unlikely and wastes too much time for it to really be considered.
The president can also check and control the actions of the judicial branch through the use of his
pardoning power. One of the most famous uses of this power was when president Gerald Ford
pardoned former President Richard Nixon to help him from any legal accusations. Though this
might have lost him support in the upcoming election, it did help to keep Nixon from being
proved a crook. From these last powers, it is thoroughly proved that executive branch remains
superior to the other branches in every way.
In closing, it is utterly irrefutable that the executive branch remains the most powerful.
This is made evident through the expansive powers of the president of the United States. It is
reiterated through the extreme importance and power that the federal bureaucracy holds. Then
solidified by the branchs ability to easily overturn or supersede the actions and decisions of the
other branches. The executive branch is by far the most powerful and indeed the best of the three
United States branches of government. It stands tall, it controls, and it dominates.