Bush's Executive Power

One of the tactics that President Bush has used to expand his presidential power is “signing statements” which challenged legislation that Congress has sent him. He has signed bills into law -- and then issued signing statements in which he has repeatedly asserted that the Constitution gives him the right to ignore numerous sections of the bills. This has allowed President Bush to get around the veto requirement and prevent Congress from having the chance to override it, as the Founders required. Indeed, he flexed his executive muscles by using this tactic more than any of his predecessors on more than 750 provisions. Yet, he did not veto a single bill until well into his second term.

The Democratic Party's midterm election victory has the potential to curtail some of Bush’s expanded presidential authority. The Democrats cannot stop the president from issuing singing statements, but the practice could be met by intensified congressional hearings on the subject--and perhaps lawsuits or refusals to appropriate money for projects or programs the president favors. A Democratic Congress could also scrutinize whether the executive branch has followed Bush's directions, or observed congressional expectations as presented in law.