Congress of the United States: Difference between revisions

*{{cite news| title=The Law: The President's War Powers| newspaper=Time| date=June 1, 1970| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878290,00.html| access-date=September 28, 2009| archive-date=August 22, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822171512/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878290,00.html| url-status=dead}}</ref> While historically presidents initiated the process for going to war, they asked for and received formal war declarations from Congress for the [[War of 1812]], the [[Mexican–American War]], the [[Spanish–American War]], World War I, and [[World War II]],<ref name=tws28sep07>{{cite news| title=The Law: The President's War Powers| newspaper=Time| date=June 1, 1970| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878290,00.html| access-date=September 28, 2009| archive-date=August 22, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822171512/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878290,00.html| url-status=dead}}</ref> although President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s military move into Panama in 1903 did not get congressional approval.<ref name="tws28sep07"/> In the early days after the [[Korean War|North Korean invasion of 1950]], President [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] described the American response as a "police action".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=594 | title=The President's News Conference of June 29, 1950 | publisher=Teachingamericanhistory.org | date=June 29, 1950 | access-date=December 20, 2010 | archive-date=December 26, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226063925/http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=594 | url-status=dead }}</ref> According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine in 1970, "U.S. presidents [had] ordered troops into position or action without a formal congressional declaration a total of 149 times."<ref name="tws28sep07"/> In 1993, [[Michael Kinsley]] wrote that "Congress's war power has become the most flagrantly disregarded provision in the Constitution," and that the "real erosion [of Congress's war power] began after World War{{spaces}}II."<ref name=tws28sep14>{{cite news| author=Michael Kinsley| title=The Case for a Big Power Swap| newspaper=Time| date=March 15, 1993| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977990,00.html| access-date=September 28, 2009| archive-date=August 13, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813070158/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977990,00.html| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=tws28sep09>{{cite news| title=Time Essay: Where's Congress?| newspaper=Time| date=May 22, 1972| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879072-1,00.html| access-date=September 28, 2009| archive-date=May 21, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521074302/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879072-1,00.html| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=tws2010Sep11uu>{{cite news | title= The Law: The President's War Powers | newspaper= Time | date= June 1, 1970 | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878290,00.html | access-date= September 11, 2010 | archive-date= August 22, 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130822171512/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878290,00.html | url-status= dead }}</ref> Disagreement about the extent of congressional versus presidential power regarding war has been present periodically throughout the nation's history.<ref name=tws2010Sep11t5>{{cite news | title= The proceedings of congress.; senate. | newspaper= The New York Times | date= June 28, 1862 | url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C12FC345B1B7493CAAB178DD85F468684F9 | archive-url= https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010131908/http://www.nytimes.com/1862/06/28/news/the-proceedings-of-congress-senate.html |url-status = dead| archive-date= October 10, 2017 | access-date= September 11, 2010 }}</ref>

The influence of Congress on the presidency has varied from period to period depending on factors such as congressional leadership, presidential political influence, historical circumstances such as war, and individual initiative by members of Congress. [[Impeachment of Andrew Johnson|The impeachment]] of [[Andrew Johnson]] made the presidency less powerful than Congress for a considerable period afterwards.<ref name="Sachs-NYT-1999-01-07">{{cite news |author= Susan Sachs |title= Impeachment: The Past; Johnson's Trial: 2 Bitter Months for a Still-Torn Nation |newspaper= The New York Times |date= January 7, 1999 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/07/us/impeachment-the-past-johnson-s-trial-2-bitter-months-for-a-still-torn-nation.html |access-date= September 11, 2010 |archive-date= January 14, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214435/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/07/us/impeachment-the-past-johnson-s-trial-2-bitter-months-for-a-still-torn-nation.html |url-status= live }}</ref> The 20th and 21st centuries have seen the rise of presidential power under politicians such as [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Woodrow Wilson]], [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[Richard Nixon]], [[Ronald Reagan]], and [[George W. Bush]].<ref name="kingwh">{{cite news | first=Richard | last=Greene | title=Kings in the White House | date=January 19, 2005 | work=BBC News | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4181799.stm | access-date=October 7, 2007 | archive-date=January 14, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214403/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4181799.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> Congress restricted presidential power with laws such as the [[Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974]] and the [[War Powers Resolution]]. The presidency remains considerably more powerful today than during the 19th century.<ref name=tws2010Sep11t14aa/><ref name="kingwh"/> Executive branch officials are often loath to reveal sensitive information to members of Congress because of concern that information could not be kept secret; in return, knowing they may be in the dark about executive branch activity, congressional officials are more likely to distrust their counterparts in executive agencies.<ref name=tws2010Sep11922jm14>{{cite news |author1=Steven S. Smith |author2=Jason M. Roberts |author3=Ryan J. Vander Wielen |title=The American Congress (Fourth Edition) |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=18–19 |year=2006 |isbn=9781139446990 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWpE_HxuxVEC&q=Smith,+Steven+S.,+Jason+M.+Roberts,+and+Ryan+Vander+Wielen+%282007%29.+The+American+Congress |access-date=September 11, 2010 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214403/https://books.google.com/books?id=fWpE_HxuxVEC&q=Smith%2C+Steven+S.%2C+Jason+M.+Roberts%2C+and+Ryan+Vander+Wielen+%282007%29.+The+American+Congress |url-status=live }}</ref> Many government actions require fast coordinated effort by many agencies, and this is a task that Congress is ill-suited for. Congress is slow, open, divided, and not well matched to handle more rapid executive action or do a good job of overseeing such activity, according to one analysis.<ref name=tws2010Sep11jhgv>{{cite news |author1=Steven S. Smith |author2=Jason M. Roberts |author3=Ryan J. Vander Wielen |title=The American Congress (Fourth Edition) |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=19 |year=2006 |isbn=9781139446990 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWpE_HxuxVEC&q=Smith,+Steven+S.,+Jason+M.+Roberts,+and+Ryan+Vander+Wielen+%282007%29.+The+American+Congress |access-date=September 11, 2010 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214427/https://books.google.com/books?id=fWpE_HxuxVEC&q=Smith%2C+Steven+S.%2C+Jason+M.+Roberts%2C+and+Ryan+Vander+Wielen+%282007%29.+The+American+Congress |url-status=live }}</ref>