Title: Constitutional FAQ Answer #155 - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net
Headings: Constitutional FAQ Answer #155
Constitutional FAQ Answer #155
Content: The Congress itself has to agree between its two houses on every law; the President checks the power of the Congress with the veto; the judiciary checks the power with judicial review. Even with these checks, though, the Congress is, on paper, the most powerful branch. On paper, the President does not have a lot of power. He or she is the commander is chief of the armed forces and has almost exclusive power over foreign policy (though the Senate has to ratify any treaty and the Congress always has the power of the purse to influence foreign policy). The President also nominates judges and justices and maintains the cabinet, but these powers do not, in and of themselves, seem very powerful. In practice, however, the President can be very powerful, especially when the Congress and the President work together, such as when the presidency and the Congress are held by a single political party. In this case, it is common for the President to set policy that the Congress merely rubber-stamps. In such a case, the President can be said to be very powerful.