Informal+Powers+of+the+President

Along with his/her formal powers given by the Constitution, the President also has various informal powers. They include: setting and enacting a legislative agenda, executive orders, sending out troops without a declaration of war, and conducting foreign policy initiatives, among others.

The President's informal powers are not specifically written out in the Constitution, hence why they are called "informal." These powers are similar to the "necessary and proper" powers of Congress because they both are used in unique circumstances. Powers written out in the Constitution were meant to be used often, while the informal (or inherent) powers are inferred from the Constitution and are not used too often.

Throughout the modern presidency (1933-present), Presidential power has significantly increased from the office's original position through the widening array of informal powers. The Roosevelt Administration ushered in a new era with the New Deal legislation, causing a growth of federal bureaucracy and allowing the President to be active in the legislative process. Before that point the President had very little influence over legislation. Technically the President still cannot directly participate in the creation of legislation, but the office has had much more influence over the process over the last 80 years. Abraham Lincoln was another president to use inherent powers like no other before him during the Civil War. He claimed that his actions were necessary for the preservation of the union. Increased power has transformed the Presidency into being active (and leading) in the role of domestic and foreign policy, legislation, and has become closer to the American public by way of mass media, from radio to television to the internet.

An example of an executive order is when Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 in 1965 which required companies that are give federal government contracts to create programs for hiring more minorities. This is an executive order because Johnson gave the "order" to set up new programs without congressional say. The informal power of Executive Agreements dates back to 1803 when Thomas Jefferson, without Congress' approval set up the Louisiana Purchase. The reason this falls into the category of Executive Agreement was because Jefferson made a contract or deal with a foreign nation, again with out congressional backing. Throughout time, the Presidents of the United States have used their informal powers to accomplish goals quickly that would otherwise been drawn out by Congress.