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Executive Orders and Their Limitations
Executive orders have a significant place in the American presidency and have been used by presidents as far back as George Washington. Although the U.S. Constitution does not mention executive orders, a president’s authority to issue them is generally accepted as part of their power as our country’s executive.
However, the president is not a king or a dictator, and executive orders are not a blank check for the president to exercise his will without constitutional checks and balances.
In his first few weeks in office, President Trump has used executive orders as a way to further his political agenda. The dozens he has signed so far address everything from the creation of the so-called “U.S. DOGE Service” to the use of paper straws in federal agency buildings. Trump has even suggested he would eliminate the Department of Education via executive order. But does he have the power to do that?
Read more about what the president can — and cannot — do through executive orders. And, in a related video, watch CLC’s Sophie Feldman explain what executive orders actually are, how they work and how they’re challenged.
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