Executive Order

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An executive order is an action which does not require the approval of the Congress, by the President. It cannot contradict or override any law, but can direct agencies in the executive branch in accordance with law. For example, only the President can issue an Executive Order for a budget sequester, by law. Conservatives are often critical of executive orders for how they bypass the United States Constitutional process for enacting new laws.

The proposed executive order on abortion to which Bart Stupak agreed on March 21, 2010, and which is riddled with loopholes, is available here. A criticism is available here.

Barack Obama issued 276 executive orders in total.^[1] During his two term Presidency, Ronald Reagan issued 381 executive orders.^[2] One must look at the content of executive orders rather than the number issued to determine whether overreach had been committed by a president.

An advisor to President Bill Clinton, Paul Begala, once joked: "Stroke of the pen. Law of the Land. Kinda cool."

Presidents and executive orders[edit]

Line graphs[edit]

Executive orders in line graph form demonstrating the issuance count of all former presidents.

Executive orders in line graph form from the Founding until Progressivism, demonstrating when the presidency began to be out of control.

Table[edit]

See also[edit]

• Executive amnesty
• Balance of power
• Dictator
• Tyranny
• Police states starts with a Welfare state, then a Nanny state

References[edit]

1. ↑ National Archives
2. ↑ National Archives

External links[edit]

• Executive Orders: Washington - Obama
• Ranking of presidents by average number of executive orders per year