Presidential Power

President Obama's recent moves to shape U.S. policy, ranging from taking executive action on immigration to beginning to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba, have stirred new controversy over the limits of presidential power. Congressional Republicans accuse him of usurping the Constitution, and Democrats defend his actions as legitimate responses to the partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill. Every president has stretched the constitutional boundaries separating the executive branch from the legislative and judicial, using executive orders, recess appointments, vetoes and other tools to accomplish policy goals. But the debate over executive power has become more heated in recent years, partly because congressional gridlock has made it harder for presidents to carry out their agendas through legislation. The U.S. fight against global terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has led some observers to question whether the Obama and George W. Bush administrations exceeded their authority in the interest of national security.