Congress and the President: Do They Work Together?

I do agree that the real "meat of the matter" between the president and Congress is discovered by looking at their relationship rather than to evaluate each branch separately. However, I feel that one needs to know the duties that are laid out by the Constitution for each branch to determine if the relationship is at its fullest potential. In the following paragraphs I will discuss the duties of both Congress and the president, as well as support my opinion that the relationship is detrimental in a successful partnership between the president and Congress, and how sometimes the president would not use his Congress to the fullest, if allowed.

First of all, what exactly are the duties of Congress? Let me start by saying, that the first mention of Congress was in Article I Section I of the Constitution. Article I Section I states, "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representative." In my opinion, Congress was very important to the founding fathers and holds a lot of responsibility. Some of the responsibilities are as followed: To make laws, to regulate commerce with foreign affairs, and to make rules for the US armies to abide by. These are big "jobs" that have been an issue throughout the generations and plays a huge factor in how important a member of Congress should take their role. Another power that Congress possesses is that they hold the power of Impeachment if it is necessary. This tells me, that even though the president is Commander in Chief, the president still should respect their Congress and not forget that they have limits too. In other words, the Congress was in fact created to control a "would be imperial president".

Now, let's discuss the role of the president. Using the Constitution as a reference, the president is introduced in Article II Section I. It states, "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." In the same article it states, that the president shall take this oath before entering his position; "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." With this, what are the duties of the president? The president shall be Commander in Chief, shall have power to make treaties (with the advice and consent of the Senate), appoints ambassadors and Judges of the Supreme Court, and also needs to keep Congress up to date with information about how the president is executing their "job". He also needs to "preserve and protect" the Constitution by respecting Congress and the rules that were placed by the founders, to follow. There are a number of other responsibilities that the president holds, but I feel that with all of his duties, he must always remember that he does have a body of people to "answer" to and the president needs to be nonpartisan in making decisions for the country.

Now, after briefly explaining the two branches, it is easy to see that one can not function without the other. Also, in my opinion, Congress was developed to keep the United States a democracy and preserve the work of the founders of the Constitution. Some will say that Congress is trying to control the president and not allow the president to do their job to the fullest. In response to that, I feel that a Congress that does that is a good Congress and are merely performing their job well. Also, it is human nature to want to be the best you can, and if you notice, Congress was first mentioned in the Constitution and was the first branch of government, so therefore, isn't it safe to say that the president would try to expand its power? Also, Congress should always stand firm for what they feel is right, even if it is an uncomfortable issue they must handle. Let me quote Robert C. Byrd when I say that at all times, Congress needs to speak up and voice what they feel is true and right concerning the Constitution, along with how the presidents actions can affect America: "We stand, passively mute, paralyzed. What would the Constitution's framers say? What would these signers of the Constitution have to say about this Senate which they created when they note the silence, that is deafening, that emanates from the Chamber on the great issue of war and peace?" I'm sure you have concluded that Byrd was talking about the war on Iraq. Members of the same Senate responded in saying that in time of War there is really nothing members of Congress could do anyway. Of course, the Bush administration jumped all over that comment. What I'm trying to say, is that I firmly believe that Congress was developed to keep the president in check and to help the president execute the duties that come with the presidency. It's a team, the president is the captain; however, he could not win without using the team's ability to win.