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75 votes
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Why have US Presidents not been given the power of line item vetoes?

It's a good idea if you think the President should have much stronger powers than other branches, and that legislative compromise should be eliminated, as part of the system, altogether. As much as ...
PoloHoleSet's user avatar
47 votes
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What kind of approval does Donald Trump need to build his wall?

The main problem is getting the money from congress. The US executive has a budget plan which is made by Congress. This budget plan says how much money the President is allowed to spend for what ...
Philipp's user avatar
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42 votes

Why have US Presidents not been given the power of line item vetoes?

Why have US Presidents not been given the power of line item vetoes They have. Congress passed the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, but it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Clinton v. ...
Brythan's user avatar
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41 votes
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What are the requirements for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

Short Answer The president can give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to anybody at any time. The choice is entirely at his/her discretion. Medal of Freedom – Truman The link in your question ...
Michael Benjamin's user avatar
39 votes

Do former US presidents have the right to receive daily CIA briefings?

Do former US presidents have the right to receive daily CIA briefings? In Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham, published in 2015, there is a statement,...
Rick Smith's user avatar
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39 votes
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In parliamentary democracy, how do Ministers compensate for their potential lack of relevant experience to run their own ministry?

o.m. has made some nice points for how it could/should work out, but one answer that shouldn't be missing here is the following: Very often, they don't. The crux of a parlamentary system, which by its ...
AuronTLG's user avatar
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35 votes
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Appeal process for being designated a "Terrorist Group" (Canada)

The appeals process is set out in part 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (2001), which amended the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) Act and implemented the list. In simple terms, the process is that a ...
CDJB's user avatar
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33 votes

Does the U.S. Cabinet take direct orders from the President?

Cabinet members often state that they serve at the pleasure of the President, and the President can fire any Cabinet member at any time, but can the Cabinet members legally and Constitutionally ignore ...
phoog's user avatar
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31 votes
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Why is Trump moving to Florida?

What does it mean that he is moving? He changed his permanent residence from Trump Tower in NYC to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, not actually moving. The change was made September 27th. Also, do we know ...
Rick Smith's user avatar
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26 votes
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What was the rationale behind EO 13787 updating the DOJ Order of Succession?

When Barack Obama was getting ready to leave office, he changed the succession with executive order 13762. That EO replaced 13557 which had replaced 13481. That EO replaced "the President's ...
Brythan's user avatar
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23 votes
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Why hasn't the Supreme Court found the Hatch Act unconstitutional?

The Act's constitutionality was challenged in 1947 in United Public Workers v. Mitchell, and again in 1973 in United States Civil Service Commission v. National Association of Letter Carriers. In both ...
CDJB's user avatar
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21 votes

In parliamentary democracy, how do Ministers compensate for their potential lack of relevant experience to run their own ministry?

In most cases, cabinet officials are not picked at random from the members of parliament. One would pick a member of the relevant subcommittee, who should have experience with the policy issues of the ...
o.m.'s user avatar
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17 votes
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In what way(s) was US Judge Royce Lamberth a "pain in the butt" to the Clinton Administration?

Judge Lamberth presided over quite a number of cases involving the Clinton administration, and often ruled against it - leading a presidential aide to call Lamberth a "loose cannon", and ...
CDJB's user avatar
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17 votes

Shortest term as prime minister?

This is a misunderstanding of the Swedish system. Magdalena Andersson did not actually serve as prime minister after the first election. There was no formal transfer of power from Stefan Löfven to her ...
user141592's user avatar
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17 votes
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Is it common for former presidential advisors to go by "Honorable"?

According to the State Department's protocol office, "the Honorable" accrues to government officials who have been elected to public office or are appointed by the President of the United ...
phoog's user avatar
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14 votes
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Who runs the USA when the presidents are switching?

There is a website for presidential transitions, which says: Inauguration Day marks the official end of the current Administration. In past transitions, the President has requested all non-termed ...
Brythan's user avatar
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14 votes
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Does the US President have the legal authority to unilaterally close the country’s borders?

The term "close the southern border" is quite broad and has many potential ramifications. Would such a directive apply to citizens? Legal residents? Commercial vehicles? Does he mean closing ...
Michael Benjamin's user avatar
14 votes

Shortest term as prime minister?

The question is rather unclear, but if we stick roughly to a position called PM and some kind of election being involved... Siaka Stevens' 1967 "premiership" (in Sierra Leone) probably ...
Make StackExchange GREAT 4ever's user avatar
13 votes

Why can't the "shithole" controversy be independently verified?

Because they didn't record them. But looking at the question's edit history, you already knew that. These meetings are to generate agreement, consensus, or at least compromise. That isn't ...
Brythan's user avatar
  • 90k
13 votes

Does the U.S. Cabinet take direct orders from the President?

See Wikipedia's entry on the Cabinet. The Cabinet consists of the Vice-President, the head of each department of the Executive branch, and assorted non-department-heads who hold cabinet-level ...
Ted Wrigley's user avatar
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12 votes
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If the VP were to invoke the 25th amendment to remove the President as unfit for office, would acting secretaries be able to consent?

The 25th amendment does not state "Secretary". It states "Principal Officers". That term is generic and has no Constitutional definition. Therefore, I would imagine that Acting Secretaries would count....
Ben Cooper's user avatar
12 votes
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Could Boris Johnson theoretically ignore any legislation passed to prevent no-deal brexit?

This would become a rather murky area, without precedents to go by. According to Article 50 (1), each country can decide to leave the EU in accordance with their own constitutional requirements. ...
o.m.'s user avatar
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12 votes
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Why make large dense investigative reports for public release if there are significant barriers to understand them?

Trying to answer the question from the viewpoint of a scientist, not a member of the administration, but I think the logic is similar, as it is about technical reports. The dense language in each ...
Taladris's user avatar
  • 2,254
12 votes

Are there countries that put state-owned enterprises under the ownership of the legislature instead of the executive?

By definition, it is the task of the executive branch to execute the law. State-owned companies are typically considered to be a concrete implementation, i.e. they are one way the government can ...
Hulk's user avatar
  • 863
11 votes

Why is Jeff Sessions eligible to become Attorney General?

My interpretation of this is that a senator, once elected for a six-year term, cannot be appointed to an Executive Branch office during that period, Your reading is correct. But that doesn't prevent ...
dannyf's user avatar
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11 votes
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How would a trial occur if two political bodies investigate the same crime?

For a trial to occur, a US Attorney needs to file a charging document with a court. The attorney in question can do that either on instructions from the Department of Justice or if he or she ...
Denis's user avatar
  • 755
11 votes

Why does the Executive make (promulgate) laws? The laws should be made by the legislative

No, the executive can not make "laws". But the executive can make "ordinances" on matters delegated to them by law. The 2016 demonetization of bank notes in India was made by such ...
Philipp's user avatar
  • 78.2k
10 votes
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Why is the head of the Department of Justice not called the Secretary of Justice?

The position of U.S. Attorney General was established in 1789, while the U.S. Department of Justice was established in 1870, nearly a century later. For awhile after the ratification of the ...
slondr's user avatar
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