00:00The U.S. government, like ours, consists of three branches of organization conceived to
00:04keep each other in check, with Congress in charge of creating and enacting legislation
00:09for all to follow.
00:10But the president holds a special power to unilaterally direct government policies, executive
00:15orders.
00:16This VOA feature shines the light on how it is wielded.
00:20The power of the pen.
00:23With just their signatures, U.S. presidents can issue executive orders directing the actions
00:28of the federal government without needing the approval of Congress.
00:33Executive orders have the force of law within certain limits.
00:37An order must specify what basis it has in either the Constitution or existing legislation.
00:45Even then, executive orders can be overturned.
00:49Courts can rule them unconstitutional.
00:51Congress can refuse funding for enforcing an order or pass legislation to invalidate
00:57it.
00:58And future presidents can undo an executive order by issuing a new one.
01:03Except for William Harrison, who died after one month in office, all U.S. presidents have
01:09issued at least one executive order.
01:12Some executive orders make history.
01:14Abraham Lincoln, 1863.
01:18The Emancipation Proclamation, Franklin Roosevelt, 1942.
01:23World War II internment of Japanese Americans, Harry Truman, 1948.
01:29Desegregation of the U.S. military.
01:33Franklin Roosevelt issued 3,700 executive orders during his tenure, more than any other
01:39president.
01:40While more recent presidents have averaged about 55 executive orders per year, few have
01:45issued any on their first day in office.
01:48Donald Trump, however, issued 26 orders immediately after being sworn in, surpassing the nine
01:54first-day executive orders issued by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
01:59Initially used mostly in wartime and emergencies, executive orders are becoming an increasingly
02:05important tool for presidents to shift priorities and change the way the federal government
02:10does business.
