The U.S. Presidency: Office and Powers (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Jan. 7, 1997 |
| Report Number |
97-73 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Harold C. Relyea, Government Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The President of the United States heads the executive branch of the federal government, which
is
constitutionally equal to the legislative and judicial branches. While somewhat interdependent upon
the other two branches, the President is vested with strong appointive, administrative, legislative,
fiscal, and international powers. Initially assisted by a personal secretary and a few functionaries to
maintain the White House, the President was granted a modest expansion of his immediate staff in
1929. Ten years later, the Executive Office of the President was established, and continues to consist
of several small agencies directly assisting the Chief Executive with matters of policy development,
program administration, and operations coordination. Currently, the White House Office, counting
the President's closest assistants, employs about 400 individuals; the collective units of the Executive
Office of the President have staff levels of approximately 1,600 employees. These are the extended
eyes, ears, and hands of the modern President. Constitutional and statutory law provide for
succession to the office in the event an incumbent President is unable to discharge his duties or dies.
