The Nature of the Relationship Between Congress and the President

The president and the Congress work hand in hand in the process of facilitating smooth running of the entire country. As the tradition, the Congress plays the broader role of checking the excesses of the president in various legislative functions. According to Pfiffner and Davidson, “presidency is entirely dependent on the personality and style of the incumbent”. For instance, the Congress has the duty of reviewing the budget presented by the president. The content of the budget is critically assessed by the Congress and what is perceived to be beneficial is passed and later assented into law by the president.

Other proposals that require further clarification may be discussed by both parties, i.e. the President and the Congress. Hence, effective communication is paramount in the nature of relationship between the President and the Congress. Judging from the latest approval ratings of both parties, it is evident that there is a poor relationship between the two. As a result, the general public is not pleased by such developments.

In retrospect, the constitution established a system of checks and balances between the President and Congress. This has been found to be very necessary. It is upon the President to offer guidance; direction and leadership on programs that have been deemed necessary and at the same time propose a budget. In addition, a state of the union message is regularly presented by the President on an annual basis. This occurs before the Congress can hold its joint session.

All the tentative goals attached to the proposed budget are critically examined. Even though the President submits a budget to the Congress, there is no surety that he will win it all. On the other hand, the main role of the Congress is to enact pieces of legislations which cannot become law unless the President appends his signature. The Congress may also enact additional laws especially if there is need of doing so.