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| Trump in office: What are presidential executive orders? | Trump in office: What are presidential executive orders? |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Barack Obama used them sparingly; Donald Trump issued at least four in his first week in office: executive orders are a key tool for any US president wanting to make their mark on government policy. | Barack Obama used them sparingly; Donald Trump issued at least four in his first week in office: executive orders are a key tool for any US president wanting to make their mark on government policy. |
| Republicans accused Mr Obama of overreach when he signed orders on healthcare and gay rights, but they have praised Mr Trump for using the same tactic to roll back Obamacare. | Republicans accused Mr Obama of overreach when he signed orders on healthcare and gay rights, but they have praised Mr Trump for using the same tactic to roll back Obamacare. |
| What is an executive order? | What is an executive order? |
| It is a written order issued by the president to the federal government which does not require congressional approval. | It is a written order issued by the president to the federal government which does not require congressional approval. |
| Orders range from dramatic reverses of policy, like Mr Trump's approval for the construction of two bitterly contested oil pipelines, to ordinary business, such as Mr Obama's instructions on half-day closing for government departments on Christmas Eve 2015. | Orders range from dramatic reverses of policy, like Mr Trump's approval for the construction of two bitterly contested oil pipelines, to ordinary business, such as Mr Obama's instructions on half-day closing for government departments on Christmas Eve 2015. |
| Authority for issuing the orders is rooted in Article II of the US constitution, which states: "The executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States of America." | Authority for issuing the orders is rooted in Article II of the US constitution, which states: "The executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States of America." |
| Why do presidents issue them? | Why do presidents issue them? |
| Sometimes the orders are made during wartime or to avert a domestic crisis. In February 1942, President Franklin D Roosevelt signed an executive order that led to the creation of detention centres for about 120,000 Japanese Americans. | Sometimes the orders are made during wartime or to avert a domestic crisis. In February 1942, President Franklin D Roosevelt signed an executive order that led to the creation of detention centres for about 120,000 Japanese Americans. |
| In 1952 President Harry S Truman issued an order that put the steel industry under the control of the government in an attempt to avoid a strike. | In 1952 President Harry S Truman issued an order that put the steel industry under the control of the government in an attempt to avoid a strike. |
| Mr Obama issued his most controversial executive orders in an attempt to work around gridlock in Congress caused by intransigent Republican opposition. | Mr Obama issued his most controversial executive orders in an attempt to work around gridlock in Congress caused by intransigent Republican opposition. |
| "If they're not going to do anything, we'll do what we can on our own," he told a crowd in Kansas City in July 2014. "That's when we act - when your Congress won't." | "If they're not going to do anything, we'll do what we can on our own," he told a crowd in Kansas City in July 2014. "That's when we act - when your Congress won't." |
| Why are they politically sensitive? | Why are they politically sensitive? |
| Executive orders are controversial because they bypass approval from Congress, allowing the president to act on his own. | Executive orders are controversial because they bypass approval from Congress, allowing the president to act on his own. |
| Republicans successfully sued Mr Obama over part of his 2010 healthcare changes, arguing that he had exceeded his constitutional authority when he unilaterally delayed an insurance coverage deadline. | Republicans successfully sued Mr Obama over part of his 2010 healthcare changes, arguing that he had exceeded his constitutional authority when he unilaterally delayed an insurance coverage deadline. |
| A president may also issue an order when members of Congress act too slowly or when the president feels he needs to flesh out details of a new law. | A president may also issue an order when members of Congress act too slowly or when the president feels he needs to flesh out details of a new law. |
| How frequently are executive orders issued? | How frequently are executive orders issued? |
| Roosevelt issued 3,522 orders, while Mr Obama signed just 279. George W Bush issued 279 over his eight years in office. | Roosevelt issued 3,522 orders, while Mr Obama signed just 279. George W Bush issued 279 over his eight years in office. |
| Mr Obama's was a modest total by modern standards, but positively extravagant compared to that of Grover Cleveland, who issued an average of just 28 a year during his first term. |