The United States president is one of the most influential leaders in the world. The powers and responsibilities of the President are outlined in Article 2 of the Constitution of the United States. However powerful the President might appear to be, the powers are highly limited, and most of the decisions are made with the approval of the legislative houses (Massey & Denning, 2019). However, the President holds the power to convene Congress for special sittings during emergencies to deal with urgent matters. Sometimes the nation is faced with challenges that need the intervention of the President. As the US President, it would be my duty to ensure I collaborate with other state departments to ensure the country runs smoothly and all challenges are dealt with accordingly and within the desired time. Such challenges include economic crises, the death of top government officials, and natural disasters.
The introduction of cheap Chinese products into the market has posed a threat to the growth of the national economy. People have opted for cheap Chinese products that have flooded the US market, leaving out local products that appear to be more expensive. As the President, I have to prevent foreign products from dominating the US market by ensuring local products are more affordable. There is a need to impose taxes on foreign products to regulate their dominance in the market and reduce production costs for local products to make them more affordable. The power to control business with foreign nations and impose taxes lies with Congress. Therefore, it is the President’s job to convene Congress and ensure the agreement on how to regulate the presence of foreign products in the United States market and come up with a law to boost local businesses.
To ensure the presence of Chinese products in the American market is regulated, there will be a need to enforce a law that would limit the importation of foreign products into the country. The President’s proposal will be to prepare a bill for Congress to establish that the country only prioritizes the importation of goods that are not available in the local market and promotes local goods consumption. Import duties should be higher on goods that will compete with those produced locally than those that are not available locally. After proposing to Congress, the President will convince the Congress members to pass the bill because some of them have businesses locally, and passing the bill would benefit them. Moreover, the President will hold talks with the Chinese government to set business terms to favor both countries and maintain a good business relationship.
Airlines are an important part of the nation’s economy. They form a big part of the transport sector due to income generated from both local and international flights. United Airlines is the largest airline globally, and once it stops operating, the country will lose a lot of income that the company generates from its operations. Therefore, a strike in such a company needs to be handled urgently. The employees’ grievances need to be identified and solved in the best way possible, and measures need to be taken to avert another strike in the future.
Major airlines, including United Airlines, have gone on strike when their services are in the highest demand. According to section 7 of the National Labour Relations Act, the strike is allowing employees to be involved in legal action to enable them to air out their views and show their displeasure. For the President’s office to address the issue, the strikes in these companies should first be identified whether they are legal or not. If the purpose of the strike is genuine, as the President, I will pay attention to the grievances of the striking parties and ensure their employers and the government work on their grievances.
The court of labor has the authority to declare a strike to be legal once it follows all the required legal channels. Representatives of the striking parties are then required to present their grievances to the Department of Labour for consideration. Once their grievances are received, the workers are then required to return to work as the government works on them. Due to the urgent need for transport services, the strike needs to be handled urgently so that the airlines can start working to avoid losses. To avoid this happening in the future, workers need representation in the legislative houses to air their grievances and give their views on how to improve the air transport sector.
The death of the US Ambassador to Russia in a freak accident is a matter that can attract national attention and requires thorough investigations to establish the cause of the accident that resulted in the death of the Ambassador. The death of a high-profile individual in the government under such conditions can lead to unrest in the country if the death is not properly investigated. As the President, I would set up a commission to investigate the matter and give a full report, as in the 9/11commission report requested by President George W Bush. The findings of the investigation will then be made public. In case the accident is found to be a criminal act, those involved will be arrested and charged.
A hurricane is a natural disaster that needs to be treated as a national emergency. Once a natural disaster strikes or the country faces an emergency, the President can call into service members of the National Guard to help citizens. Once a governor asks for help during an emergency, the President would instruct the National Guard to help vulnerable people during disasters. I will also propose to Congress to have them formulate a law that will ensure enough funds are set aside to train and equip rapid response units and firefighters in every state. The states can then be ready and equipped to deal with such events any time they happen.
The President of Mexico has approached wishes to sign a treaty between Mexico and the United States. Article 2 of the Constitution grants the President the power to sign treaties on behalf of the country but has to be backed by more than two-thirds of the Senate. The provisions in the Article pose a big challenge in decision-making because getting two-thirds of the Senate to pass the treaty as a law is a big challenge. Although involving the Senate will slow down the performance of official duties, it will help make decisions acceptable to the majority of the citizens.
Many people view the United States President as one of the most powerful people in the world but fail to understand the limitations that come with the job. The President is considered the head of the country, but the extent to which he will exercise his powers is limited by the Constitution. As much as the Constitution limits the President in performing his functions, it helps prevent individuals from using the position for their selfish purposes. Therefore, although being the President could make one the most powerful person in the country, they are expected to perform their duties within the Constitution’s limits.
Reference
Massey, C. R. & Denning, B. P. (2019). American Constitutional law: Powers and liberties. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.