The first executive orders of new US President Donald Trump have made quite an impact.
Here’s what you need to know about executive orders:
What is an executive order?
In short, an executive order is a way for the US President to get something done without having to go through Congress.
The National Constitution Center says an executive order pretty much has the same power as a federal law and is legally binding.
To understand how they work, you need to know that the US Government is broken into three branches:
* Congress (Legislative), who make the laws
* The President (Executive), who carries out the laws
* The Courts (Judicial), who evaluate the laws
An executive order isn’t the president creating a new law, which is the job of Congress.
Instead, it’s a way for a president to tell federal agencies he controls how to carry out the laws already set by Congress.
For example, telling the Department of Homeland Security to deny people from seven Muslim-majority countries entry into the United States.
Executive orders aren’t specifically mentioned in the United States constitution, but every single president dating back to George Washington has issued them.
