Checks and Balances

Checks and balances are one of the most important systems that the United States government uses to ensure that no branch has more power than the other. The three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, all have specific abilities that keep the other branches in “check.” In the American Government Textbook, it states, “ no branch could function without the cooperation of the others, and each branch could restrict the powers of others.” This demonstrates that the purpose of Checks and Balances is to prevent any single branch from abusing its powers or becoming too powerful. For example, the Legislative branch, or the Congress, can make laws, but the Executive branch, or the President, can reject those laws. Congress can then vote on the law again, and with a two-thirds vote in favor of the law, it becomes a law even if the President rejected it. This indicates that each branch is monitoring the others to ensure that the separation of powers remains equal. Sometimes it might take a while for branches of the government to take action regarding something that another branch did, especially for major problems. I think that even though it may take a while for another branch to respond to what’s happening, it is better than the branches rushing and not having time to consider the opinions and feelings of the citizens.
In my opinion, I believe that checks and balances are one of the best and essential things about the government. I think that without checks and balances, the government would be too power hungry to think about how the laws they pass would affect the citizens of the United States. Something that I feel is important is that even though the President may seem like the most powerful figure in the government, he/she can still be held accountable if they go too far. The same goes for the other branches of the government. I believe that checks and balances are in effect to make the government seem more reliable due to the shared power. The textbook states, “the framers of the Constitution, concerned about the excesses of British monarchial power, made sure to design the presidency within a network of checks and balances controlled by the other branches of the federal government. Such checks and balances encourage consultation, cooperation, and compromise in policymaking.” This supports my opinion that the people who created the Constitution would rather have the branches sit together and discuss when making an impactful decision rather than a rushed one.
An example of how checks and balances are seen today was during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Trump signed executive orders to restrict entry to people who have traveled to China. After he signed these orders, they went through court to be challenged. While some supporters of the executive orders believed that it was necessary to keep citizens safe, others questioned whether the President had that much power to prevent some citizens to not being able to come back to their home just because they went to an international country. This specific example is one of many times that a branch of government held another branch of government accountable for its actions.
Overall, I believe that checks and balances are one of the most important pillars that make up the American government. They ensure that no single branch has more power than the other. Checks and balances encourage the different branches to work together in order to process and discuss major decisions that would impact the millions of citizens who reside within the United States of America.