Executtive orders

The U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1, states: "The executive Power shall be vested in the President of the United States of America." Even though the Constitution makes no mention of executive orders, the President's power to issue executive orders has grown since the days of the Framers. To illustrate, Theodore Roosevelt issued 1,081 executive orders, five times more than any other president before him; but he was overshadowed by Woodrow Wilson (1,808 executive orders) and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who issued an unprecedented 3,522 executive orders (The American Presidency Project, 2014). Actually, there has been a significant drop in the number of executive orders issued by contemporary presidents (Ronald Reagan, 381; George H. W. Bush, 166; Bill Clinton, 364; George W. Bush, 291; and Barack Obama, 168 (through early 2014).

Post your explanation of whether presidential power has increased or declined based on the considerable reduction in the number of executive orders issued by contemporary presidents. Explain why or why not. Support your perspective with evidence from the Learning Resources or other scholarly sources.