ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with an overview of the president Bill Clinton’s policymaking powers. The politics of policymaking can also change as the political environment changes – say, from divided government to unified government. The president’s policymaking powers have grown in other respects since Richard E. Neustadt’s time, and that is because Congress has gradually delegated more powers to the executive branch. Presidents mostly shape discretionary economic policies indirectly, through the personnel they choose to direct agencies. In the legislative process, Congress has the power to propose legislation and the president has the power to veto those proposals. The battle centered on what was essentially a left–right issue: Congress sought significant cuts to social programs, including and Medicare and Medicaid, and Clinton objected. Spatial models are also used to understand policy choices of governmental institutions such as a panel of regulators, a chamber of Congress, or the Supreme Court.
