In U.S. government, the legislative branch has multiple areas of authority allowing it to act as a check on the executive branch. Here are some examples.
* Appointments of federal judges and executive branch officials must be approved by the Senate.
* Congress has the authority to impeach a president and remove him from office.
* Congress can enact laws requiring the executive branch to do certain things or forbidding them.
* Congress must approve the budget for all federal agencies and activities and can also use this power to bar the executive branch from carrying out policies legislators disagree with.
Focusing on the federal government, one example of how the legislative branch can check the executive branch is by overriding a presidential veto. Congress passes laws, but the President can veto the proposed law if he doesn’t approve of it. However, Congress can override this veto if two-thirds of both houses of Congress vote to do so.
Another example is that the Senate must approve the president’s choice for a Supreme Court justice. When Supreme Court justice Scalia died suddenly, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace him. However, the Senate refused to act on the nomination stating that a nomination should not be confirmed in the last year of a president’s term in office. This was a somewhat controversial move by the Senate, and as a result, when President Trump took office, he needed to nominate a justice. He nominated Neil Gorsuch. The Senate held confirmation hearings, and he was eventually confirmed. The same process will now occur since Supreme Court justice Kennedy has announced his retirement.
These are two examples of how the legislative branch can check the executive branch.
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