How and why the president can use executive orders [Video]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Presidents have used executive orders since the formation of the United States government.

President George Washington had eight while he was in office. During President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 12 years in office, he signed 3,721 executive orders.

“Something that has occurred throughout history, the usage of it has varied by time, but so has the content,” says Matthew Tarpey, Ph.D., a professor of Political Science at Pittsburg State University.

Presidents use the power of the pen for a variety of reasons.

“You can think about it as being similar to a CEO determining what company policy would be. But it could also be something that is formally delegated from Congress,” says Tarpey.

According to the National Archives, these presidents signed many executive orders: