Class Six -- Monday, January 11, 2016

In today's class, we will begin our discussion of presidential spending powers by discussing a debate between Professors Stith and Sidak over the power of the purse. (The Boland Amendment, which figures heavily into the Stith and Sidak debate, is an example of an appropriations rider, a topic explored in a briefing paper assigned as optional reading for Class Five and a legislative tool of continuing significance.) In today's class, we will also dig into the specific example of executive spending during government shutdowns, as explored in Puja Seam & Brad Shron, "Government Shutdowns" (May 4, 2005) (Briefing Paper No. 10) - please read pages 18-37 and 40-44. Team Assignment: (Teams A, E & I): Please write a short (3-5 page) memorandum evaluating the relative merits of Professor Stith’s and Professor Sidak’s arguments. For reference, as an overview of the mechanics of Executive powers, see Schick, The Federal Budget: Chapter Ten: Managing Federal Expenditures, which we will take up in further depth during Tuesday's class.

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