Senate Influence or Presidential Unilateralism? An Examination of Treaties and Executive Agreements from Theodore Roosevelt and George W. Bush

Treaty-making involves the constitutional struggle for policy control. Both the Executive and Senate are defined as official actors in establishing international commitments and both closely guard their constitutionally defined roles. yet most research concludes that Congress rarely matters when defining US commitments abroad. We explore the Senate's role in treaty-making during the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) and the first term of George W. Bush (2001-2005). Our evidence confirms that even recent studies showing greater Senate influence on treaty-making significantly underestimate the upper chamber's role in defining US commitments abroad. Rather than killing treaties with a formal floor vote, the Senate exerts influence at the committee stage by refusing to act on controversial agreements negotiated by presidential administrations. President Bush has responded to such congressional oversight by establishing more international commitments through executive agreements rather than treaties, particularly when it comes to issues of security.