In a gambit to lay the groundwork for impeachment, the GOP leadership has announced plans to sue Pres. Obama on grounds that he has abused his authority by issuing executive orders to implement policies.
In support of the lawsuit, the usual suspects on the right have been making outrageous claims about the number of executive orders the president has issued — the most extravagant of which asserts that he’s issued more than 900 so-called EOs. The actual number is much lower, fewer than 200, so far. By contrast, George W. Bush signed 291 EOs.
Not surprisingly, the U.S. president who issued the most executive orders was Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat who served four terms. Republican presidents have issued more than their share of EOs, too, of course. In their single terms, Republicans Theodore Roosevelt issued 1,081 EOs, Calvin Coolidge issued 1,203 orders and Herbert Hoover issued 968. Richard Nixon issued 346 EOs in his five years in office, and tea-party patron saint Ronald Reagan issued 381 executive orders during his two terms.
The chart below shows the exact numbers for all presidents going back to 1901. To see a complete list going back to Pres. Washington, visit the American Presidency Project.
Number of Executive Orders Issued by Presidents Since 1901
Source: The American Presidency Project
| President | Term | Total Orders | EO Number Range | |
| Theodore Roosevelt |
Total |
1,081 | ||
| William Howard Taft | Total | 724 | ||
| Woodrow Wilson |
Total |
1,803 | ||
| Warren G. Harding | Total | 522 | ||
| Calvin Coolidge |
Total |
1,203 | ||
| Herbert Hoover | Total | 968 | 5075 – 6070 | |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt |
Total |
3,522 | 6071 – 9537 | |
| Harry S. Truman | Total | 907 |
9538 – 10431 | |
| I | 504 | 9538 – 10029 | ||
| II | 403 | 10030 – 10431 | ||
| Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Total |
484 | 10432 – 10913 | |
| I | 266 | 10432 – 10695-A | ||
| II | 218 | 10696 – 10913 | ||
| John F. Kennedy | Total | 214 | 10914 – 11127 | |
| Lyndon B. Johnson |
Total |
325 | 11128 – 11451 | |
| Richard Nixon | Total | 346 | 11452 – 11797 | |
| I | 247 | 11452 – 11698 | ||
| II | 99 | 11699 – 11797 | ||
| Gerald R. Ford |
Total |
169 | 11798 – 11966 | |
| Jimmy Carter | Total | 320 | 11967 – 12286 | |
| Ronald Reagan |
Total |
381 | 12287 – 12667 | |
| I | 213 | 12287 – 12499 | ||
| II | 168 | 12500 – 12667 | ||
| George Bush | Total | 166 | 12668 – 12833 | |
| William J. Clinton |
Total |
364 | 12834 – 13197 | |
| I | 200 | 12834 – 13033 | ||
| II | 164 | 13034 – 13197 | ||
| George W. Bush | Total | 291 | 13198 – 13488 | |
| I | 173 | 13198 – 13370 | ||
| II | 118 | 13371 – 13488 | ||
| Barack Obama |
Total |
168 | 13489 – 13656… | |
| I | 147 | 13489 – 13635 | ||
| II | 21 | 13636 – 13656… | ||
Nearly all Pres. Obama’s executive orders have been crafted to circumvent Republican obstructionism on issues that majorities of Americans support. George W. Bush’s motive was quite different. He had no need to circumvent the legislative process because he presided over the infamous “Rubberstamp Congress” that readily passed just about every piece of legislation he supported. His purpose in issuing EOs was, in fact, to consolidate power in the Executive Branch, which is what the GOP is accusing Pres. Obama of doing now — and which Republicans now appear to have deemed an impeachable offense.
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