executive agreement
noun
: an agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government made by the executive branch either alone or with Congressional approval and dealing usually with routine matters
Examples of executive agreement in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those executive agreements, as they are called, are still considered binding under international law.
—
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 Feb. 2025
In 2016, President Obama had committed the U.S. to Paris by executive agreement.
—The Editors, National Review, 27 Jan. 2025
Instead, Trump could be expected to rely on executive agreements and bilateral deals to reshape America's global relations.
—Axios, 16 Oct. 2024
Although the administration is pursuing the deal as an executive agreement, which does not require congressional approval, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, has asserted the need for the White House to work with Congress on any such deals.
—David Kamin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
Anticipating partisan opposition, presidents now usually avoid the congressional approval process altogether by entering into political commitments or executive agreements instead.
—Rachel Myrick, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2021
On a formatting level, the IPEF is an executive agreement and will not require congressional approval like a traditional trade agreement would, CSIS notes.
—Brigid Kennedy, The Week, 27 May 2022
Thus, though the JCPOA was technically an unenforceable multilateral executive agreement, Obama and Biden were able to project it as bearing Congress’s imprimatur and the status of international law.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 7 Mar. 2022
Tehran has realized that an executive agreement like the JCPOA has no legal force in the U.S.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2021
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Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 Feb. 2025
In 2016, President Obama had committed the U.S. to Paris by executive agreement.
—The Editors, National Review, 27 Jan. 2025
Instead, Trump could be expected to rely on executive agreements and bilateral deals to reshape America's global relations.
—Axios, 16 Oct. 2024
Although the administration is pursuing the deal as an executive agreement, which does not require congressional approval, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, has asserted the need for the White House to work with Congress on any such deals.
—David Kamin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
Anticipating partisan opposition, presidents now usually avoid the congressional approval process altogether by entering into political commitments or executive agreements instead.
—Rachel Myrick, Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2021
On a formatting level, the IPEF is an executive agreement and will not require congressional approval like a traditional trade agreement would, CSIS notes.
—Brigid Kennedy, The Week, 27 May 2022
Thus, though the JCPOA was technically an unenforceable multilateral executive agreement, Obama and Biden were able to project it as bearing Congress’s imprimatur and the status of international law.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 7 Mar. 2022
Tehran has realized that an executive agreement like the JCPOA has no legal force in the U.S.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Executive agreement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/executive%20agreement. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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