There are numerous ways for Congress to check the president. In recent years, its members have frequently opted to pass so-called resolutions of disapproval to reverse administrative actions after they have been taken. An example of this is the process that Congress established in the Budget Control Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-25) to reverse prospective decisions by the president to raise the debt ceiling.

But resolutions of disapproval only make it look like Congress is checking the president. This is because Congress must first give the president the power to take action before it can pass a disapproval resolution to reverse it.