What are the purse stings of the US Constitution?

Answer 1

The so-called purse strings of the government refers to Congress's power to authorize the budget of the Federal government. Although the President compiles it and proposes it to Congress for adoption, it has no effect unless Congress adopts it. You will also hear the phrase" the power of the purse" at times. This is essentially the same thing. The President cannot do certain things without Congressional approval and this is most readily seen when it comes to things that require funding from the US Treasury. For example, even though the Pesident is Commander-in-Chief of the US armed forces and even though the US Treasury is part of the Executive branch, he cannot increase the number of servicemen unless Congress gives him the money to do so. This is one of the various "checks and balances" of our Constitution.