The key difference between an executive agreement and a treaty is:

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Unlike a treaty, an executive agreement does not need to be ratified by the Senate, or anyone else. An executive agreement is simply an agreement between two heads of government to have their bureaucracies do something. There are hundreds of executive agreements between the US and other countries every year, generally over relatively mundane matters. Occasionally, though, the president makes a substantial executive agreement because he is concerned that the Senate would not ratify it if it were a formal treaty.

The Key Difference Between an Executive Agreement and a Treaty