Does Congress Even Want Power Anymore?

Trump’s defiance of congressional oversight extends to actions that might otherwise be bipartisan. During the 43-day government shutdown last fall, he authorized the continuation of military salaries, using money that had been appropriated for other purposes. Although a measure authorizing military pay likely would have received bipartisan support, Trump took unilateral action. (House Speaker Mike Johnson had sent members home during the shutdown, an action that Democrats argued was an effort to delay a vote on the Epstein files.)

“The key problem for Congress is that they have a collective action problem. Members often agree with the president on the substance, and so they don’t want to take away a power from a president who’s doing something with it that they like,” said Matt Glassman, a senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown. “Congress is usually happy with whatever the president designs. The president always designs stuff that enhances the presidency, and the president always makes a decision that enhances the presidency.”

The strength and weakness of Congress has fluctuated over centuries as the federal government has expanded. In the nineteenth century, generally a period of stronger Congresses, the purview of the executive branch was far more limited. “The federal government simply did fewer things. It did fewer things in part because our economy was less complicated, the country was smaller,” said Reynolds. During periods of high polarization in the nineteenth century, the presidency had less power.