Congress's increasing dysfunction and its tendency to delegate power to the presidency instead of fulfilling its legislative responsibilities. This trend causes problems both domestically and internationally, as adversaries exploit the situation where laws are not created, leading to unstable policies.
1. Congress's Responsibilities: Congress is meant to make laws, address national issues, and hold the executive branch accountable. However, lawmakers often engage in obstruction rather than governance.
2. Impact of Elections: The upcoming midterms may shift partisan control in Congress, but they won't resolve the underlying dysfunction that prevents effective lawmaking.
3. Executive Power Expansion: When Congress fails to legislate, presidents use executive orders to fill the gap. This creates temporary solutions that can change with each administration, leading to unstable policies.
4. Iran's Strategic Manipulation: The article notes that foreign adversaries, such as Iran, take advantage of U.S. political instability. They can wait out changes in administration, knowing that policies based on executive action may not be durable.
5. Obstruction as a Political Strategy: Legislators benefiting from obstruction can avoid accountability by blocking initiatives without needing to propose viable alternatives. This has led to a cycle where attention is garnered more by political battles than by solutions.
6. Consequences of Legislative Failure: When Congress does not act, significant national and international issues are left unaddressed, weakening U.S. standing and making policies reversible and unstable.
7. Opportunity in the Lame-Duck Session: As the current session of Congress nears its end, there is a unique opportunity for legislation that can provide lasting policy changes, especially through budget reconciliation.
8. Restoring Congressional Authority: Long-term improvements require Congress to take decisive action, like returning to responsible governance and reducing the delegation of power to the executive branch.
Regardless of the midterm elections' outcome, the central challenge remains: Congress must reclaim its constitutional role of making laws and taking responsibility for difficult policy decisions. The future stability of U.S. policy relies on ensuring that laws outlast individual presidential agendas, thus preventing foreign adversaries from exploiting domestic divides.
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