Make the Presidency Less Imperial
Congress has given the White House too much power. Curbing it could just make U.S. politics a little less polarized.
Cut it down to size.
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty ImagesThe last two U.S. presidents repeatedly stretched the powers of their office to set policies that Congress had refused to enact. Instead of following their example, President-elect Joe Biden should work with Congress to bring the branches of the federal government to a better balance.
President Barack Obama’s most controversial executive actions were his unilateral decisions to grant work permits to millions of illegal immigrants after Congress had spent years debating amnesty. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to provide funding for construction of parts of a border wall with Mexico, again after Congress had rebuffed him. Trump also imposed steel tariffs on much of the globe without congressional approval.