Member-only story
Presidential Fiat or Congressional Neglect
Nowhere in the Constitution are executive orders mentioned. Yet they have become the way our presidents govern.
President Biden is doing exactly what his predecessor, Donald Trump, did. And it is the same thing that Barak Obama, George Bush, and every president since Woodrow Wilson has done. The 20th and 21st century presidencies have decided to govern, to some degree, by executive order instead of doing the hard work of convincing Congress to pass their legislation.
The presidency has become an elected dictatorship. The flawed Electoral College system has been one cause of this but not the precipitating factor in this occurring. These 4-year dictatorships are more corrosive and insidious than our unsound election process. They are the result of Congress not exercising its authority as outlined in the Constitution.
Congress’s weakness has resulted in our current all-powerful presidency. For the most part, Congress has justified its abdication and granting of so much authority to the president because of national security.
As an example, a president has a supposed trade beef with another nation. By invoking the phrase “national security,” he can levy a tariff against that country. Even if it is a staunch ally and neighbor such as Canada. If the president wants to build a wall between Mexico and…
