New York Times: How to Tame the Presidency After Trump
What should Congress do about the “imperial” presidency? President Donald Trump managed the executive branch as his own fief, mocking the markers Congress had set down to secure its interests in government. Mr. Trump purged inspectors general and removed an F.B.I. director, brushing aside protections Congress established in law for their independence. He installed loyalists in acting positions, flouting the Senate’s confirmation process, and weakened protections for career professionals. He defied Congress’s power of the purse and its oversight authority.
Mr. Trump’s onslaught on the legislature exposed serious weaknesses in previous efforts to counter the rise of the presidency. But the responses that come most readily to mind are likely to prove ineffective. Congress will have to reach deeper into its tool kit if it is to reclaim its voice. The best option would be for Congress to assert its capacity to engage the president and the executive branch in ways that foster cooperation in issues of governance.
With President Biden now in the White House, Congress might be tempted to duck the problem. He has promised to restrain himself and respect the norms that Congress expects presidents to uphold.
But that would be a mistake: Looking to Mr. Biden for relief from Mr. Trump’s transgressions still leaves the potential for abuse in place for a future president — and it also leaves the potential in place for Mr. Biden himself, if he so chooses that path even occasionally. If Mr. Trump taught us anything, it is that presidents are not dependable arbiters of best practices. It shouldn’t be up to them to decide for themselves whether to respect prosecutorial independence or listen to the experts.
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