Is Congress Broken? by Gary J. Schmitt

Author:Gary J. Schmitt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

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The Other End of Pennsylvania Avenue

GARY J. SCHMITT AND REBECCA BURGESS

A core tenet of courses in American government and civics, repeated from elementary school through college, and generation after generation, is that the Framers of the U.S. Constitution intended to create three equal branches of government. But for the past five decades the charge has regularly been made that the constitutional system is out of whack—that one end of Pennsylvania Avenue is far more powerful than intended or expected, that the federal government is dominated by an “imperial presidency.”

That this charge has been leveled against presidents of both parties does not, of course, prove it is true; partisanship may generate claims that exaggerate or color the facts. However, it is also the case that the persistence of such claims across time and administrations suggests there may be more here than mere party politics. Even self-interested partisans need some ties to reality if they are going to convince the majority of their claims.

The fact that the first branch of government has slipped in relative importance to the executive branch may be easy to see today, but understanding why the phenomenon persists requires examining the various core elements that have given rise to it and maintain it. A congressional reform agenda intended to redress the balance of power, or, short of that, enhance those legislative capacities that make the current order more responsible and effective, will need to take account of why the governing system has evolved as it has.

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