In his first 100 days back in office, President Trump has signed over 140 executive actions, which have reshaped U.S. policy on immigration, energy, education, and the federal workforce.
Meanwhile, Congress has passed only a handful of bills. None of them is central to the national conversation.
The spotlight is squarely on the presidency, but where is the branch of government designed to lead?
Congress was once the center of American political life. These days, it seems like an afterthought. And its silence speaks volumes.
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ποΈ Where is Congress?
πΌοΈ The Big Picture: The Founders of the United States built Congress to be the first branch of American government. That's why Article I of the United States Constitution focuses on the legislative branch and its powers.
Today, Congress isn't leading. It reacts to executive orders with a slow caution-- if at all.
Its inaction reflects more than just gridlock. It marks a historic shift away from the government the Founders envisioned.
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β οΈ Why It Matters: The United States Constitution places Congress first-- literally and philosophically.
Article I: Legislative Powers.
Article II: Executive Power.
The Framers structured these articles intentionally.
"In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates."
Madison understood that in a democracy, the branch closest to the people--the legislature--should hold the most power.
That's why he also called for internal checkswithin Congress:
"The remedy...is to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them, by different modes of election and different principles of action, as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions...will admit.
But Madison also feared legislative dominance. In Federalist 48, he warned:
"The legislative department is everywhere extending the sphere of its activity, and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex."
Today, the concern is reversed--not legislative overreach, but legislative retreat. An outcome Madison did not foresee.
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π°οΈ Historical Deep Dive: Congress in the 1790s
A branch designed to lead--and one that did.
The framers believed that Congress should set the course for the republic.
Congress holds the power of the purse, the authority to declare war, and the ability to shape the nation's laws and future.
The 1790s offer a vivid case study of Congress fulfilling its intended role--not just governing, but defining what the United States would become.
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βοΈ Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Republic in Debate
Two visions. One stage: Congress.
πΊπΈ Alexander Hamilton wanted:
A strong central government
A national bank
A manufacturing economy
Ties with Great Britain
πΎ Thomas Jefferson envisioned:
Limited federal authority
An agrarian republic
Statesβ rights
Support for revolutionary France
Hamilton and Jefferson's competing futures for the United States clashed in Congress. It was an arena where Americans saw self-government in action.
Jefferson objected, but negotiated a compromise: debt assumption in exchange for relocating the capital to the Potomac.
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1791: The Bank of the United States
Hamilton proposed creating a national bank for the United States.
Jefferson argued it was unconstitutional. He warned: βTo take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless field of power.ββ -- Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, Feb. 15, 1791.
Despite Jefferson's objections, Congress passed the Bank Bill on February 2, 1791.
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1795: Jay Treatyβ The Senate ratified and Congress funded the Jay Treaty with Great Britain--a deeply controversial agreement many Americans saw as a betrayal of revolutionary ideals.
Yet it was Congress that held the power to fund and debate the treaty, not the executive alone.
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ποΈ When Congress Led
In the 1790s, Congress didn't shy away from the big questions.
It debated economics, foreign policy, and federal authority. It also set the course for the young United States.
Madison's words-- "In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates"-- captured the conviction of the time: Congress should lead because it is the closest branch to "We the People."
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π§ Tune In For More
Want to hear how Congress helped shape the early American republic?
These episodes of Ben Franklinβs World offer deeper dives into the debates, personalities, and power struggles of the early republic.
π Episode 180: Discover how Hamilton's legal strategies in the early Congress shaped federal and state power.β
πEpisode 131: Examine Thomas Jefferson's vision for the United States as an "Empire of Liberty."
π Episode 202: Explore how the U.S. Constitution created a bicameral Congress and why the House of Representatives took its specific form.
π Episode 338: Investigate the formative years of the United States Senate, including its rules, procedures, and political influence.
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π¬ Let's Talk History
What lessons from the 1790s do you think Congress should remember today?
Tim and I are making the most of our final weeks in Virginia. Last weekend, we drove to Charlottesville and took the Behind the Scenes tour at Monticello.
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Monticello
The tour took us into all three levels of Jefferson's home. We enjoyed our guide's interpretation and knowledge. In each space, we learned more about Jefferson and his family, and the enslaved people who lived and worked on his vast plantation.
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Liz and Tim in the Dome Room of Monticello.
This was also a fun tour because the last time I visited Monticello, I was in the second grade. I remembered Jefferson's swivel chair and writing desk, and both were present in his office.
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Jefferson's swivel chair and writing desk.
What I didn't remember was that a bust of John Adams (a replica of one Jefferson owned) overlooks Jefferson's bed and sleeping compartment.
The bust of John Adams overlooks Jefferson's bed.
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