We find ourselves grappling with an unprecedented problem in the landscape of American governance. The architects of the United States government ingeniously embedded a framework of internal conflict designed to prevent the concentration of power, a lesson learned from the bitter experiences of the Revolutionary War and the subsequent failure of the Articles of Confederation. This foresight underscored the necessity of a federal system that would disperse authority rather than allow it to coalesce in the hands of a singular entity or branch.
This intricate design serves as a cornerstone of our governmental structure.
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In 1788, James Madison articulated this concept in Federalist 51:
In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government, which to a certain extent is admitted on all hands to be essential to the preservation of liberty, it is evident that each department should have a will of its own; and consequently should be so constituted that the members of each should have as little agency as possible in the appointment of the members of the others. . . .
It is equally evident, that the members of each department should be as little dependent as possible on those of the others, for the emoluments annexed to their offices. Were the executive magistrate, or the judges, not independent of the legislature in this particular, their independence in every other would be merely nominal. But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others.
The founders placed their faith in the nature of humanity and the ambition of individuals seeking to safeguard their own authority, leading to a system of checks and balances among the branches of government.
This vision, while imperfect, functioned effectively until 2025, when Republicans seized control of the House, Senate, and the White House, effectively ceding their authority to Donald Trump.
Currently, the United States is enduring the second-longest government shutdown in its history.
On Saturday morning, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) shed light on the reason behind the Republicans’ reluctance to intervene and bring an end to the president’s shutdown.
Continue reading to explore how the Republicans’ capitulation to Trump will reverberate through the lives of every American.
