Remember those catchy Schoolhouse Rock! tunes? I sure do! Not only were they incredibly catchy, but they also provided a fantastic way to learn. Even today, I can still belt out many of those songs.
One song in particular stands out: “Just a Bill.”
You might recall how this tune explained the legislative process—how a bill becomes a law! This song essentially lays out the fundamental mechanism of Congress. Here’s the original video on YouTube.
However, in recent decades, Congress has been delegating its responsibilities to the President on critical issues like immigration and war powers.
Take war powers, for instance. The last time Congress declared war was on June 5, 1942, against Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania during World War II—that’s over 80 years ago! Since then, Presidents have taken us to multiple conflicts: Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia… the list goes on. (There is a nuance here: Congress has authorized budgets and other actions to support these wars.)
Our Founders intended for the Legislative Branch (Congress) and the Executive Branch (the President) to be co-equal branches of government. However, we’ve seen a rise in Presidential power and a decline in Congressional authority.
The primary mechanism for Presidential action has become Executive Orders—fiat orders from the President that do not require Congressional approval.
A parody from Saturday Night Live illustrates this new reality of Executive Orders.
It’s important to note that the growth in the use of Executive Orders isn’t a recent phenomenon. As a Vox article highlights, the rise of Executive Orders began at the turn of the last century with Teddy Roosevelt and continued with his cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The key point isn’t just the raw count of Executive Orders but their increasing impact. The herky-jerky transition from President Biden to President Trump in 2025 showcases this greater reliance on—and impact of—Executive Orders.
The key lesson from these transitions is clear: Congress needs to reassert itself as a coequal branch of government. Congress must take on immigration reform, declare war when necessary, and step up as the primary legislating branch of the U.S. government.