Congress spent years creating a vacuum, and President Donald Trump is rushing to fill it — with little resistance.
One recent moment illustrates the dynamic shaping his second term. When Trump threatened a trade war, we asked Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) why lawmakers, over many years, ceded tariff power to the White House.
“If Congress were more functional, I could see maybe having a little bit larger role,” Johnson said. But Congress “doesn’t want to be held accountable.”
Johnson’s answer helps explain the wider way in which Congress turned itself into a bystander as Trump runs ...