Time to Pounce, Republicans!

Douglas Pratt (View Post):

All agencies should have a built in review date after which they either prove their worth or self destruct. I would like to see a third House that would review all laws and recertify or eliminate them after a decade or two.

I think that the way the separation of powers in the Constitution works is this.

Agencies are created, funded, and eliminated by Congress. They exist for the sole purpose of executing laws created by Congress. Congress only eliminates an agency when it repeals the statutes and appropriations that authorize it to act and spend money (or reassigns all its functions.)

Your and many other comments currently circulating about reforming Government are perhaps based on confusing the powers of the President with those of the executives of a private company, who do perform the kinds of functions you are thinking of.

Douglas Pratt (View Post):

Pounce on your Congressvole and make sure he/she/it doesn’t obstruct what needs to be done.

At least so far, it fortunately seems that only one district has an "it" for their congressvole.

A big part of the problem is that Congress sometimes punts on details or controversial provisions and leaves it to the agency to decide what the law means. That implicit deference was echoed in the Chevron decision in 1984. The current SCOTUS recognized that was out-of-whack and had created virtually runaway administrative power.

Congress has always had the power to defund agency overreach but rarely does so. Budgets just keep growing. If the Trump administration presents proposed budgets that pare back specifically identified spending and thus puts the onus on Congress to put items back in (making some specifics more transparent) we might see a new paradigm, a new mindset that can put us back on the right path even without extensive repeals.

Old Bathos (View Comment):

A big part of the problem is that Congress sometimes punts on details or controversial provisions and leaves it to the agency to decide what the law means. That implicit deference was echoed in the Chevron decision in 1984. The current SCOTUS recognized that was out-of-whack and had created virtually runaway administrative power.

Congress has always had the power to defund agency overreach but rarely does so. Budgets just keep growing. If the Trump administration presents proposed budgets that pare back specifically identified spending and thus puts the onus on Congress to put items back in (making some specifics more transparent) we might see a new paradigm, a new mindset that can put us back on the right path even without extensive repeals.

We have to start somewhere and Congress would be an impossible place for any success in restraining the budget.

Douglas Pratt (View Post):

Clearly they are demoralized. The time is right, and won’t last long. Sink your claws into your favorite issue and start writing, talking and posting about it. Pounce on your Congressvole and make sure he/she/it doesn’t obstruct what needs to be done

Doug I admire your enthusiasm, however as a resident of Maryland they have not even given me the curtsy of a "go away" email reply to any of the previous complaints I have sent to them. I don't even rate a blow off message from the summer intern stuck doing constituent complains.

They know my affiliation and treat me accordingly.