Ex-Republican puts GOP on notice that Party may 'become an instrument of its decline'
Donald Trump will force Republican lawmakers to pave the way to their own demise, according to a conservative writer.
New York Times columnist David French, a former writer for the conservative National Review, wrote an article Sunday explaining how, in his view, Trump is forcing GOP members of Congress to give up their Constitutional authority. The piece coincides with the former and incoming president's efforts to subvert the Senate's power by forcing recess appointments for his administration's Cabinet nominees.
"These are the times that try a constitutional conservative’s soul. Donald Trump and his allies have proposed two legal maneuvers that could have profound consequences for the function of the federal government. He has proposed confirming presidential appointments through an abuse of his power to make recess appointments, and his allies have proposed reviving a mostly banned practice called impoundment, under which the president can refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress," French wrote. "These proposals together would gut core constitutional functions of Congress and could make Trump our nation’s most imperial peacetime president."
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According to French, these plans would completely take away the entire purpose of Congress.
He said one "can’t fully comprehend how pernicious these proposals are without knowing Congress’s intended role in our republic," and then explained how the legislative branch is actually the most powerful.
"Congress has the sole constitutional power to declare war, even if presidents frequently usurp that authority. It can fire the president, executive officers and judges through impeachment and conviction. It can override presidential vetoes, and the Senate can reject presidential appointees," French wrote. "But if Trump gets his way, he will have the power to nullify congressional enactments, even if they’re passed with veto-proof majorities. He’ll destroy the Senate’s advice and consent authority. He’ll make the executive the most powerful branch of government by far, creating a version of monarchical government that the founders despised."
French clarified that Trump hasn't taken power yet, so we can't sure how he will actually govern this time around, but ended with a warning for GOP lawmakers.
"We don’t know whether he’ll follow through on his threats and try to engineer a recess or impound funds. But his threats are still destructive. He’s trying to cow Congress into becoming an extension of his own will and desires," he wrote. "And if the Republican-led Congress capitulates, the party that long prided itself on constitutional fidelity will become an instrument of its decline."