Abdication

The United States Constitution declares that "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States." Yet, over the past century, Congress has divested its legislative power to the courts, to the president, and to an ever-expanding administrative state. Why would legislators come to believe that it is in their best interest to no longer legislate? Can a constitutional republic long endure when the people's representatives no longer deliberate and pass laws? In this Provocation, Kevin Portteus traces the rise of delegation, explains how it transformed Congress and the American regime, and asks whether constitutional government can be restored by forcing Congress to legislate again.