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Office Hours: WTF do they tell themselves?
As Trump siphons away their power, how do congressional Republicans justify to themselves their total abdication of responsibility?
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Friends,
Trump’s decision to strike Iran without congressional authorization has renewed debate over Congress’s constitutional role in the use of American forces.
At almost every turn, Trump is usurping powers that the Constitution reserves to Congress — not just the power to go to war but also the power to set tariffs, the power to appropriate and spend public funds, and the power to create and oversee the many independent agencies that exist to serve the public good.
Yet Republicans, who hold majorities in both chambers of Congress, won’t defend their constitutional prerogatives. America is becoming a dictatorship because there are not even 4 Republican senators out of 53, nor 3 Republican representatives out of 220, with enough courage and integrity to stand up for Congress’s constitutional responsibilities.
I’ve been asking myself what Republican senators and representatives tell themselves about why they hold public office. When they look at themselves in the mirror in the morning to adjust their lapel pins, how do they justify their complete and total abdication of responsibility?
I can imagine a few self-justifications:...
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