When Richard Nixon was president, the Left excoriated him for governing like an emperor, using executive orders to do things that Congress would never approve. They had good arguments rooted in the Constitution’s division of powers between the branches of government.
That was a half century ago, and the Left has now abandoned any pretense of caring about the law of the land. Joe Biden is in the Oval Office and should be allowed to rule by decree.
In this Washington Post column, George Will contemplates the upcoming Supreme Court arguments over one of Biden’s directives, namely his cancellation of billions of dollars worth of student loan debt. He writes:
Biden’s $400 billion overreach has taken presidential impudence to a new level. It signals his complete capitulation to his party’s progressives, whose project is to emancipate the president, and the administrative state he wields, from all restraints. To put a bridle on the modern presidency, Congress needs the court’s assistance. All the court needs is the appropriations clause.
Correct. Biden’s decree is obviously unconstitutional. I’d like to see one of the Justices ask the lawyer representing the government where in the Constitution the president is given authority to forgive debts owed to the Treasury. Another good question would be, “Where in the Constitution is any branch of the government authorized to lend money?”
If the U.S. is ever to pull out of its nosedive into omnipotent government, we must restore the rule of law. The executive branch has to be limited to enforcing laws, not making them. The power of the purse must be restored to Congress alone. And the items Congress may spend money on must be limited to matters where power is specifically enumerated.