The first session of the 119th Congress has been consequential: The legislative branch ceded many of its constitutional responsibilities to the executive branch, senators changed the process for confirming presidential nominees, the House rank and file grew more emboldened to sidestep their leaders and force votes, and much, much more shaped the competition among the branches of government.
When historians look back on significant years for huge shifts in U.S. politics, 2025 will be a good candidate. Article I of the Constitution explicitly states the legislative branch’s rights, responsibilities and duties, and while every president and every Supreme Court term tests the boundaries of the Constitution’s meanings, this year has presented a full-blown reconsideration of what Congress does, why and in what ways it can assert, or choose not to assert, itself.
