How Congress Lost, Part IV: Washington, Foreign Policy, and the Emergence of Presidential Governance

Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part IV: Washington, Foreign Policy, and the Emergence of Presidential
Governance, American Enterprise Institute, August 2024.

This report by Jay Cost, the fourth in a series, further traces the weakening of Congress vis-a-vis the President to the earliest days of the nation. The U.S. Constitution deems the president the commander-in-chief and empowers him to receive ambassadors. By virtue of its unitary nature, a president has a first mover advantage wherein his words and actions can tilt the political and policymaking playing field. Cost argues the public credit and foreign policy challenges of George Washington’s presidency illustrate how the second branch can overpower the first branch of government.