How Congress Lost, Part III: Hamiltonian Energy and the Washington Administration

Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part III: Hamiltonian Energy and the Washington Administration, American Enterprise Institute, June 2024.

This report by Jay Cost, the third in a series, traces the weakening of Congress vis-a-vis the President to the earliest days of the nation. Cost observes that Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton’s vigorous use of executive influence and the institutional advantages possessed by an executive branch helmed by a single president presaged the possible rise of a potent presidency.