Federal agencies are acting like lawmakers, using authority granted to them by both the United States Congress and the President to make regulations of their own, without facing the voters. This has led to many abuses of power. If elected branches acted this radically, judges would have stepped in to stop them.
The Heritage Foundation held an event with author Peter Wallison to discuss his book, Judicial Fortitude: The Last Chance to Rein in the Administrative State. During his lecture, Peter urged the judiciary to defend the constitution by standing up to the federal bureaucracy.
Heritage is committed to restoring limited, constitutional government, and that starts by limiting federal bureaucracy. Thank you for allowing us to stand up for our founding principles.
Which branch of the government is best suited to rein in federal regulations?
William Coates - November 16, 2018
The executive branch, because that’s where the agencies are. The President through executive orders is responsible for limiting, or not, their activities even if the staff want to grab the ball and run with it as the EPA has done.
The legislative branch is suspect because of their dependence on campaign contributors, most of whom have very specific agendas.
The judicial branch tends to duck issues and make narrow rulings, rather than tackling the basic constitutional and practical principles.