How one bill, H.R. 6971, can restore congressional power and our nation
Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, attempted to veto 29 pieces of legislation, including the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act. These bills were not merely negligible laws; rather, they granted African Americans, women, and immigrants vital protections and rights. Johnson’s rampage of vetoes threatened the very same principles our nation stands on today. Fortunately, Johnson’s threats to liberty did not pass, thanks to opposition from Congress. Out of the 29 bills Johnson attempted to veto, Congress overrode 15, ultimately shattering Johnson’s power. Congress checked executive power in an effort to protect the nation, which is the very purpose and reason for the legislative branch. Without congressional oversight, those 15 core pieces of legislation would not exist today. To push America one step closer towards a nation that embodies “liberty and justice for all,” congressional authority must be respected and protected by new legislation such as H.R. 6971.
After Johnson’s presidency in the late 1860s, Congress has driven national progress and maintained its legitimacy by challenging executive power—until now. Thirty presidencies later, Congress has crumbled under the second Trump administration. Since re-gaining presidential office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly undermined congressional power. However, to Democrats’ dismay, GOP members have done nothing to preserve congressional power, instead opting to praise Trump’s manipulation of Congress. With the Trump administration slowly dismantling the legislative branch’s authority and Republicans holding more seats in Congress, maintaining Congress as a barrier between executive authority and law seemed hopeless. That is, until January 7th, when Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL-3) introduced H.R. 6971, a bill that would “require congressional approval of major Executive Orders and major rules, and for other purposes.” A Republican representative from Alabama introducing such legislation marks a wake-up call for GOP leadership. To be enacted, the bill will need to pass the House, the Senate, and finally, President Trump. Although H.R. 6971 is unlikely to pass, other bills that restrict executive override have been drafted to continue the fight. Legislation to protect congressional power helps restore our nation by reinforcing the system of checks and balances crucial to our democracy.
Both Democratic and Republican presidents alike have attempted to surpass legislative limitations, yet never before has a president gone as far as President Trump. When U.S. forces began a military campaign to fight off a drug cartel off the coast of Venezuela, they neither got authorization from nor notified Congress. Then, the White House canceled $5 billion in foreign aid funding by overriding a congressional ruling. Worst of all, the White House has explicitly stated that they don’t respect congressional authority. Over the course of Trump’s term, the White House has worked to undercut the legislative branch’s spending powers; Trump has extracted billions in foreign aid, treated congressional spending as optional, and slowed down funds for key federal agencies. In doing so, Trump not only undermines congressional authority but also shows the legislative branch blatant disrespect.
In response, congressional Republicans have remained silent. Congress remained passive after the Trump administration tried to take back $5 billion in foreign aid. However, Democratic leaders are growing angry with Congress’s silence. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) states that “we cannot cede power, there are consequences.” Welch expresses the concern of many Democrats alike, a looming fear of what silence in the government really means. As H.R. 6971 comes into light, a lingering question has been answered: Republican leaders are beginning to realize the corruption in Trump’s overriding of Congressional power. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has said, “If the president should determine, ‘You know what? I need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela.’ I think that would require Congress to weigh in.” Hawley’s words speak for themselves. Change is needed, illustrated by once-silent Republican leadership standing up to protect Congress’s power. With this bill, these politicians are standing up for our nation’s foundational values. America has been pushed around and trampled by President Trump. Yet, this is the time to take our power back by empowering the legislative branch to use its power again: all by passing one bill.
