Summary of Congress Used to Work. What Happened?

Overview of Congress Used to Work. What Happened?

This episode of The Political Scene examines the long decline of Congress as a functioning legislative branch and asks why it has become so weak compared with the presidency. Susan Glasser, Evan Osnos, and Jane Mayer are joined by Carl Hulse, The New York Times’s chief Washington correspondent, to trace how Congress went from a place where lawmakers wrote bills, controlled spending, and exercised real institutional power to one that often appears sidelined, reactive, and politically hollowed out.

The conversation argues that Congress’s collapse is not the result of one cause, but of decades of changes: partisan polarization, gerrymandering, fundraising pressure, media incentives, leadership centralization, and the steady expansion of executive power—especially under Donald Trump.

Key Takeaways

• Congress has steadily surrendered power to the executive branch.

  • The legislative branch has increasingly given up its authority over spending, tariffs, and war powers.
  • Trump’s presidency accelerated this trend by governing as though Congress barely mattered.

• Newt Gingrich reshaped Congress’s internal structure.

  • Gingrich’s rise in the 1990s weakened committee chairmen, centralized power in leadership offices, and made Congress more performative and media-driven.
  • The old system of committees hashing out bills in detail was replaced by leadership-crafted legislation and television-friendly messaging.

• The House and Senate now reward performance over lawmaking.

  • Many members are more focused on social media visibility, fundraising, and cable-news moments than on committee work or legislative dealmaking.
  • Carl Hulse notes that some offices now prioritize communications staff over legislative staff, a sign of how far priorities have shifted.

• Polarization and gerrymandering have shrunk the middle.

  • Extremes in both parties dominate primaries, leaving fewer members willing or able to compromise.
  • Safe districts reduce the number of competitive races and weaken incentives for moderation.

• Money distorts the institution.

  • Campaign finance pressure remains a major driver of congressional behavior.
  • Outside groups, super PACs, and wealthy donors exert enormous influence, making structural reform difficult.

• Fear is now a major organizing force in Congress.

  • Members fear retaliation from Trump, backlash from their base, and political consequences for crossing party lines.
  • That fear helps explain why Congress often fails to assert itself even when it has the constitutional power to do so.

Why Congress Broke Down

1. Leadership Centralization

• Power shifted from committees to party leadership.
• Bills are now more often written in leadership suites than through committee deliberation.
• Appropriations, once one of Congress’s strongest tools, has become increasingly dysfunctional and rushed.

2. The Gingrich Revolution

• Gingrich transformed congressional politics into a more combative, televised, and discipline-driven model.
• The “Contract with America” era helped normalize a more partisan, media-conscious Congress.

3. Gerrymandering and Primaries

• Safe districts and mid-decade redistricting reduce accountability and encourage ideological candidates.
• Primary voters tend to reward the most partisan candidates, not the most pragmatic ones.

4. The Media and Social Media Era

• Many lawmakers now behave more like influencers than legislators.
• Being visible and provocative can be more rewarding than being effective.

5. Executive Overreach

• The White House has expanded its reach into areas that were once clearly congressional territory.
• Congress often fails to push back, either because it lacks the political will or because members prefer not to bear responsibility for unpopular decisions.

Possible Reforms Discussed

Structural Changes

• Nonpartisan redistricting to reduce gerrymandering and create more competitive districts.
• Campaign finance reform to reduce donor dominance and outside influence.
• Restoring committee strength and giving lawmakers more reasons to do legislative work.
• More robust staffing and institutional capacity, especially legislative staff.

Cultural/Political Shifts

• Rebuilding public respect for Congress would likely require broader cultural change, not just technical fixes.
• The guests suggest that crises can sometimes force reform, but that crisis-driven change is unpredictable and often messy.

Notable Insights

• Once Congress gives up power, it is very hard to get it back.
• The current system rewards outrage, branding, and fundraising more than governance.
• The real barrier to reform may be that too many current actors benefit from the broken system.
• Both parties share responsibility, even if Republicans under Trump are the clearest example of ceding institutional power.

Bottom Line

The episode presents Congress as an institution that has been weakened over time by internal rule changes, partisan incentives, money, and the rise of a more assertive presidency. The central argument is sobering: Congress did not simply “stop working” overnight—it has been gradually stripped of authority and purpose, and restoring it would require deep structural reform and a major shift in political incentives.