Executive Power: How Far Has the Presidency Expanded? With Professor Andrew Rudalevige - Part 2

In Segment 2, Bill Bernardoni continues his conversation with Professor Andrew Rudalevige — a leading scholar on presidential authority — exploring how the modern presidency has steadily accumulated power across multiple administrations. After noting that the issue is not new and not limited to any single president, Bill transitions from his earlier monologue into a larger historical arc that stretches from Coolidge and Lincoln to Bush 41, Cheney, Obama, and beyond. Rudalevige explains that as the federal government has grown larger and more involved in every aspect of American life, the executive branch has naturally gained leverage. Presidents have pushed that advantage through executive orders, regulatory authority, and unilateral action, while Congress has often stepped back, delegating too much through vague legislation and failing to push back when presidents test boundaries. Post-Watergate reforms were designed to rebalance power, but decades of presidential resistance, congressional gridlock, and partisan polarization have weakened those guardrails. Bill asks whether anything built into the Constitution allows Congress to reclaim the power it has willingly given away. Rudalevige answers that the mechanism exists — Congress simply needs to use its Article I authority, from oversight, to the purse, to veto overrides, and even impeachment. The challenge, he notes, is not legal capacity but political courage. The segment closes with Rudalevige mentioning his book By Executive Order and a forthcoming volume on the Trump presidency before Bill resets the hour: “The week’s biggest stories. Straightened out.”Do you believe Congress has either the ability or the will to reclaim power from the presidency? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.