Groucho Reviews (CFB)

THE BLUE WAVE HAS REACHED CAPITOL HILL. NOW COMES THE CONSTITUTIONAL TEST. Carl Hulse makes an important point in today's New York Times: Tuesday's Democratic sweep was more than an electoral repudiation of Donald Trump. It gives Congress an opportunity to recover constitutional powers it has increasingly surrendered to the presidency. For two years, Republican majorities largely accommodated Trump's expansion of executive authority over spending, tariffs, and war powers. Beginning in January, Democrats will control both chambers. They can investigate executive misconduct, issue subpoenas, challenge unauthorized spending, and block presidential appointments. But they cannot simply legislate their way past Trump's veto or the Senate filibuster. The question now is whether Congress will reestablish itself as a coequal branch of government rather than merely substitute one party's obedience for another's. The voters have changed who holds power. The harder task is changing how that power is exercised. Carl Hulse, The New York Times, November 4, 2026. (You can read it for free without a subscription.) nytimes.com/2026/11/04/us/po…