Checks and balances are at the absolute core of our governmental workings.

The framers designed a system that was directly opposed to one person or one group of people having all the power, and we see that through the myriad ways Congress can check the president. So what are those checks? How have they waned over the last few decades? And finally, why would Congress opt to use (or not use) them?

Joining us today is Eric Schickler, professor of Political Science at UC Berkeley and author of Investigating the President: Congressional Checks on Presidential Power.

Referenced in this episode:

Our Starter Kit series.

Our episode on impeachment from 2019.

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How can Congress check the president?

Civics 101