Once upon a time (well, in 1787 to be exact), a bunch of smarty-pants dudes got together and decided to create a government with three branches. There’s the boys and girls in charge of making laws (aka Congress), the big boss who runs things (aka the president), and the folks who wear black robes and bang gavels (aka the Supreme Court). Yes, they all have some shared responsibilities, but the founders definitely put more faith in Congress than the other two. Sorry, Mr. President, but you ain’t the boss of everything.

Congress is like that one friend who always wants to make the plans and have things done their way. They’ll make the laws, they’ll spend the cash, they’ll hire the president’s squad and decide whether he can bring a new judge to the party or not. Heck, they even get to decide how many judges are on the Supreme Court and how busy they’ll be. Talk about some serious control freaks!

Just because Congress is in charge of a lot of stuff doesn’t mean the other two branches can just ignore them. Nope, they’ve gotta answer when Congress comes calling. It’s like when your mom asked if you cleaned your room – you know there’s no way to escape, so you might as well fess up. It’s all part of the grand plan outlined in the Constitution.

Despite how things have played out in recent years (we’re looking at you, Oval Office), Congress was supposed to run the show. But somehow, the presidency became the shiny star of the government, leaving Congress feeling like the forgotten middle child. So, when it makes headlines that a member of the executive branch refused to meet with Congress, it’s kind of a big deal. Who’s in charge here anyway?

So, the next time you’re feeling down, just remember that Congress is the boss (or at least they were supposed to be). And if the executive branch ever tries to dodge them, they’ll be the first to remind them who’s really running the show.

Serious News: nytimes