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Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, Leaving a Complex Political Legacy

Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, Leaving a Complex Political Legacy

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd and cameras outside.

The Time Will Come to Tear Down the Monuments Trump Has Built for Himself

A War We Cannot Win — And a Lesson America Should Have Learned Long Ago

A War We Cannot Win — And a Lesson America Should Have Learned Long Ago

​U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

RFK Jr. Received Compassion When He Was Arrested for Heroin, but My Patients Do Not

Republicans Now Are More Open to the Idea of Expanding Presidential Power

Support for expanding presidential power rises among Republicans

Republicans Now Are More Open to the Idea of Expanding Presidential Power
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumAug 20, 2019
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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Republicans Now Are More Open to the Idea of Expanding Presidential Power

A growing number of Republicans support expanding the power of the presidency, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.

More than 40 percent of Republicans surveyed in July said presidents would be more effective if "they didn't have to worry so much about Congress or the courts." That was up from 26 percent who supported the idea in February 2017, according to the survey.

The change was primarily driven by those identified as "conservative Republicans," whose support for expanding presidential power rose to 52 percent compared to 26 percent in March 2018. Less than a third of moderate and liberal Republicans supported the idea then and now.

While only 16 percent of Democrats believed in expanding presidential power in the July survey, 29 percent had supported the idea in August 2016, when Barack Obama was president.

Overall, 66 percent of Americans said it would be "too risky" to give presidents more power to deal with the country's problems, down from 76 percent who held the view a year ago.

The survey also found a change in favorability of Congress among Republicans and Democrats.

Forty-three percent of Democrats had a favorable view of Congress, up from 24 percent in March 2018. But the share of Republicans with a favorable view was 27 percent, down from 37 percent a year ago.

Overall, just over a third of Americans viewed Congress favorably versus 59 percent who viewed it unfavorably.


Republicans Now Are More Open to the Idea of Expanding Presidential Power

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People wearing vests with "ICE" and "Police" on the back.
The latest shutdown deal kept government open while exposing Congress’s reliance on procedural oversight rather than structural limits on ICE.
Getty Images, Douglas Rissing

Where Can Immigration Enforcement Take Place?

This nonpartisan policy brief, written by an ACE fellow, is republished by The Fulcrum as part of our partnership with the Alliance for Civic Engagement and our NextGen initiative — elevating student voices, strengthening civic education, and helping readers better understand democracy and public policy.

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The Iran war could shape American policy for decades

U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing upon the Iranian-flagged vessel that the U.S. accused of attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.

(U.S. Navy/Getty Images/TNS)

The Iran war could shape American policy for decades

The war with Iran that never really ended is back on. Like everybody else, including the Trump administration and the Iranian regime, I have no idea how it will end. But it eventually will, and how it will be remembered will matter enormously.

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Presidential powers: Corporate abuses big concern after SCOTUS move

An oil production operation is shown in North Dakota. With the U.S. Supreme Court granting more presidential powers to the executive branch, environmental groups warned key agencies will have a harder time going after polluters.

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Presidential powers: Corporate abuses big concern after SCOTUS move

A U.S. Supreme Court opinion issued last month expands presidential power over independent federal agencies, prompting warnings from environmental advocates about potential implications for states such as North Dakota.

The court’s conservative majority said President Donald Trump had the authority to fire a former Federal Trade Commission member without cause. Legal observers countered the opinion nullifies longstanding precedent involving the role of Congress in insulating certain federal agency officials from direct presidential control.

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6 US Cities that Show America What Independent Leadership Looks Like

Image: Downtown Riverside, California. By Matt Gush on Alamy.

Provided: Image license obtained and used exclusively by IVN Editor Shawn Griffiths.

6 US Cities that Show America What Independent Leadership Looks Like

Independent candidates face structural barriers at every level of American politics—ballot access restrictions, fundraising disadvantages, and the near-total dominance of two-party infrastructure. The problem is only getting more stark with recent rulings such as this week’s NRSC v. FEC, where the Supreme Court ruled that First Amendment considerations bar limits on how much money political parties can spend in support of their candidates.But the absence of independent officeholders is not absolute. At the local level, a number of mayors governing major American cities have been elected outside of party structures, winning competitive races and building governing records, showing American voters what independent leadership can mean.

While some of these officeholders are more closely affiliated with major parties than others, they have all publicly spoken on their independence.

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