It is not an accident that Congress is the topic of Article I of the U.S. Constitution. The Founding Fathers viewed the ‘People’s Assembly’ as the core of the new American government. This brief reviews the sources, extent, and limits of legislative authority. Our focus is on the modern-day Congress, as the balance of power between Congress and the President has shifted significantly over time.

In recent weeks, thousands of government employees in federal agencies have either been financially incentified to voluntarily leave their position or have been outright terminated. At first glance, these actions contradict the widespread belief that it is nearly impossible to remove federal bureaucrats. Leaving aside whether you agree or disagree with the nature and breadth of these cuts, one question top of mind for many is how these reductions in the federal workforce were even allowed or accomplished in the first place.

Although it is essential in a healthy democracy to work across party lines, achieving bipartisan consensus is not necessary for enacting a budget this year, as Republicans control the levers of power. However, over the last generation, substantial deficit reduction has generally involved bipartisan coalitions in Congress. In our final brief on deficit reduction, we discuss the principal bipartisan effort currently underway, that of the Problem Solvers Caucus.