ObamaCare: Congress Ceded Power to the President and the Bureaucrats

Democracy and Power 115: Other Power Players

The federal bureaucracy is an enormous player in policy and politics.

ObamaCare:  Congress Ceded Power to the President and the Bureaucrats

When the Democrats controlled the Senate and the House, they passed ObamaCare.  In order to cobble together enough votes, the law was intentionally left vague and granted enormous authority to the bureaucrats to promulgate rules and regulations.

Today, the law has become worse than a “train wreck.”   Through the deceit and deceptions by Mr. Obama and the manipulations by bureaucrats, millions of Americans have lost their insurance, will be paying higher monthly payments and are exposed to higher deductibles.  Undoubtedly, this“train wreck” is directly caused by our President and his administration.  

Very important for all Americans to know is that this “train wreck” is inherent and integral to all big government programs – banking, environment, welfare and the rest.  Invariably, the disconnect between the makers of the law (Congress) and the implementers (bureaucrats) impairs the mission and intent of the law. Congress passes laws, but is completely dependent on the President and his bureaucracy to implement and report on the status of the law.

The case in point is ObamaCare.  Senator Max Baucus was the main author of the law, but had little knowledge or input over the rules, regulations, waivers, extensions and the hundreds of decisions exerted by President Obama and his bureaucrats.  In a recent Senate hearing, Baucus exposed why government programs invariably fail:

“Make no mistake, I believe in this law. I spent two years of my life working on the Affordable Care Act. There is nothing I want more to succeed.  But months ago I warned that if implementation did not improve, the marketplace might struggle…We heard multiple times that everything was on track. We now know that was not the case.”

Speaking to Kathleen Sebelius, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of ObamaCare, Baucus lectures the bureaucrat-in-charge:  “You’ve got to tell us what the problems are…. The more you don’t tell us, the greater the problem is going to be.”

Ah…the curse of big government.  Again, Congresses pass laws, but are completely dependent on the President and his bureaucracy to implement, honestly collect information and apprise Congress, and the public, on the status and efficacy of the law.  

Harmfully and invariably, programs and policies morph at the will and direction of the president and his bureaucracy.  Welfare is a recent example.  The Obama Administration by administrative rule has greatly reversed the intent – work requirements – of the 1996 welfare reform. 

As for environmental policies, remember Solyndra.  It was the bureaucracy following the direction of the President that made all the terrible loans to solar and wind energy schemes.  

Without a doubt, the bigger our government becomes, the less the President has a capacity to be knowledgeable and the bureaucracy’s power dangerously expands.  Only a much smaller government with limited to defined functions will stop the continuing “train wrecks” and dysfunctional government.   Of course, this was the intent of the Constitution, which has been undermined by politicians and bureaucrats of all political persuasions – Democrats and Republicans.  

Only when We the People demand small, honest and competent government will America restore liberty and again flourish civilly, economically and culturally.

Related Content