Where Is Congress? The Rise of One-Party Rule and the Collapse of Checks and Balances

Where Is Congress? The End of Checks and Balances in America

The Vanishing Legislative Branch

Many Americans are now asking: Where is Congress? Why isn’t anyone being held accountable? Where are the arrests? Why is there no call for impeachment?

The short answer: Congress is still in Washington, but it has been effectively neutralized. The judicial branch remains functional, but after years of dedicated efforts by the conservative movement, it is now stacked in favor of the administration. The Republican Party has consolidated power to such an extent that few meaningful mechanisms remain to challenge executive overreach.

And all of this was foretold in Project 2025.

Americans were warned during the last election. Many did not listen. One-third of eligible voters did not turn out. Now, the consequences are unfolding before our eyes.

Why Is No One Being Arrested? The Absence of Checks and Balances

Americans expect accountability when leaders defy the law, but in today’s America, there is no one left to enforce accountability. The institutions meant to uphold justice and democracy have been systematically dismantled. The Department of Justice, which once acted as an independent legal body, has been hollowed out and restructured to serve political loyalty over legal principle. Investigations and prosecutions are no longer determined by evidence and law, but by party allegiance.

With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, traditional oversight committees—historically powerful tools to investigate corruption—no longer function as intended. Federal law enforcement, once expected to uphold the rule of law regardless of politics, has become increasingly politicized. The executive branch has absorbed power that was meant to be shared, making legal challenges to its authority more symbolic than effective.

This leaves the courts as the only remaining check—but even judicial rulings are being ignored.

In Rhode Island, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s decision to pause federal spending to pressure Congress was unconstitutional. The White House ignored the ruling (The Guardian). This isn’t an isolated case. Across multiple legal battles, Trump has wielded presidential immunity to dismiss lawsuits, refusing to comply with judicial orders.

What happens when a president simply refuses to follow the law? With a legislative branch unwilling to challenge him, and a judiciary designed to favor his interests, there is no longer an effective mechanism for accountability.

Unchecked Executive Power: The Constitution in Crisis

The Constitution was built on the idea of three co-equal branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The intent was to prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful, ensuring that one could check the abuses of the others.

That system no longer exists.

Since returning to office, Trump has systematically rejected the authority of Congress and the courts. His administration has issued dozens of executive orders, many of which directly violate legal constraints and bypass Congress. The idea of presidential immunity, once a fringe legal theory, has now become a de facto governing principle—allowing him to act without fear of consequence.

A clear example is Trump’s handling of tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. The administration originally imposed new trade restrictions under the guise of national security. The backlash was swift, with industries warning of severe economic consequences. But instead of rolling back the policies, the White House paused the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for one month—a strategic move to delay legal challenges before reinstating them.

These tariffs remain in effect against China, increasing costs for American businesses and consumers (Vanity Fair). Meanwhile, Congress has done nothing to intervene. The legislative branch no longer functions as a check on executive authority; it functions as an enforcement mechanism for it.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently warned:

“If Congress refuses to assert itself as a co-equal branch of government, then we cease to be a democracy. We become a government of one.” (NPR)

Despite these warnings, there has been no movement toward impeachment, no legal consequences, and no meaningful resistance from lawmakers.

Historical Context: How the U.S. Became a One-Party State

At its founding, the United States had no political parties. The Constitution made no mention of them, as the Founding Fathers believed that factionalism would be the downfall of democracy. But by the early 1800s, political parties became inevitable, with Federalists and Democratic-Republicans battling for control.

By the 1850s, the Republican Party rose to power, replacing the Whigs and defining itself as the party of anti-slavery and economic modernization. The Democrats, meanwhile, shifted toward states’ rights and agrarian interests.

Over the next century, these parties evolved dramatically. By the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal transformed Democrats into the party of social welfare and progressive governance. Meanwhile, the Republicans aligned with business interests, conservative economics, and, by the 1960s, Southern segregationists fleeing the Democratic Party.

For decades, America functioned as a two-party system. However, this changed after 2014, when hyper-partisanship and strategic judicial appointments began shifting the U.S. toward single-party dominance.

The rise of the Tea Party in 2010 radicalized the Republican Party, shifting it toward a strategy of absolute power consolidation. By 2016, under Trump, the party had fully embraced authoritarianism, culminating in the 2024 elections—where the Republican Party gained total control of the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court.

Unlike past periods of single-party dominance, what makes this moment unique is the total absence of institutional opposition.

Project 2025: The Blueprint for Permanent Conservative Rule

Everything happening now was planned long in advance.

Project 2025, orchestrated by the Heritage Foundation, serves as a master plan for reshaping the U.S. government into an unaccountable conservative stronghold.

The Plan Includes:

• Expanding presidential power beyond constitutional limits.
• Dismantling federal agencies and replacing career officials with political operatives.
• Packing the judiciary with judges who will validate voter suppression, deregulation, and presidential immunity.

A staggering 36 out of 53 executive orders issued by Trump directly mirror Project 2025’s recommendations (Vanity Fair).

This is not governance—it is a coup-by-policy.

Conclusion: What Comes Next?

The question is no longer “Where is Congress?”

The real question is:

Who will hold this government accountable if no institution is left to do so?

The survival of democracy now depends on what happens next:

1. Mass Public Engagement – If voter turnout does not increase, elections will cease to matter.
2. State-Level Resistance – States must challenge federal overreach, even as courts attempt to silence them.
3. Judicial Reform – Without a change in the courts, authoritarianism will be permanently legalized.
4. Media Independence – With state-aligned media rising, independent journalism must be supported.

If these actions fail, the consolidation of power under Project 2025 will become irreversible.

History does not repeat itself—but it warns us.

Will we listen?

Citations and Relevant Links

• NPR – Sen. Chris Murphy on Congress’s Role
• The Guardian – Federal Grants Paused Under Project 2025
• Vanity Fair – Trump’s Executive Orders and Project 2025
• AP News – Bernie Sanders on Project 2025
• Financial Times – Trump’s Trade War and Tariffs
• The Guardian – US Tariff Pause and Economic Impact
• Project 2025 Official Site – Heritage Foundation
• New York Magazine – Trade War and Economic Consequences
• Reuters – Congressional Response to Trump’s Tariffs