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The Court Is Totally Wrong on Separation of Powers - The Atlantic

theatlantic.com

The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse — so why does unitary-executive theory keep handing that lever to the president?

Unitary Executive TheorySeparation of PowersConstitutional OriginalismChecks and Balances
The Court Is Totally Wrong on Separation of Powers - The Atlantic

Theory Briefing

  • The Constitution explicitly assigns spending power to Congress, yet unitary-executive theory is being used to consolidate that authority under the president.
  • The Atlantic's argument centers on a court ruling it says misreads the separation of powers by uniting all government control in the executive branch.
  • The debate cuts to a foundational question: whether the three-branch design is a hard legal constraint or a flexible political norm.