A bold defense of our nation's legislature and its ability to work through the country's deepest divisions, and a stark warning of what our political future holds if we allow Congress to decay. Like it or not, our country's future depends on Congress. The Founding Fathers made a representative, deliberative legislature the indispensable pillar of the American constitutional system, giving it more power and responsibility than any other branch of government. Yet today, contempt for Congress is nearly universal. To a large extent, even members of Congress themselves are unable to explain and defend the value of their institution. Why Congress takes on this challenge squarely, explaining why our increasingly divided politics demand a legislature capable of pitting factions against each other and forcing them to work out accommodations. This book covers the past, present, and future of the institution to understand how it has become so dysfunctional, but also to suggest how it might be restored. The book vividly shows how a healthy Congress made it possible for the country to work through some of its most difficult challenges, including World War II and the struggle for civil rights. But transformations that began in the 1970s ultimately empowered congressional leaders to suppress dissent within their own parties and frame a maximally divisive agenda. In stark contrast to the earlier episodes, where legislators secured durable political resolutions, in facing contemporary challenges, such as immigration and COVID-19, Congress has exacerbated divisions rather than searching for compromises with broad appeal. But Congress' power to organize itself suggests a way out. Wallach deftly explains that while Congress could accept its descent into decrepitude or cede its power to the president, a Madisonian revival of deliberation can yet restore our system of government's ability to work through deep divides.
Industry Reviews
"Timely." - David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker
"'Why Congress'--no question mark, no subtitle--is perhaps the most important book on politics published in 2023." -- The Wall Street Journal
"Nuanced and persuasive, this is a valuable reminder that Congress has risen to the moment before and can do so again." -- Publishers Weekly
"...a well-researched, readable examination of Congress's ability and inability to deal with important policy issues, ranging from 1960s civil rights successes to more recent immigration failures." -- CHOICE
"Provides a compelling argument for the importance of our legislative branch and how it can reassert its relevance in the 21st century." -- Jerry Lenaburg, New York Journal of Books
"Why Congress is an excellent book that argues persuasively for the necessity of a thriving Congress in a diverse republic." -- Joseph Postell, Claremont Review of Books
"Why Congress is a well-researched, readable examination of Congress's ability and inability to deal with important policy issues, ranging from 1960s civil rights successes to more recent immigration failures." -- Choice
"With its historical analysis of Congress and insight into its potential future, this book will appeal to political science and public policy majors. A recommended purchase for academic libraries." -- Library Journal
"Wallach's primary aim in this book is to reassess Congress's role in the political and policymaking process over the past several decades...Wallach is rightly concerned with the political relevance of a Congress that is both quick to centralize policymaking and deliberation within the leadership, while simultaneously delegating significant policymaking autonomy to the executive branch." -- Timothy P. Nokken, Congress and The Presidency
