How Congress can claw back its oversight power

Published April 18, 2026 6:00am ET



After decades of Congress delegating its responsibility to pass laws to unelected bureaucrats, legislators in the current session are flexing their oversight powers. To date, 22 rules coming from the executive branch have been directly struck down by the legislative branch. An impressive number, to be sure, but that should just be the opening salvo in rebalancing the separation of powers.

How did a normally gridlocked Congress accomplish this? The Congressional Review Act.

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