Regarding the Dec. 1 George Pyle column, "One day in the life of Sen. Mike Lee”: It appears some of your opinion writers need a refresher course on the Constitution.
The authors of the Constitution did indeed intend to make Congress the first among equals, but that does not mean the Constitution gave Congress the power to do whatever it wants. Quite the opposite. The Constitution is designed to balance the distinct and separate powers of each of the federal branches. Just because Congress is meant to be the driving force of federal policy making, does not mean it can tell the other branches what to do.
So, for example, the Constitution explicitly grants Congress, not the president, the power to declare war, hence Lee’s support for the Yemen war powers resolution. But the Constitution also gives the president, not Congress, the power to execute the laws of the United States, hence Lee’s opposition to legislation giving Congress the power to control the Justice Department.
I realize it is difficult to escape our short-term partisan prisms and recognize the principles that organize our republic, but now more than ever is the time to try.
Conn Carroll, Washington, D.C., Communications Director, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
