With Republicans now in control of the House while Democrats hold the Senate in the 118th Congress, getting any legislation through Congress will be much trickier over the next two years. Particularly, legislation that does not have broad, bipartisan support. That is where President Biden's pen comes in. Biden is expected to use more executive actions to bypass Congress, especially on left-wing priorities like climate change and gun control. "Biden absolutely is going to use every single inch of power he can muster within the executive branch to pass his agenda," says Luke Macias, political commentator and podcast host.
That power within the executive branch extends beyond Biden's pen, to his control over cabinet agencies. "Biden ultimately has free rein to use the administrative state," says Macias. "Ninety-five percent of the laws enacted and enforced in America are passed by bureaucrats, not Congress."
"One of the things we saw the Obama administration do (after Republicans took over Congress) was pass so many things through the administrative state," he continues.
Biden has already used executive action to pass his student debt forgiveness plan, but the courts have blocked that so far. Republicans can challenge Biden actions in court, but Macias notes they have an even more powerful tool than that---they can cut off Biden's funding. "Democrats are really serious about having woke and weaponized federal government, regardless of whether or not they are in power," he tells KTRH. "And the only pushback against that is using the power of the purse that Congress has."
"The pen is so powerful, which is why you need to control the purse," Macias continues. "Republicans don't control the administrative state, we don't have our people throughout the federal government. So the only way we can do this is to take the power we have been given by the American people, and use it."