Republican leaders have, over the years, repeatedly condemned the expansion of presidential power:

Barry Goldwater criticized the expansion of presidential strength stating: “This is nothing less than the totalitarian philosophy that the end justifies the means.” Republican leaders like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld fought against restoring expansive executive authority, viewing post-Watergate reforms as essential checks on the presidency. John Dean denounced the Bush administration’s expansion of executive authority. He argued that the GOP had eroded the separation of powers.

Legal scholars and watchdogs warned that leaders from Ronald Reagan through George W. Bush increasingly leveraged tools like executive orders, signing statements and emergency powers — eroding the system of checks and balances. The American Bar Association described signing statements as posing “grave harm” to constitutional separation of powers.

Recent statements from GOP leaders tell a different story:

House Speaker Mike Johnson has framed President Donald Trump’s aggressive use of executive actions — such as halting or freezing congressionally approved spending — as responsible oversight or “stewardship,” rather than an overreach of Article I powers. “We see this as an active, engaged, committed executive branch authority doing what the executive branch should do,” he asserted.

In February 2025, as Trump pushed forward with a sweeping MAGA agenda — including defunding programs and expanding tariffs — many Republican senators downplayed concerns. The Republican Study Committee launched a “Set in Stone” initiative aimed at writing Trump’s executive actions into law.

These developments illustrate how recent GOP leadership has shifted toward bolstering, rather than checking, presidential executive authority underscoring how legislative authority has tilted in favor of the presidency symbolically reinforcing presidential dominance.

Peter Colomaio, Bradford