This is John Batchel, a conversation with the editor-in-chief of law and liberty, John Grove,

comparing the unhappiness of April of 1775, taxation without representation,

the rule of law ignored by the parliament and the king to dictate to the colonies what was to be done, what taxes were due,

in fact, in general, not consulting at all.

And April 2025, the President of the United States taking the power of naming day by day

a different topsy-turvy version of trade and tariffs and even

appointments such as Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve.

Topsy-turvy.

Comparing and contrasting, Mr. Grove does us the favor of the irony of the matter.

Who's in charge?

And where's Congress?

Quiet as the Parliament was when the king giving orders.

Strange days.

Is John Grove on the irony?

And where's Congress?

Congress has preferred, oftentimes for reasons of efficiency,

to delegate its legislative authority to the executive branch. Sometimes saying the president

must declare an emergency to use it. Sometimes not. Sometimes Congress will just delegate its regulatory powers or something to an executive branch agency. So I think it's part of a broader trend and a tendency where Congress increasingly doesn't really want to make the big decisions in national politics, but instead grants that authority to the executive branch.

And so in this case, we have maybe a very broad reading of the piece of legislation on President Trump's part.

But at the very least, he can point to this law that Congress says it is taking that legislative and taxing power and handing it over to the executive.