What Congress is doing as Trump expands presidential power
PBS News Hour - Segments
PBS NewsHour
4.1 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 19 January 2026
⏱️ 7 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | Tomorrow marks one year since Donald Trump reentered the White House and all this week will |
| 0:05.3 | be delving into various aspects of his presidency at this moment. |
| 0:09.2 | Tonight, congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardin looks at his expansion of presidential |
| 0:13.9 | power and how it's testing Congress and the system of checks and balances rooted in the |
| 0:18.9 | Constitution. |
| 0:19.9 | The second Trump White House is a blitz of executive actions. |
| 0:24.6 | What we're going to be doing is a 25% tariff on all cars that are not made in the United States. |
| 0:30.7 | We're terminating those programs, and they're going to be terminated on a permanent basis. |
| 0:34.5 | And use of the military and federal authorities in American cities and abroad. |
| 0:41.8 | All political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro |
| 0:48.4 | can happen to them. |
| 0:49.5 | A forceful display of power that often leaves Congress sidelined. I think it's important to send the message. |
| 0:57.0 | And trying to weigh in. |
| 0:59.0 | Like last week, when these senators met with a minister from Greenland whose country Trump wants to take over, |
| 1:05.0 | I asked about their power. |
| 1:07.0 | Every day we should be thinking if we are fully asserting our authorities under the Constitution. |
| 1:13.6 | Is Congress right now? |
| 1:14.6 | No. |
| 1:15.6 | Some days no. |
| 1:16.6 | Congress has abdicated its power largely. |
| 1:19.6 | I'd say it's the seventh inning. We're behind four to three, but the game isn't over. |
| 1:24.6 | The big long picture here, over the 20th century into these years of Trump, |
... |
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