The Hallowing of Congress: How Congress Lost Its Power

The Hallowing of Congress: How Congress Lost Its Power By John Pritchett Congress isn't broken by accident—it's hollowed by design. The Hallowing of Congress, delivers a piercing analysis of how the United States Congress, once the central engine of American self-government, became the weakest branch of government. This isn't just another book about gridlock or partisanship. It's a structural diagnosis—and a blueprint for renewal. Drawing on sharp historical insight and systemic critique, it traces the arc from the legislative strength envisioned in Article I of the Constitution to today's Congress, which governs by crisis, delegates away its power, and performs more than it legislates. With surgical clarity, the book unpacks how procedural sabotage, moneyed influence, media incentives, and strategic dysfunction transformed Congress into a stage—leaving the presidency and the courts to fill the void. But The Hallowing of Congress is more than a critique. It is a reckoning with what democratic representation is supposed to mean—and a call to restore it. Through gripping chapters that mix history, political analysis, and civic urgency, the book offers a path back to a Congress that functions not as a symbol, but as a center of deliberative power. Whether you're a concerned citizen, student of government, or policy reformer, this is essential reading for understanding how our democracy has drifted—and how it might still recover. Congress wasn't built to perform. It was built to govern. The question is: can we make it govern again?