President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency to circumvent Congress and spend billions of dollars for a border wall is the latest example of him relishing using the power of the presidency to do whatever he can without Congress, Axios reports.
This was made even clearer by a revelation from a senior White House official to Axios that shortly after becoming Trump's acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney told Cabinet officials that their "highest priority" over the next year would be deregulation, because "we knew there was one thing we could do without legislation."
This attempt to expand presidential powers at the expense of the legislative branch has been a trademark of the Trump administration from the beginning, according to Axios.
His executive orders have caused long-lasting court battles, some of which he has won.
White House officials told Axios that Trump believes the tax reform bill would be the last large piece of legislation he would get through, which is why he has started to focus on issues where Congress has little power, such as foreign policy and trade.
For example, Trump has made clear he won't seek congressional approval for any deal resulting from the China trade talks.
This, according to Axios, also explains why Republicans have invested so much in confirming new judges.
George W. Bush pushed the boundaries of presidential power and Barack Obama increasingly used executive power when Congress blocked his agenda in the latter years of his administration.
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