Congress Must Limit Abuses of Presidential Power

I write to urge immediate congressional action in response to a serious warning from the New York City Bar Association about abuses of presidential power by the Trump Administration. The City Bar has just released a report titled The Abuse of Presidential Power and Breach of the Public Trust. It documents a repeated pattern of executive actions that threaten constitutional limits and democratic accountability. The full report is available at: https://www.nycbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/20221532_AbuseOfPresidentialPower-1.pdf Executive Actions That Exceed Constitutional Limits The City Bar concludes that these actions are not isolated mistakes. Instead, they form a consistent pattern in which the Administration has exceeded lawful authority. Examples include the deployment or threatened deployment of federalized forces in U.S. cities without clear legal justification, efforts to weaken voting protections and birthright citizenship, and immigration practices that raise serious constitutional concerns. Attacks on Courts and the Rule of Law The report also documents repeated attacks on judicial independence. These include public attacks on judges, threats to ignore court rulings, and efforts to intimidate lawyers and law firms whose clients oppose the Administration. Such actions weaken the separation of powers and damage public trust in the justice system. Disregard for Congress’s Constitutional Powers According to the City Bar, the Administration has also worked to sideline Congress itself. This includes the use of military force without proper authorization, disregard for statutory limits on executive power, and attempts to disable agencies created and funded by Congress. These actions erode Congress’s role as a co-equal branch of government. Impeachment as a Safeguard of Democratic Governance The Constitution provides impeachment as a remedy when a President commits serious abuses of power and breaches the public trust. The City Bar concludes that the conduct it documents fits within that standard. Congress has a duty to respond using all available tools, including oversight hearings, enforcement of its constitutional authority, and serious consideration of impeachment proceedings. These actions are not partisan. They are essential to preserving our democracy and the rule of law. I urge you to review this report carefully and to act decisively to restrain executive excess, defend constitutional norms, and uphold the Constitution. The strength of our democracy depends on Congress fulfilling its responsibilities.