Hillsdale College’s Matthew Spalding Testifies at House Hearing on Legislative Powers
Dean of Van Andel Graduate School discusses constitutional perspective on congressional, executive roles
Hillsdale, Mich. — On Tuesday, March 3, Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s campus in Washington, D.C., testified at a hearing held by the House Committee on Rules titled, “Article I: Constitutional Perspectives on the Responsibility and Authority of the Legislative Branch.”
The hearing, led by Chairman James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Ranking Member Tom Cole (R-OK), examined how the roles of the modern legislative and executive branches of federal government have diverged from the founders’ vision as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
“If Congress does not act to correct the growing tilt toward executive-bureaucratic power, the structure of our government will be fundamentally, and perhaps permanently, altered,” Spalding stated in his testimony. “This outcome imperils not only the constitutional design but also the great achievement of republican self-government.”
Titled “Congress, Constitutional Authority, and the Problem of Bureaucratic Government,” Spalding’s testimony analyzed the dangers of the expansion of executive power and explored the Constitutional foundation for Congressional authority.
Spalding was one of four witnesses called by the Committee on Rules to address changes in legislative roles and responsibilities with special attention to the powers described by the American founders in Article I of the Constitution. Other witnesses included Laura Belmonte, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and professor of history at Virginia Tech; Deborah Pearlstein, professor of law at Cardozo Law School in New York City; and Saikrishna Prakash, professor of law at the University of Virginia.
For more information and to view the recorded hearing, click here.