End the state monopoly on facts - AEI

End the state monopoly on facts ... with an eye to reforming America's early government, “and where its responses are unequivocal, ... Op-Ed Endthestatemonopolyonfacts WhytheCDCneedsmorecompetition TheNewAtlantis PoliticsandPublicOpinionExecutiveBranch AdamJ.White @adamjwhitedc December28,2021 Experienceistheoracleoftruth,”JamesMadison wrote,withaneyetoreformingAmerica’searlygovernment,“andwhereitsresponsesareunequivocal,theyoughttobeconclusiveandsacred.”Nearlytwoyearsintohumanity’sstruggleagainstCovid-19,weshouldconsultthesameoracletobetterunderstandthetaskofreforminourowntime. Amongthemanylessonsrecentexperienceteachesaretwoaboutgovernmentadministration.First,Covid-19remindedusonceagainthatAmericangovernmentisill-suitedtopivotfromanemergencyfootingtoanon-emergencyfooting.Andsecond,America’sinformationalinstitutionsaretooconcentratedwithintheexecutivebranch’sadministrativeagencies,exacerbatingtherestofgovernment’sandthepublic’sdependenceonthemforinformation.Thesetwoproblemsarerelated. Ourgovernmentiswell-builttorespondtoemergencies.Indeed,that’sonereasonwhyitwasbuiltinthefirstplace.Theearlyrepublic’sincapacityforrespondingtodomesticcrisisanditsvulnerabilitytoforeignattackspurredAmerica’sfounderstocreateanewandmoreenergeticconstitutionalgovernment,withapresidencycapableofleadingamidcrisis.ThosepowershavesincebeenfurthersupplementedbyCongresswithapanoplyofmorespecificemergencypowers.Whendisasterstrikes,legalpowerandpoliticalgravityaccumulatequicklyintheexecutivebranch,especiallyintheWhiteHouse,whileCongressandthecourtsrecedeevenfurtherintothebackground.Stateconstitutionsandstatutesaresimilarlyconstructed. Butoncethegovernmentfindsitselfonthisemergencyfooting,thereisnonaturalpathbacktotheordinarysystemofchecksandbalances.Thepresident’semergencypowershavenominaltimelimits,buttheyareeasilyextended;moreimportantly,thereisnoobviousroadmapfortheotherpartsofgovernmenttoreconstituteandreassertthemselvesagainsttheexecutivebranch’spredominantpower.Wehavewitnessedthisthroughoutthepandemic,forexamplewhentheSupremeCourtuneasilyapproachedtheCDC’sevictionmoratoriumandgrappledwithmyriadactionsbystateexecutiveswhoseedictsraisedlargequestionsofindividuallibertyandtheruleoflaw.Similarly,Congress,moreinertthanever,hasevincednorealunderstandingofwhatitmightcontributetoCovid-eragovernanceotherthanappropriatingfunds. Ifthisfirstproblem—howtorestorethebalanceofnon-emergencygovernanceafteracrisis—isrelativelyfamiliarandstraightforward,thesecondproblemismuchmorenebulousandmultifaceted.Fromtheearliestmoments,theCovid-19emergencycastintostarkreliefAmerica’soverwhelmingrelianceontheexecutivebranchforfactsandguidance.AswewitnessedthestrangespectacleofdailybriefingsintheWhiteHousepressroomfeaturingthepresident’santicsandpublichealthofficials’advice,andtheirrelianceontheCDCasthepredominantauthorityonpublichealthbest-practices,thenation’sinformationalinstitutions outside governmentlargelyrecededfrompublicview.Andthosethatremained,suchassocialmediaplatformsandjournalisticfact-checkers,reflexivelyinvokedgovernmentsourcestorefutecontraryclaims. Continuereadinghere… AdamJ.White SeniorFellow@adamjwhitedc Tags:Administrativestate,CenterforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC),Coronavirus Related Article September02,2020 TheNewAtlantis Theendofhistoryandthefastman by AdamJ.White CitizenshipSocietyandCulture Op-Ed November09,2020 TheWallStreetJournal ‘AmericanContagions’review:Ofpolicyandpandemics by AdamJ.White ExecutiveBranchPoliticsandPublicOpinionSocietyandCulture Op-Ed August31,2021 TheConstitutionalist Reconstitutingourinstitutionsofknowledge by AdamJ.White ConstitutionExecutiveBranchPoliticsandPublicOpinionSocietyandCulture RSS