{"podcast":{"title":"Civics on the Rocks","slug":"civics-on-the-rocks-6598827","podcast_index_feed_id":6598827,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/civicsontherocks/feed.xml","website_url":"https://CivicsOnTheRocks.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/1381621/CivicsOnTheRocks_Art_v7_3000x3000_9m36fc.png","author":"Anne Trominski","episode_count":54,"summary":"A history teacher and an engineer walk into a bar...ouch! Except there isn’t a bar. But there are a few dad jokes. And whiskey. Two guys who know a few things, have been around a few blocks, and a few cocktails, discuss politics, science, history, technology, and—*gestures wildly*—, all while drinking and dropping pop culture references. Did we mention the dad jokes? Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and join us for Civics on the Rocks.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/civics-on-the-rocks-6598827"},"episode":{"title":"What is Congress Supposed To Do?","slug":"what-is-congress-supposed-to-do","published_at":"2025-10-06T14:24:21+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/civics-on-the-rocks-6598827/what-is-congress-supposed-to-do","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/civics-on-the-rocks-6598827","url":"https://CivicsOnTheRocks.podbean.com/e/what-is-congress-supposed-to-do/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6wmet4ps3dgw6dcz/WhatIsCongressSupposedToDo.mp3","summary":"Mack, Steve, and Anne get into what one branch of the government isn’t doing right now. REFERENCES Congress is defined in Article I of the Constitution: Constitution Annotated. “Article I.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-1/ They didn’t want a king: Pereira, Ivan. “Nation’s Founders Pushed Against ‘Elected King’ When Framing Presidential Powers.” July 2, 2024. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nations-founders-pushed-elected-king-framing-presidential-powers/story?id=111621798 You know how Aristotle called for “balanced government”: Smith, Steven. “9. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle’s Politics, VII” [YouTube video]. Yale Courses. https://youtu.be/mKLkb4LDi5M?si=NLTY5uPD9omUdXGZ The Senate, originally, chosen by the state legislatures: United States Senate. “Landmark Legislation: The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution.” https://www.senate.gov/about/origins-foundations/senate-and-constitution/seventeenth-amendment.htm The Seventeenth Amendment: Constitution Annotated. “Seventeenth Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-17/ Part of the Progressive Era: Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “The Progressive Era Key Facts.” September 28, 2020. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/summary/The-Progressive-Era-Key-Facts “No appropriations shall be made but by law”: Constitution Annotated. “ArtI.S9.C7.1 Overview of Appropriations Clause.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S9-C7-1/ALDE_00001095/ There’s Project 2025, too: Wendling, Mike. “Project 2025: The Right-Wing Wish List for Trump’s Second Term.” February 13, 2025. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c977njnvq2do During Nixon’s administration, Nixon tried what is called “impoundment”: Kogan, Richard, “FAQs o…","meta_description":"Mack, Steve, and Anne get into what one branch of the government isn’t doing right now. REFERENCES Congress is defined in Article I of the Constitution: C…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4611,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/civics-on-the-rocks-6598827/episodes/what-is-congress-supposed-to-do/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/civics-on-the-rocks-6598827/what-is-congress-supposed-to-do.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}