The first months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been defined by combat between the executive and the judiciary, while Congress sits on the sidelines—only five bills have been signed into law in Trump’s first 100 days, the fewest of any modern president. Writing in The Atlantic, Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies Director Yuval Levin warns it will be impossible to address a potential constitutional breakdown if Congress does not do its job.

On May 15, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over executive orders limiting birthright citizenship to children of citizens and permanent residents. In a new National Affairs essay, legal scholars and Office of Legal Counsel veterans John Yoo and Robert Delahunty examine the 14th Amendment’s text, structure, and history to show why all individuals born on American soil should be recognized as American citizens.
 
As part of its assertive executive branch agenda, the Trump administration has proposed restructuring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consolidate medical product oversight, inspection, and policymaking tasks. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Mark B. McClellan highlight the serious downsides of this reorganization.
 
On May 1, in a little-covered commencement address at the University of Alabama, President Trump for the first time delivered a 10-point distillation of his personal philosophy. Domestic Policy Studies Director Matthew Continetti digs into the speech to show what it reveals about Trump’s mindset, values, and peerless political instincts.
 
Even as other issues have taken center stage in the Trump presidency, housing unaffordability remains one of the most serious policy challenges facing our country. Writing for The American Enterprise, AEI Housing Center Codirector Tobias Peter and Salvation Army Major Ethan Frizzell explain how government policy created this crisis and lay out their vision for market-driven reform.