The recent government shutdown is just the latest reminder of dysfunction in American politics — stalemate, leaders unwilling to compromise and citizens left to pay the price. But beyond gridlock lies a greater danger: the steady concentration of power in the presidency. This has been going on long before Donald Trump. But he has concentrated power exponentially, wielding it to bypass Congress and the courts. His edicts have undercut civil society, universities, advocacy groups and the press, all of which are vital for democracy.
I’ve taught American government at the University of Massachusetts for 25 years. My students often say they can’t tell my political leanings. However, I must speak out against the abuse of executive power. The evidence is too stark. UMass students need to see that risks to constitutional democracy are mounting, and you have a role to play in defending it.
Civil Society Under Pressure
Three pillars of civil society — the media, advocacy groups and universities — have all come under attack.
The president has branded journalists “the enemy of the people,” filed lawsuits against networks and even pressured Disney to silence Jimmy Kimmel after satirical monologues. A free press and free speech are not luxuries. They are vital in any democracy
At Trump’s directive, the Justice Department singled out ActBlue, the online platform for progressive fundraising. They suggested, without evidence, that left-wing foundations finance unrest, including the killing of Charlie Kirk. Attacking non-profits in a partisan way escalates polarization, invites retaliation by Democratic presidents and deeply damages organizations that inform, mobilize and serve citizens.
Grants at UMass have been canceled and the administration has threatened to cut off a university’s funding if they admit the “wrong” students or do not follow ideological requirements. Efforts to make UMass and other universities align with politicians in power is a direct threat to academic freedom and undermines the mission of higher education to advance and spread knowledge.
Executive Power Over Law and Military
The president has also used the most powerful machinery of government in arbitrary ways that the Framers of the US Constitution feared the most.
Trump has pressed his Attorney General to indict rivals and publicly attacked law firms that defend citizens against government overreach. Targeting individuals for personal reasons is the behavior of a king, not a democratic leader. Justice must be impartial, or the rule of law becomes a tool of vengeance.
Past presidents of both parties treated the armed forces as a nonpartisan institution. Trump has blurred that line, ordering the military to patrol city streets and target drug smugglers, pressing generals for personal loyalty and using troops at highly partisan and campaign-style events. George Washington, our first military hero, would be appalled.
Failing Checks and Balances
Congress was meant to be the strongest branch. It writes laws, appropriates money, regulates trade and decides on war. The Framers assumed lawmakers would guard these powers fiercely, but they don’t. Polarization makes members reluctant to challenge a president of their own party. Astonishingly, they have ceded the power of the purse by allowing the president to redirect funds through “emergencies” or accept unilateral tariffs and sanctions that ignore their constitutional role.
The Supreme Court has faltered too. Instead of acting as a brake, it has often deferred and allowed sweeping policies to take effect on the “shadow docket,” where the Court quickly decides urgent cases without public explanation. Some justices lean on an abstract theory of the unitary executive, which would give nearly all executive power to the president, without checks by Congress or independent agencies.
Why It Matters to Students
These aren’t abstract debates. They shape your future.
If a president can ignore Congress, programs that support you at UMass or protect your student loans could vanish overnight.
If courts refuse to act, rights you take for granted — speech on campus, protest, equal protection regardless of race, gender or citizenship — could erode quickly. Students have been seized on the street by masked federal agents for their dissent.
If Congress stands aside, decisions about war and peace may rest with one person, and your generation may be asked to fight and pay for it.
How You Can Support American Democracy
Every generation is called to renew democracy. Yours will be tested. Presidential power is more excessive than the Framers ever imagined, threatening civil society and constitutional checks and balances. They endure only if citizens defend them. Here is what you can do.
Pay attention. Notice when leaders ignore the Constitution. Read, listen and watch. Don’t be passive citizens.
Vote in local, state and national elections for leaders, regardless of party, who respect the constitution.
Hold our leaders accountable. Contact your representatives, attend public meetings and ask how leaders are defending the constitution.
Engage in dialogue on campus. Model good conversations and civil dialogue that are essential among citizens. Seek out those who disagree. Be curious, listen and seek common ground.
Organize. Write, protest, volunteer, join and form groups on and off campus to defend democracy.
Whether your generation leaves the American republic stronger than you found it will depend considerably on the choices you make now, and the courage you bring to defend it in the years ahead.
Ray La Raja can be reached at [email protected].
