In this book, the third of the five trade books for the Institutions of Democracy project, Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein argue that congress faces a crisis of self-identity and role in the American Constitutional System. Congress is supposed to be the driving force behind policy in the nation and a vital check and balance against the executive, but it is neither, particularly under the current administration. As with other books in this series Mann and Ornstein will examine the first principles of the intended role of the legislative branch, look throughout history at how congress has fulfilled this role, and consider what can be done to improve it and bring it back to its original purpose.