Congress could be headed for a tipping point, irreversible decline

[Zorro]

In Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” a down-on-his-luck Scottish veteran of World War I is asked how he went bankrupt. “Two ways,” Mike Campbell responds. “Gradually, then suddenly.”

That famous line, written 100 years ago, has become a catchall phrase to describe institutions that are in the midst of collapse, something that slowly and steadily decays until the moment everything implodes.

And that dynamic could soon apply to Congress, according to independent experts and those that have served in the body. These critics are sounding the alarm that the institution needs a major course correction or else it will slide into a permanent state of weakness that further empowers the presidency.

Earlier this month, the Bipartisan Policy Center began publishing a report that suggests the decades-long slide on Capitol Hill is reaching a point of no return.

Under the headline of “Congress at a Crossroads,” the initial report cites the often mentioned “polarization” and “nationalization” of politics that pushes lawmakers toward trying for attention in this new media era without putting in the necessary work to pass laws.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/21/paul-kane-congress-tipping-point/