We tend to think about congressional oversight in very academic terms — checks and balances, the Framers, etc. But what does it actually look like on the ground in Congress? To find out, we’re talking this week with Charlie Dent, who served Congress for more than a decade until his retirement in 2018. He argues that amid all the talk about subpoenas, impeachment, and what Congress is not able to do, we’re losing sight of the things they can do to hold the executive branch accountable.

Dent is a lifelong Republican, but one that does not fit in with the direction the party’s taken under Donald Trump. He joins the Democracy Works podcast to talk about why so few Republicans are willing to speak out against the President, and what the party’s post-Trump future might look like. He also discusses the difference between separation of parties and separation of powers — and where he thinks we are right now.

Democracy Works is produced by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State and WPSU Penn State. New episodes are released every week. Subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app.

Listen to the interview with Rep. Charlie Dent on Democracy Works