Soon after President Donald Trump’s slate of Cabinet nominations was confirmed with ease early in his second term, I wrote about how disappointing it was that the Senate had given up on its job of vetting the nominees.

We're now fresh into the second year of Trump’s term, and his Cabinet selections have been nothing short of disastrous, both for America and for his own political capital. Scandal after scandal has eroded the public trust in this administration. 

Trump’s decision to prioritize loyalty over merit has resulted in poor officers eroding public trust in his executive branch. Republicans in the Senate could have bailed him out, but they chose not to. Now, Congress as an institution, the Trump administration and Republicans themselves are all suffering the consequences of that decision. 

The checks built into the structure of Congress, namely the Senate, are not just designed to restrict presidential power, they also serve to protect the president from his own indulgences. The Senate’s “advice and consent” power to confirm presidential appointments serves as a check against the president just filling........

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