Zachary Price

Well, I'm not sure I'd say chill, but I— You wouldn't?

Well, I'm not sure I'd say chill, but I— You wouldn't?

Jefferson thought the threat that had warranted this project had disappeared. So he didn't spend the money, didn't build the ships, didn't build all of them, and then just told Congress in his annual message when they came back, you know, here's what I did and, you know, this is why.

Jefferson thought the threat that had warranted this project had disappeared. So he didn't spend the money, didn't build the ships, didn't build all of them, and then just told Congress in his annual message when they came back, you know, here's what I did and, you know, this is why.

Yeah, certainly in the very early republic, Congress would come for a session and then everyone would go home back to their states.

Yeah, certainly in the very early republic, Congress would come for a session and then everyone would go home back to their states.

Right. So that one, the law just said you can spend up to X amount on this purpose. But the law didn't say you must spend at least this much. It said no more than it.

Right. So that one, the law just said you can spend up to X amount on this purpose. But the law didn't say you must spend at least this much. It said no more than it.

So a lot of examples have that sort of character. And that's not really, Jefferson would say, I'm just faithfully executing the statute, or at least you can understand what he's doing that way.

So a lot of examples have that sort of character. And that's not really, Jefferson would say, I'm just faithfully executing the statute, or at least you can understand what he's doing that way.

It's not always quite as clear as Jefferson. But, you know, you do have a pattern of examples sort of like that.

It's not always quite as clear as Jefferson. But, you know, you do have a pattern of examples sort of like that.

Generally, presidents weren't really making that argument there instead involved in a kind of back and forth with Congress.

Generally, presidents weren't really making that argument there instead involved in a kind of back and forth with Congress.

Well, I'm not sure I'd say chill, but I— You wouldn't?

Jefferson thought the threat that had warranted this project had disappeared. So he didn't spend the money, didn't build the ships, didn't build all of them, and then just told Congress in his annual message when they came back, you know, here's what I did and, you know, this is why.

Yeah, certainly in the very early republic, Congress would come for a session and then everyone would go home back to their states.

Right. So that one, the law just said you can spend up to X amount on this purpose. But the law didn't say you must spend at least this much. It said no more than it.

So a lot of examples have that sort of character. And that's not really, Jefferson would say, I'm just faithfully executing the statute, or at least you can understand what he's doing that way.

It's not always quite as clear as Jefferson. But, you know, you do have a pattern of examples sort of like that.

Generally, presidents weren't really making that argument there instead involved in a kind of back and forth with Congress.