Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren referred to the “two coequal branches of government” on Tuesday while attempting to criticize President Donald Trump for refusing to sign off on a budget deal with no wall funding.
The Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate made the comment during a response to CNN host Anderson Cooper’s question about the “balance of power” and Democrats settling for “the shorter straw” since they only control the House of Representatives.
WATCH:
“The president’s party, though, controls the White House and the Senate,” Cooper told Warren during their discussion about the current partial government shutdown. “Democrats only control the House. Do you ever think, look, the realistic end game is that Republicans get two-thirds of what they want and the Democrats have to settle for the shorter straw? Is that how the balance of power works?”
“Well, let’s talk about the balance of power,” said Warren. (RELATED: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Flubs Basic Government 101 Facts)
“There are two coequal branches of government, the president of the United States and the Congress,” she explained, leaving out the third branch of the government — the Supreme Court — entirely.
Lamenting the demise of the “compromise proposal” Trump had refused to sign, Warren accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of saying the president is “the only one who has any power in Washington” and “abdicating the responsibility of Congress.”