Sample Solution

  No, I do not believe that the U.S. Congress is functioning properly and fulfilling its duty to pass laws and serve as a source of checks and balances due to multiple factors. The main issue at hand is political gridlock, which causes severe delays in passing any meaningful legislation or policy initiatives. This has been an ongoing problem for years,

but particularly during the Trump Administration it has become increasingly worse. As a result, the legislative branch of government has essentially been completely ineffective in passing laws or providing oversight over executive actions of the President's cabinet and agencies. This lack of action from Congress means that there are few checks on presidential power or executive authority, leaving citizens vulnerable to potential abuses from those in power who may not have our best interests in mind. Additionally, with no new laws being passed or policies implemented, this makes it difficult for average citizens to receive assistance when they need it most (i.e., financial aid during economic crises). Furthermore, since Congress is unable to come together on any significant piece of legislation, this effectively stalls progress both domestically and internationally within areas such as healthcare reform or climate change mitigation efforts respectively. One contributing factor to governmental gridlock is partisan politics; Republicans and Democrats hold opposing views on nearly everything creating deadlocks whenever bills are brought up for debate/vote by either side leading them into stalemates which prevent any productive outcome from taking place - thus requiring Congressional leadership to intervene through compromise solutions which often fail due to party loyalty issues among Congressional members themselves (thus defeating even the possibility of bipartisan agreement). In addition to partisanship causing division between legislators we must also consider how lobbying groups can influence politicians’ opinions on certain matters thus manipulating what gets passed into law (which obviously benefit their own interests far more than those whom they supposedly represent). There have certainly been attempts made by members of both parties over recent years concerning bipartisanship regarding issues like DACA reform as well as criminal justice reform but ultimately even these proposed pieces of legislation get pushed aside until some sort of resolution can be reached - yet here we are still facing many unresolved problems with seemingly no end in sight anytime soon thanks largely due congressional dysfunction at large coupled with ever-increasing levels partisan bickering occurring within the halls Washington D.C.. Ultimately while each institution within our federal government serves an important role ensuring freedoms granted under US Constitution its clear that current US Congress isn't operating efficiently enough make sure its indeed fulfilling duties tasked upon it allowing American citizens enjoy all possible opportunities life without worry about arbitrary restrictions interfering whenever needed most so hopefully better days ahead where meaningful progress finally achieved once again