Checks and balances haven't really worked the way they were designed to for over 100 years. The political parties (which didn't exist in their modern form when

Checks and balances haven't really worked the way they were designed to for over 100 years. The political parties (which didn't exist in their modern form when the Constitution was written) cut across the separation of powers, and so hold much of the power to control how fast policy changes go. This is part of why the Presidential election holds so much interest despite the President nominally not having a great deal of power over domestic policy: we aren't just electing someone to the office of President, we're also electing them de-facto party leader and endorsing their interpretation of the party platform. What we're seeing lately isn't the operation of checks and balances, it's a mix of partisan obstructionism, officials across both parties deferring to donors, and officials being out of touch with "the 99%" (most members of Congress are millionaires and get VIP treatment from various companies, such as expedited customer service).