All that matters in the modern US is the executive power.
The massive Federal bureaucracy and all its appurtenances and integrations into the private nonprofit sectors, NGO’s Quasi-NGO’s, and big business is an entity entirely outside normal politics. This system makes its own laws at whim, and can do anything with complete impunity. All it needs to do is interpret regulations and play games with compliance, in order to achieve effects, through blackmail if you want to go there, using even unrelated regulations, to make any private entity do whatever they want.
The formal overt process of legislating is nearly irrelevant.
You’re very perceptive, although, the bribery you mention is legal in the way it’s doled out.
Disturbing. Probably true. Endless kicking of the can had CONSEQUENCES!
I might add, this is Congress’ fault since they leave legislation unspecific and willingly cede their power to the Executive branch to write regulations “as needed”. Also, lobbyists/industry write the laws, for the most part.