The US consul to Lyon, Rebecca Kimbrell, addressed the membership of Democrats Abroad at the Franco-American business school
CEFAM on November 21, 2018. Her talk was titled "The US System of Checks and Balances". Ms Kimbrell explained her role and
responsibilities as the State Department representative in Lyon since August 2016. She shared with us the kinds of the events
she attends and the people with whom she interacts. She answered questions from the audience about the American legislative system
and the powers of the executive branch. These days with executive orders flying out of the White House and pushback from the courts and
the Democrats in Congress, we were all happy to have a refresher course on how our government actually works. She reassured us
with reminders of how robust the system really is. Useful information to have at our fingertips when French people ask for
explanations of what is going on in Washington!!