Image source: US Senate By James Wallner “It is difficult to make predictions, particularly about the future.” We would do well today to heed Mark Twain’s version of the well-known… Read More
“This place sucks.” Sen. Joe Manchin’s candid commentary came during discussions with Democratic leadership about whether the West Virginia senator would run for reelection. Manchin’s remarks were less a… Read More
James Wallner, senior fellow with R Street’s Governance Project and Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group teams, joins David Haun, Director of Public Sector Practice at Grant Thornton and… Read More
By James Wallner The Senate has changed considerably in recent years. So too has our understanding of how its members make decisions. Traditionally, the leading scholarship on the Senate… Read More
By James Wallner Senate majorities routinely restrict the ability of senators to participate in the legislative process. The most common way they do so is when the majority leader… Read More
By James Wallner The demise of regular order in the Senate makes it harder for its members to participate in the legislative process. And the result of their efforts… Read More
The Senate is a pale imitation of what it once was. A major reason for its current predicament is that senators are no longer able to freely amend the… Read More
The Senate today is an institution in decline. It is paralyzed—unable to legislate, much less deliberate. The Senate’s plight is reflected in the near-total deterioration of its amendment process. Read More
The share of amendments to the budget resolution that are symbolic, 1993-2015. Source: Molly Reynolds, “Considering the budget resolution in the Senate: Challenges and consequences of reform,” May 2017. By… Read More
