How can one legislator in 435, or even in 100, change the way things are done in his or her chamber? Putting aside the highly unusual cases where… Read More
Congress as an institution faces a critical juncture. Continuing on its current path will make it an extraneous appendage, whose presence is tolerated only grudgingly, as a nod to… 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
Summary Everyone has an opinion on what is wrong with Congress. This post covers the field, laying out six different types of explanations as to why America’s legislature is struggling,… Read More
If Congress has often been unwilling to actively control the output of the administrative state, over the years it has also become effectively unable to do so. As the… Read More
Guest post by Philip A. Wallach and Nicholas W. Zeppos There is a short and unsurprising answer: mostly, it spends on staff. Personnel expenses amount to more than three-quarters of… Read More
Following Daniel Schuman’s presentation to the Legislative Branch Capacity Working group on June 20, R Street Institute’s Kevin Kosar posted a series of informative charts measuring congressional staff… Read More