Does Congress Want to Govern?
Over the past year, leading members of Congress have delivered some stirring mea culpas about the demise of the First Branch of Government. Speaker Ryan’s “A Better Way” agenda… Read More
Exit Earmarks, Enter Letter-marks
By Russell W. Mills and Nicole Kalaf-Hughes Summary: Our recent research on letter-marking found executive agencies and the president now have wide discretion in the allocation of projects. Read More
House Holds Hearing on the Power of the Purse
The House Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Operations and Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules convened a hearing on the power of the purse on December 1, 2016. It… Read More
Congressional Earmarks: Are We Better Off Without Them?
Source: Data for Social Science Good, 0 0 1 1399 7975 R Street Institute 66 18 9356 14.0… Read More
How Do Members Distribute Their MRA Spending?
Illustration credit: Steven John Tomisek, StampCommunity.org Blog post by Prof. Craig Goodman and Prof. David C.W. Parker In a previous post, we argued that members… Read More
Why House Members Fly Home So Often
Source: Wikipedia. Blog post by Prof. Craig Goodman and Prof. David C.W. Parker Members of Congress are simultaneously legislators and representatives. In 1978,… Read More
Do House Democrats and Republicans Spend Differently?
Guest blog post by Philip A. Wallach and Nicholas W. Zeppos So, now the question we all love to ask these days: do the blues and the reds… Read More
What Does the House of Representatives Spend Its Appropriation On?
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
How Does the House of Representatives Divide Its Money Between Members, Committees, and Leadership?
Guest post by Philip A. Wallach and Nicholas W. Zeppos 1. How does the House divide its money between members, committees, and leadership? In order to think clearly about… Read More
Should We Bring Back Earmarks?
Source: Citizens Against Government Waste, http://www.cagw.org/ Earmarks have been denounced as both wasteful and corrupt. Shortly before becoming Speaker, John Boehner declared, “Earmarks have become a symbol of a… Read More