How to spot policy riders in appropriations bills

August 22, 2018
(Editor’s note: This piece originally appeared in  Legislative Procedure on August 15, 2018.) By James Wallner Senate Rule XVI (paragraphs 1 and 2) prohibits the inclusion of… Read More

ICYMI: Budget process reform

July 19, 2018
On June 25th, 2018, the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group partnered with the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution to discuss how to build a better budget process. The… Read More

How pork-barrel spending shapes the ideological composition of Congress

July 12, 2018
In classrooms across the country, economics professors often use the phrase “guns and butter” as an analogy for the competing priorities nations face when deciding how to allocate resources. Read More

What do Senators actually want for their states and what do they receive? The importance of priorities and easy political wins

May 31, 2018
Image source: Senate Appropriations By Jeremy Gelman When Congress is doling out money or projects, the evergreen question is who won and who lost? Indeed, after the passage of the… Read More

Who wants to chair the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee? No one.

May 24, 2018
By Matt Glassman When Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA) resigned from Congress earlier this month, a vacancy was created on the House Committee on Appropriations, where Dent was the… Read More

Pursuing earmarks at the expense of pursuing policy

May 15, 2018
Image source: Bloomberg By Scott M. Guenther and David M. Searle In early January, President Trump floated the idea of bringing back earmarks to Congress, recalling before a group of… Read More

House Committee on Appropriations approves FY2019 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill

May 9, 2018
Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee voted 47-0 to approve the FY2019 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. The bill, which “provides annual funding for the offices of Members of the… Read More

A discretionary spending tale of two parties: James Madison rears his head

May 8, 2018
Image source here By John Haskell A close examination of federal discretionary spending totals over the last 25 years reveals an unmistakable trend: under Democratic presidents discretionary spending increases… Read More

Quick Hits: Budget and appropriations reform resources

May 2, 2018
On Monday, the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform unveiled a new website. The website “will provide a source for general information and updates as… Read More

Legislative Branch Subcommittee hears from members and outside witnesses on FY 19 appropriations

April 19, 2018
The Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations held an FY 19: Members and Outside Witnesses hearing on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. The… Read More