Senate Extends Its Calendar. But Will It Achieve Much?
Source: Harper’s Weekly, courtesy of the U.S. Senate. James Wallner writes in the Examiner: “Senate Republicans should be applauded. They were right to delay the start of their August recess…… Read More
Are Senators Struggling to Legislate?
Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman write at the Washington Post: “Republican senators are struggling with how to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Is it just a tough… Read More
ICYMI: House Votes to Time-Out the Authorization for Use of Military Force
P.L. 107-40 , which delegated significant military authority to the executive. At The Week, Anthony L. Fisher reports: “Last week, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) submitted an amendment into the House… Read More
ICYMI: Nominations Create a Crush of Work for the Senate
Source: RollCall.com Despite the historically dilatory pace of nominee submission by the Trump administration, processing and considering new nominees really taxes the Senate. Sean McMinn reports, “There are presently 442… Read More
House Clerk to Unveil New, Improved Website
The House’s Clerk is soon to unveil a handsome new website with features including: Live House floor video; Daily legislative activity (floor summary, bills, votes, and committee meetings); and… Read More
Ditching the Filibuster Won’t Save the Senate
James Wallner writes at the Library of Law & Liberty: “The Senate is broken, but eliminating the filibuster is only likely to exacerbate the underlying causes of the… Read More
1950s Control Tactics Can’t Manage Today’s Freewheeling Senators
Mike Mansfield, master of a different Senate. James Wallner writes in the Federalist: “Healthy institutions require effective leadership. This is evident in the dysfunction surrounding the health-care debate in… Read More
ICYMI: What CBO’s Score of the Health Insurance Bills Tells Us About the Budget Process
Yuval Levin writes at National Review: “The CBO is not politically biased. But its work is beset by challenges that run much deeper than that: They are structural, and… Read More
One More Bit of Good News About Congressional Capacity
Within the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was authorized to establish senior level positions “to meet critical… Read More
ICYMI: The Washington Post Takes Up Congressional Capacity
Max Ehrenfreund writes: “With so much work to do, even a veteran lawmaker steeped in the details of public policy could struggle to keep it all straight. For the… Read More