Podcast: Getting rid of the filibuster?
Could it happen? How would it happen? And what exactly is meant by “getting rid of it”? Listen to a discussion about the filibuster between Brookings Institution’s Molly Reynolds and… Read More
Speaking up for the filibuster
The filibuster is one of the great bugbears of American politics. Democrats and Republicans have routinely blamed the infamous practice when the Senate fails to act on their policy priorities. Read More
Evaluating the NDAA amendment process
Last week, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (S. 4049; NDAA) by a vote of 86 to… Read More
Let senators speak to confirm more nominees
The Senate’s ability to confirm presidential nominations and pass legislation on a majoritarian basis during the 128-year period before it adopted the cloture rule to end… Read More
A strategy to speed up the Senate’s confirmation process
According to reports, Senate Democrats are obstructing President Trump’s executive and judicial nominees at unprecedented rates. In 2019, Senate Republicans used the nuclear option to speed… Read More
Hurdles to making recess appointments
The federal government selects candidates for high-level positions in the executive branch and the judiciary in one of two ways: Senate confirmation or recess appointment. The president may also make recess… Read More
Filling vacancies in the executive branch and on the federal bench
The federal government selects candidates for high-level positions in the executive branch and in the judiciary in one of two ways: Senate confirmation or recess appointment. The Constitution’s… Read More
ICYMI: How the Senate handles the NDAA and Amendments
R Street Institute senior fellow James Wallner lays it all out on his legislative procedure blog at https://www.legislativeprocedure.com/blog/2020/7/21/the-ndaa-amendment-process… Read More
House revives floor amendments
In my previous Congress Blog (June 28) I lamented that the House Democratic leadership had barred any and all floor amendments to six major bills, all made in order by a… Read More
Managers’ packages are leverage
The standard view of the Senate considers its rules and practices to be a constraint on senators’ behavior. But Senate-watchers should resist conceptualizing the institution’s rules and practices as a… Read More