The line between government communication and propaganda.
(This piece by Kevin Kosar and John Maxwell Hamilton originally appeared in Politico.) Three hundred million dollars — that’s how much the Trump Administration … Read More
Brookings: Tracking House oversight in the Trump era
The Brookings Institution has a new interactive tool aimed at monitoring “the actions being taken by House committees to conduct oversight of administration actions and policies since the 2016… Read More
ICYMI: Shall we have a king?
King George III. Painting by Allan Ramsay, 1765. In January 1787, America’s top diplomat, John Jay, asked George Washington, its leading citizen, “Shall we have a King?” Neither… Read More
Podcast: Presidential powers, and why Robert Jackson matters
Louis Fisher. Source: University of Kansas Press. In this LegBranch.org podcast, Kevin Kosar of the American Enterprise Institute speaks with Dr. Louis Fisher about his new article on presidential… Read More
Can Congress reclaim authority it has handed over to the president? It’s trying.
Source: Defense.gov Over the past 18 months, members of Congress have introduced resolutions and bills aimed at reasserting congressional authority. On Dec. 12, 2018, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee… Read More
Review: A Case for the American People: The United States v. Donald J. Trump by Norman Eisen
This book offers important insights into the unsuccessful effort of House Democrats to impeach and remove Donald Trump. Norman Eisen previously served as the White House special counsel for ethics… Read More
Congress and foreign affairs: Reasserting the power of the first branch
Article I of the U.S. Constitution assigns Congress many significant authorities over foreign policy. The legislature may “regulate commerce with foreign nations,” and “define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed… Read More
ICYMI: Improving congressional oversight
The power to investigate is key to Congress’ ability to inform the public, legislate wisely, and carry out other duties assigned to it by the Constitution. The Supreme Court described… Read More
Direct election and the foreign policy president
Illustration by J.S. Pugh, 1903. Illustration shows seven men as Roman senators labeled “T.C. Tillman, Lodge, Stewart, Morgan, Quay, [and] Hoar.” George F. Hoar is speaking to the others while… Read More
Oversight gone wrong
Congressional investigations of the executive branch are frequently dominated by partisanship and ideology. Even-keeled and methodical analysis is better. Turning serious inquiries into tendentious exercises weakens oversight. Recent revelations about… Read More