Congress: Difficult by design
Daniel Patrick Moynihan once remarked that “the United States is the one nation in the world with a real legislature.” The senator from New York was boasting of our system, but… Read More
Eliminating the Motion to Vacate is a bad idea
By Joshua C. Huder One thing I really don’t understand about recent reform proposals: Eliminating or significantly tailoring the motion to vacate. This very rare motion has received more… Read More
Congressional reform is way overdue
Source: Gallup.com President Donald J. Trump’s recent Helsinki trip was an awful spectacle. In short order, he managed to antagonize the allies we need to maintain European stability and… Read More
Polarization is an output of our process, not the cause of all our woes
Our recent piece, “Congress is Broken. But don’t blame polarization,” provoked a number of useful discussions about how political scientists should interpret the results of empirical models like DW-NOMINATE. Read More
Han Solo’s lessons on politics
Image source: ABC By Colleen J. Shogan The latest film installment of the Star Wars saga features the backstory of one of its most memorable and beloved characters, the rogue… Read More
Building Article I Conservatism
By Philip Wallach The Federalist Society has been famously influential in shaping conservatives’ constitutional vision since its founding in 1982. Its promotion of original-meaning originalism and the concept of… Read More
New resource on Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Reform
The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Reform was established by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123) to make recommendations and develop legislative language that… Read More
Rep. Darin LaHood on congressional dysfunction and the prospects for reform
By Marian Currinder Efforts to reform congressional dysfunction typically come from senior members who are tired of not getting anything done, former members who can speak openly (and critically)… Read More
Could advisory committees help repair a broken Congress?
By Stuart Kasdin Congress and the media have recently celebrated Congress’ success in funding the government, after only a short shutdown. With this Congress, even producing continuing resolutions in… Read More
Rethinking member ambition and the reelection goal
Image source: Lee Drutman/Vox By Marian Currinder That members of Congress are ambitious is a political science axiom. Getting elected (and reelected) to Congress requires ambition, as does the earnest… Read More