New Nomination Rules and the Kavanaugh Nomination: Consequences for the Senate

October 4, 2018
The Senate, for the first time in over 200 years, is considering a Supreme Court nominee entirely under a majority process. Brett Kavanaugh is proceeding through the full confirmation… Read More

Eliminating the Motion to Vacate is a bad idea

August 2, 2018
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

The discharge petition doesn’t have to be dead

July 4, 2018
The immigration discharge petition died last week. Essentially, leaders killed the discharge  effort by pulling the underlying bill (H.R. 4760) to the floor. That meant that even though the… Read More

The House and Senate go rogue?

May 22, 2018
Image source: The Hill By Joshua C. Huder Today’s Congress is often rightfully perceived as lacking democracy and controlled by a select few. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are cast… Read More

Paul Ryan gonna Paul Ryan: The lame-duck Speaker

April 12, 2018
Image source: Politico By Joshua C. Huder Speaker Paul Ryan’s announced retirement from the House raises the immediate and obvious question: what happens with a lame duck Speaker? Prior to… Read More

The budget process is obviously broken. Or is it?

February 9, 2018
Image Source:  CFRB By Joshua C. Huder Congress passed a $300 billion spending deal, so clearly the budget process is broken … or is it? The Senate leaders who negotiated… Read More

The art of the very difficult “budget” deal

January 16, 2018
Source: PBS By Joshua C. Huder Three months into the 2018 fiscal year, Congress and the President have yet to finalize a budget deal. Delayed funding of government is not… Read More

The Housification of the Upper Chamber: The 115th Senate is basically unrecognizable.

December 21, 2017
By Joshua C. Huder If the Senate were a friend, you’d say it was having an off-year. Or worse, you would tell it to see a doctor. The bipartisan,… Read More

What the Washington Post/CBS DEA investigation tells you about Congress: It’s really bad

October 19, 2017
Source:  https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/113th-congress/house-report/605 By Joshua C. Huder Recently, the Washington Post and CBS teamed up on an investigation that has now cost Congressman Tom Marino (R-PA) his nomination as the… Read More

ICYMI: Congress’s vanishing budget: It’s not all polarization’s fault

October 14, 2017
Casey Burgat and Joshua Huder write at the Brookings FixGov Blog: “Congress is failing to do its job in large respects, particularly when it comes to government spending. But… Read More