Filter Content
Video of Meeting: “Does Congress Have the Technology It Needs to Govern?”
The Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group met in the U.S. Capitol on January 17, 2017 to discuss Congress and technology. The speakers were: Kevin R. Kosar, R Street Institute… Read More
Half of House Members and Senators Have Served 8 Years Or Less
The Congressional Research Service released a report chock full of data on terms in office. Contrary to some popular caricatures, the average member of Congress is not an establishment… Read More
Can Our Political Institutions Handle Our Political Divisions?
New America’s Lee Drutman has a new white paper out. He writes: The United States is a politically divided nation. These divisions have only grown deeper in the past… Read More
Does Congress Need a Congressional Oversight Office?
Elaine Kamarck’s recent study, “A Congressional Oversight Office: A proposed early warning system for the United States Congress,” describes 1. Congress’ current abdication of its role as overseer… Read More
Earmark Ban Fosters Lettermarks
The R Street Institute released a new policy study by Bowling Green State University Profs. Russell W. Mills and Nicole Kalaf-Hughes that found a rise in lettermarking occurring after… Read More
Why Process Matters in Congressional Appropriations
Image credit: Congressional Institute, http://conginst.org/ By C. Jarrett Dieterle As past legislative sessions have come to a close amid threats of a government shutdown, we’re forced to wonder:… Read More
Six Ways to Curb the Executive Branch
Alexander Hamilton on the limited executive, Federalist 68. Credit: Library of Congress . By Kevin R. Kosar The Founders intended Congress as the most powerful branch, making the laws… Read More
Open Data and Congressional Oversight
By Hudson Hollister In January 2012, I resigned from my Capitol Hill job to start an organization that I called the Data Transparency Coalition. Now called the… Read More
ICYMI: Reasserting Congress in Regulatory Policy
Last week, National Affairs journal released a special report: “Unleashing Opportunity: Policy Reforms for an Accountable Administrative State.” It includes a chapter on “Reasserting Congress In Regulatory Policy,” which… Read More
Can the House Return to Regular Order?
In The Hill, Don Wolfensberger writes: In following the election of House Speakers in recent years, it is hard to overlook the common thread of their acceptance speeches:… Read More