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No, Ben Sasse, repealing the 17th Amendment would not improve the U.S. Senate

September 18, 2020  ·  William Gray
From Mischiefs of Faction: The prevailing wisdom among opponents of the 17th Amendment, who range from Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) to Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) to Senator Ben… Read More

Attempting to oust the Speaker of the House offers short-term nothing for long-term discomfort

September 17, 2020  ·  Joshua Huder
Reports emerged yesterday of a plan among House Freedom Caucus (HFC) members to oust Speaker Pelosi via a “motion to vacate the chair.” This motion has been a more… Read More

New report: Congressional Brain Drain

September 17, 2020  ·  Tim LaPira
A new report from New America by Alexandra Furnas and Timothy LaPira examines legislative capacity in the 21st century. Executive Summary This research report comprehensively investigates congressional capacity… Read More

Video: Understanding and Misunderstanding the Filibuster with James Wallner

September 16, 2020  ·  William Gray
The filibuster is one of the great bugbears of American politics. Democrats and Republicans routinely blame the infamous practice when the Senate fails to act on their policy priorities, but… Read More

Event: Hack the Capitol 3.0

September 15, 2020  ·  William Gray
RSVP here. The ICS Village, in partnership with R Street Institute and Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program (STIP), present Hack the Capitol 3.0! Hack the Capitol… Read More

Event: How to make Congress more Effective—A Conversation with the Leaders of the House Select Committee on Modernization

September 15, 2020  ·  William Gray
RSVP here. The Association of Former Members of Congress hosts a discussion with the leaders of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress today at… Read More

New report – The Future of Citizen Engagement: Coronavirus, Congress, and Constituent Communications

September 11, 2020  ·  William Gray
In case you missed it, during August the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) released a major report about how members of Congress used new tools to connect with constituents during… Read More

ICYMI: Shall we have a king?

September 10, 2020  ·  James Wallner
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: Why Public Service? with Yuval Levin, AEI

September 9, 2020  ·  William Gray
Earlier this month, the R Street Institute launched the Why Public Service? podcast. Each 15-minute episode features an interview with an individual who made the choice to participate in… Read More

How Congress could get some of its power back

September 8, 2020  ·  Molly E. Reynolds
Dr. Molly E. Reynolds, Brookings Institution One lesson from Congress’s experience with the Trump administration is that the informational imbalance between Congress and the executive branch means that a president… Read More