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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
Managers’ packages are leverage
The standard view of the Senate considers its rules and practices to be a constraint on senators’ behavior. But Senate-watchers should resist conceptualizing the institution’s rules and practices as a… Read More
The Room Where It Happened
Before I read it, I wondered about the title of this book by John Bolton. The “room” is most likely the Oval Office, although important meetings were held elsewhere,… 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
Three concrete steps to improve the relationship between Capitol Hill and Foggy Bottom
Source: Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “Cold.” “Toxic.” “Dysfunctional.” These are the words that come to mind when thinking of the relationship between Congress and the State Department, on… Read More
ICYMI: Bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduces legislation to restore congressional war powers
From the office of Rep. Anthony Brown (D, MD): House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Anthony G. Brown (D-MD), Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Don Bacon (R-NE),… Read More
Crisis government: Where is Congress?
Source: AFP via GlobePost.com. Congress has shown little ability to successfully keep up existing domestic programs in light of new developments and an aging population — let alone confidently chart new… Read More
As Congress moves hearings online, it needs to ensure access for all
On one Wednesday in early June, the U.S. House of Representatives held four remote committee hearings covering topics from voting to emergency preparedness. For many working in the field of… Read More
Congressional modernization jump-started by COVID-19
The chaos surrounding Congress’s switch to remote work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare weaknesses of Congress’s technical procedures and infrastructure, from its inability to hold hearings by… Read More
COVID-19’s punishing effects on the federal deficit and debt
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) has a new report on COVID-19’s deleterious effects on the feral budget. CRFB projects: Deficits will expand by $5.7 trillion over… Read More