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Pelosi’s ruled out of order, Democratic chaos, and a historic moment
Source: Kevin Lamarque, Reuters The other week, the House passed a resolution denouncing President Trump’s racist tweets. But what stole some headlines were the events surrounding Speaker… Read More
Congress and political realignment
https://www.legbranch.org/app/uploads/2019/06/Episode-4-Realignment.mp3 Should the electoral college be abolished? Prof. Julia Azari (Marquette University), Lee Drutman (New America), and James Wallner (R Street Institute) debate and discuss the electoral college… Read More
The Senate is gridlocked but not for the reason you might think
The Senate is gridlocked. But not in the way we think. Gridlock arises whenever senators choose not to act- to debate legislation in committee and on the floor, offer amendments,… Read More
Why is the Senate gridlocked?
The Senate is gridlocked. Political scientists do not fully understand why. More than twenty years ago, Keith Krehbiel observed that “no existing theory or school of thought provides a… Read More
Blocking critics on Twitter: What Congress should know
Good news, D.C.: August recess is around the corner. For many, it is a time to escape the Beltway for some much sought-after R&R. For members of Congress, it is… Read More
ICYMI: Top Reads on Congress
Chris Marquette, “Office of Congressional Ethics has undertaken 9 investigations since April,” Roll Call, July 25, 2019: “The independent, non-partisan investigative entity has moved seven matters to a second-phase… Read More
New legislation to end government shutdowns
The below text comes from Sen. James Lankford (R, OK) and Maggie Hassan (D, NH). It’s a sad but true reality: Congress functions best on a deadline. In theory,… Read More
Congressional pay is a victim of excessive transparency
It happened again last month. Despite the efforts of dozens of thoughtful reformers, risky political moves by leadership and incisive op-eds, legislators once again proved incapable of voting themselves a… Read More
The evolving role of the Senate parliamentarian
The Senate’s parliamentarian is an influential figure in present-day Washington. In 2016, former Speaker, Paul Ryan, R-Wis., reportedly recommended to Republicans that they closely follow the position’s current… Read More
The House is more courteous than you might imagine
Debate on the House floor heated up Tuesday over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments regarding recent controversial tweets by President Donald Trump. During consideration of a Democratic resolution to… Read More