Filter Content
ICYMI: Congress, the President and Trade: Who Should Decide?
The Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs has made trade policy one of today’s most contentious issues, prompting Congress to consider various reforms to make itself more central to trade policymaking. Read More
Common myths about the House Freedom Caucus
Since it was formed in early 2015, the House Freedom Caucus has made headlines for blocking bills in Congress, helping remove an incumbent Speaker of the House, and otherwise making… Read More
McConnell is not omnipotent
This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., suggested that he alone has the power to select the measures on which his colleagues vote. When McConnell was asked why the… Read More
ICYMI: Top reads on Congress
Thomas B. Edsall, “How Much Does Nancy Pelosi Have to Worry About a Left-Center Split?” New York Times: “Two key wings of the congressional Democratic Party have divergent… Read More
Precedents: What they are and how they are created
Senate Republicans are not yet convinced that they can amend a resolution to terminate a presidential declaration of a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act. While the… Read More
Why Pelosi doesn’t want to change the rules
A little-known procedural tool called the “motion to recommit” is suddenly all over the news. This is because House Republicans have successfully used the motion twice this year to force politically… Read More
Highlights from the new 115th Congress legislative effectiveness scores
The Center for Effective Lawmaking is pleased to announce the release of the Legislative Effectiveness Scores (LES) for the recently completed 115th Congress (2017-18). As in all previous releases, the scores… Read More
How the political parties leaned on legislative leaders for cash during the 115th Congress
One of the open secrets in Washington is that the Democratic and Republican parties both lean on their most powerful legislators to raise extraordinary amounts of campaign cash, often under… Read More
Motions to Recommit: A brief history and reform options
Republicans in the House of Representatives are using a procedural motion to frustrate the chamber’s Democratic majority. To date, two Republican-sponsored motions to recommit have passed the chamber, even though… Read More
At congressional hearings, let the experts do the talking
Wednesday’s House Oversight Committee hearing featuring President Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen was what many expected it to be: largely scripted, with dramatic and partisan-tailored questions designed either to… Read More