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ICYMI: Congress, the President and Trade: Who Should Decide?

March 12, 2019  ·  Marian Currinder
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

March 12, 2019  ·  Matthew Green
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

March 11, 2019  ·  James Wallner
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

March 8, 2019  ·  Marian Currinder
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

March 7, 2019  ·  James Wallner
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

March 6, 2019  ·  Marian Currinder
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

March 6, 2019  ·  Craig Volden
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

March 5, 2019  ·  Michael Beckel, Amisa Ratliff
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

March 4, 2019  ·  Jason Roberts
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

March 1, 2019  ·  Casey Burgat, Anthony Marcum
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