by jpitney | Apr 3, 2025 | Congress, Debate, Debt, Deliberation
Mike Johnson (the former Michel guy, not the current speaker): The framers of the Constitution were in good measure geniuses who had a vision for the future and took lessons from the accomplishments and failures of the budding European democracies. That genius is not...
by jpitney | Mar 21, 2025 | Congress, Oversight, Separation of Powers
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: Restoring trust in Congress will take a concerted effort over time to move overly zealous executive officials back into their proper constitutional boxes. To restore trust in Congress requires that Congress first regain trust in itself....
by jpitney | Mar 15, 2025 | Congress, House of Representatives, Trade
In 1987, Speaker Jim Wright (D-TX) created a new day in order to rush passage of a bill. Philip Wallach at The American Interest: Most dramatically, as Wright sought to push through a revenue-positive reconciliation bill following “Black Monday” in October 1987, his...
by jpitney | Mar 8, 2025 | Congress, Regulation
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: Data compiled by Sarah Hay with the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University, covering the 115th Congress (2017-2018) through the 118th Congress (2023-2024), shows that 368 disapproval resolutions were introduced over...
by jpitney | Mar 3, 2025 | Congress, Foreign Policy, Russia, Ukraine, Volunteering
Hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, January 23, 1941. Subject: the Lend-Lease Bill: [LUTHER JOHNSON, D-TX] Which side are you on? Colonel LINDBERGH. On neither side, except our own. Mr. JOHNSON. Do you think it would be to the best interests of the United...
by jpitney | Feb 27, 2025 | Appropriations, Congress, Constitution, Elections, Separation of Powers, Transparency, Volunteering
Greg Ip at WSJ: Appropriations bills aren’t glamorous. But they are the one chance Congress gets each year to evaluate and direct the executive branch, said Eloise Pasachoff, a law professor at Georgetown University. “That’s why appropriations laws are thousands of...
