by jpitney | Feb 10, 2025 | Congress, House of Representatives, Senate, Transparency, Uncategorized, Volunteering
Philip Wallach at AEI: Key Points The 118th Congress passed 274 laws, fewer than any other since the Civil War. Other metrics confirm its poor productivity. It was also among the most omnibus-dependent congresses in American history. Especially in the House of...
by jpitney | Feb 9, 2025 | Congress, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
Mike Johnson: I believe that Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have character and respect for their respective houses of Congress. I believe that of democratic leaders, as well, such as Hakeem Jeffries and senior statemen such as Steny Hoyer....
by jpitney | Feb 8, 2025 | Congress, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: Former Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson (D-Texas) and House Speaker Sam Rayburn (D-Texas) were great party leaders in their time. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) probably comes closest to their caliber of leadership in...
by jpitney | Feb 5, 2025 | Congress, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
At the Niskanen Center, Soren Dayton, Josiah Watney offer a history of the House Rules Committee. The conclusion: From the 1930s to the 1960s, there were a series of fights over economics and Civil Rights. To accomplish their policy and political goals,...
by jpitney | Jan 31, 2025 | Congress, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: The House seems to have a special penchant for birthing select committees to complement the work of its 20-plus standing committees. In the last Congress, for instance, it created select committees or subcommittees on the strategic...
by jpitney | Jan 30, 2025 | Congress, Dreier, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
At Roll Call, Jackie Wang interviews Rep.Vince Fong: Q: How has Congress changed since you were first a staffer? A: The people make this place go, and if you look at who was there at the time, it was members like Jim McCrery, Wally Herger, David Dreier, Dan...