by jpitney | Apr 8, 2021 | Congress, Senate
James Wallner at Legislative Procedure: There are several reasons why senators’ procedural independence declined beginning in the 1930. For example, New Deal legislation packed the Senate’s agenda and its members were spending less time on the floor beginning in this...
by jpitney | Mar 30, 2021 | Congress, Polarization, Senate
Mike Johnson: There is today a lot of flaming rhetoric heating up the debate over its future. Support and opposition flow back in forth between the parties, depending upon which is in the minority and which is in the majority. It’s the Democrats’ turn in opposition....
by jpitney | Mar 16, 2021 | Budget, Congress, House of Representatives, Senate
Zachary Courser & Kevin R. Kosar at AEI: The Democratic leadership in Congress is currently making fast moves toward reimplementing earmarks after a 10-year moratorium…Based on our research, we have a few recommendations that congressional committees should...
by jpitney | Mar 13, 2021 | Civility, Congress, Senate
James Hohmann at WP: Several years ago, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) spotted the bust of a man on top of a bookcase in the Capitol. It had no label, and congressional historians were unable to discern the identity of the mystery man, beyond determining that he was a cleric...
by jpitney | Feb 21, 2021 | Congress, Constitution, Deliberation, House of Representatives, Senate
Yuval Levin at National Review: If the problem to be solved is that cross-partisan agreement is necessary for Congress to legislate but such agreement is very rare now, then there are broadly two sorts of possible paths toward reform: You could look for ways to make...
by jpitney | Feb 16, 2021 | Congress, House of Representatives, Senate
Tara Golshan and Kevin Robillard at HuffPo report that congressional Democrats are planning to revive earmarks. “Chair DeLauro supports Member-directed funding for community projects,” said Evan Hollander, a spokesperson with the House Appropriations Committee, which...
