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Trump and Congress clash over who has final say on the Library of Congress
Trump and Congress clash over who has final say on the Library of Congress

Who is in charge of the Library of Congress: Congress or the president? Until recently, the settled answer in Washington was ...

June 6, 2025
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Jay  Cost, How Congress Lost, Part VII: The Ambiguous Legacy of Andrew Jackson
Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part VII: The Ambiguous Legacy of Andrew Jackson

Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part VII: The Ambiguous Legacy of Andrew Jackson , American Enterprise Institute, May 2025. Unlike his predecessors, ...

June 2, 2025
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Who Is in Charge of the Library of Congress?
Who Is in Charge of the Library of Congress?

The past week has been witness to the rarest of rare Trump-era occurrences: Congress has been standing up for itself ...

May 22, 2025
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The Republicans’ Debt Delusion: Tough talk on the budget is plentiful, but policy decisions tell a different story.
The Republicans’ Debt Delusion: Tough talk on the budget is plentiful, but policy decisions tell a different story.

If you listen to how Republicans in Washington talk about federal spending these days, you might imagine that we have ...

May 20, 2025
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In Congress the factions decide
In Congress the factions decide

Caucuses, caucuses everywhere. Source: Rep. Ritchie Torres, X.com. House Republicans are battling over what should be included Donald Trump’s “one, big, ...

May 14, 2025
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Congress: The Missing Branch
Congress: The Missing Branch

Everyone who follows American politics is going to spend a lot of time thinking about presidential and judicial power over ...

May 13, 2025
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House GOP shuts down Democrats’ oversight of Trump
House GOP shuts down Democrats’ oversight of Trump

House Republicans recently sank numerous Democratic efforts to investigate President Donald Trump’s administration, but anyone who is not a close watcher of Congress would ...

May 12, 2025
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Congress and regulation: How to bolster legislative oversight capacity
Congress and regulation: How to bolster legislative oversight capacity

The Constitution designates Congress as the lawmaking institution in our federal government. Yet, an enormous amount of lawmaking gets done ...

May 6, 2025
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Could “Liberation” Take Us Back to Congress?
Could “Liberation” Take Us Back to Congress?

“Liberation Week” was quite the wild ride. On Thursday, April 2, President Donald Trump announced, in an executive order, that ...

April 25, 2025
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Making DOGE Constitutional
Making DOGE Constitutional

The “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) has been hard to pin down. In the wake of last year’s election, Elon ...

April 22, 2025
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Video: Congress: Legislation vs. Regulation 
Video: Congress: Legislation vs. Regulation 

On April 14, 2025, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) released this educational video. The Constitution designates Congress as the primary ...

April 18, 2025
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Can Congress Keep Up with President Trump?
Can Congress Keep Up with President Trump?

Near the outset of Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, Lewis Carroll’s sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Alice ...

April 14, 2025
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Congressional republicans aim to nix Biden regulations. But enduring regulatory reform requires a new law
Congressional republicans aim to nix Biden regulations. But enduring regulatory reform requires a new law

Late in March, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives turned their energies to appliances. They passed two resolutions to strike down energy ...

April 11, 2025
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Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part VI: Madison, Monroe, and the Republican Presidency
Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part VI: Madison, Monroe, and the Republican Presidency

Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part VI: Madison, Monroe, and the Republican Presidency, American Enterprise Institute, March 2025. Jay Cost reminds ...

March 28, 2025
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Lawmakers Try to Stop the Hundreds of Billions in Fraudulent and Improper Spending
Lawmakers Try to Stop the Hundreds of Billions in Fraudulent and Improper Spending

Last year, the U.S. government made at least $162 billion in improper payments, according to a nonpartisan government watchdog. Kristin Kociolek of ...

March 21, 2025
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The Reconciliation Process: Frequently Asked Questions
The Reconciliation Process: Frequently Asked Questions

Congressional Research Service, The Reconciliation Process: Frequently Asked Questions, report R48444, Congressional Research Service, March 6. 2025. CRS The Reconciliation Process ...

March 10, 2025
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How Congress Lost, Part V: Politics and Presidential Power Under Adams and Jefferson, 1797-1809
How Congress Lost, Part V: Politics and Presidential Power Under Adams and Jefferson, 1797-1809

Jay Cost, How Congress Lost, Part V: Politics and Presidential Power Under Adams and Jefferson, 1797-1809, American Enterprise Institute, February ...

February 25, 2025
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Where can I find the rules of the House of Representatives?
Where can I find the rules of the House of Representatives?

You cannot really understand the House of Representatives without some familiarity with its rules. They affect everything---who acts as leaders, ...

February 7, 2025
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The Woebegone 118th Congress
The Woebegone 118th Congress

Phlilip Wallach The Woebegone 118th Congress 02-2025Download

February 6, 2025
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Dysfunction in Federal Budgeting: Structural Factors and Selected Reforms
Dysfunction in Federal Budgeting: Structural Factors and Selected Reforms

James Capretta, Dysfunction in Federal Budgeting Structural Factors and Selected Reforms, American Enterprise Institute, January 2025. James Capretta Dysfunction in Federal ...

February 4, 2025
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