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Icons of Congress: James Madison — The First Majority Leader
Icons of Congress: James Madison — The First Majority Leader

In his 1836 eulogy of James Madison, John Quincy Adams called the late president the “Father of the Constitution.” It ...

July 9, 2025
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Congress tries to ban insider trading by its members
Congress tries to ban insider trading by its members

Media stories erupted recently about Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) financial dealings. “Stock market watchdog claims Nancy Pelosi raked in $4.7M in a single ...

July 7, 2025
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Trump, Iran, and the Constitution
Trump, Iran, and the Constitution

As a constitutional matter, was President Trump required to have congressional authorization before he militarily struck Iran’s nuclear facilities? The ...

June 24, 2025
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Congress in Plain English: The War Power
Congress in Plain English: The War Power

President Donald Trump's recent authorization of the use of “bunker-buster” bombs against Iranian nuclear facilities has touched off a debate ...

June 24, 2025
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Congress in Plain English: Budget Reconciliation
Congress in Plain English: Budget Reconciliation

Congress continues to debate the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda for his ...

June 16, 2025
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What members of Congress are saying about Trump vs. Musk and the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”
What members of Congress are saying about Trump vs. Musk and the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”

Clash of the titans. Source: Google Gemini. On May 28, Elon Musk, de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency ...

June 11, 2025
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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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