Commentary on Congress

Congress’s ironic enfeeblement
Congress’s ironic enfeeblement

It is an honor to respond to my colleague Philip Wallach’s comprehensive and depressingly persuasive overview of the self-inflicted irrelevance of Congress. ...

August 15, 2025
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The Senate’s essential referees
The Senate’s essential referees

I began my career in the Senate chamber as a page, the junior-most staff member in the body. From the ...

August 5, 2025
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Choosing congressional irrelevance
Choosing congressional irrelevance

On February 7, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado offered the following advice on X: “Dear Speaker Johnson, Simply pass every executive order ...

August 4, 2025
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Congress passes spending cuts — but the small savings may make for bigger budgeting troubles
Congress passes spending cuts — but the small savings may make for bigger budgeting troubles

Something remarkable occurred on Capitol Hill this month: Congress and the president partnered to make a law that cut the budgets of ...

July 26, 2025
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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law quickly. Here’s why.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law quickly. Here’s why.

Donald J. Trump, signing ceremony for the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, July 4, 2025. Source: White House Instagram. On ...

July 15, 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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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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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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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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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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Yanking On the Purse Strings
Yanking On the Purse Strings

President-elect Donald Trump and senior advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-chairs of the proposed Department of Government Efficiency, ...

February 4, 2025
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