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Supreme Court Nominations with Sue Lagon
Mark and Matt chat with Sue Lagon about the upcoming Supreme Court nomination, and also discuss the “framework” deal for FY22 appropriations.
Filibuster Fight Goes Another Round
According to the headlines, last week Majority Leader Chuck Schumer forced the Senate to vote on a potential change to the Senate filibuster. In actuality, Schumer did something very different. What was nominally aimed at reforming the filibuster was actually an attempt to limit all senators’ rights under the rules to consider a single piece
The end of the first session of the 117th Congress
Mark, Matt, and Josh talk about what did and did not happen in the first session of the 117th Congress, and look forward to 2022 in Congress.
Off-year elections and legislation aren’t inherently linked
Last night, Republicans swept the statewide races in Virginia and made a serious push in New Jersey. Among the various pundit hot-takes and autopsies interpreting what Republicans’ impressive performance means going forward, many pointed to the cooling effect it would have on Democrats’ infrastructure and reconciliation bills. As Republicans shrink the gap in blue states,
Democrats and the Debt Ceiling
Debt ceiling politics is front and center in Congress as the US is scheduled to default on its accrued debt October 18. (For a good explainer on the debt ceiling I recommend my colleague Laura Blessing’s piece.) So far, Senate Republicans have filibustered Democrats’ attempts to raise the debt ceiling. Instead, Minority
Stretching Processes and Avoiding Reform: Senate Reconciliation and Filibuster
News dropped Monday the Senate Parliamentarian would allow Democrats to “revise” the budget resolution for fiscal year 2021. This is an important guidance because it would enable Democrats to pursue another round of reconciliation – a process outlined in the 1974 Budget and Impoundment Control Act allowing for Senate passage of budget-related
All the Negative Things: Repeals and Impeachment
Congressional scholars Jordan Ragusa and Nate Birkhead join Josh to discuss the politics of legislative repeals, impeachment, and where the parties are headed in the 117th Congress.
The 116th Congress, yesterday and today
Mark, Laura, and Matt discuss the remainder of the 116th Congress and take a look back at the last two years.
The 116th and the 117th Congresses: It’s bad but probably not as bad as you think
Historic dysfunction may well be the credo of American politics in the 21st century. Congress appears hopelessly gridlocked. Pundits have run out of adjectives to describe the polarization plaguing American politics. And maybe worse, the mixed results of the 2020 Election defy easy analysis. The House Democratic majority lost seats, the Senate Republican majority
Norms, Precedents and Senate Confirmation
The Supreme Court vacancy created by Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing has thrust the Senate’s constitutional confirmation function into an already chaotic 2020 election cycle. Senate Majority Leader McConnell appears poised for a pre-election rush to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett—in direct contravention of his previous statements about confirming Supreme Court nominees in election years and