Updates
Director’s Desk
Kristin Nicholson | September 7, 2023
Dear Friends, It has become commonplace for us to greet September with a long congressional to-do list and some degree of concern over whether the federal government will be funded come October 1. The main difference this year, unfortunately, is the intensity with which the shutdown speculation is ramping up. There are stark differences
Does the Highest Court Have the Lowest Standards?
Susan Sullivan Lagon | September 7, 2023
In Federalist 78, published in the spring of 1788, Alexander Hamilton famously referred to the judiciary as “the least dangerous” branch of the federal government. A fair question 235 years later is whether it has become the least accountable branch, at least at the top level. Unlike lower-court judges and employees in the executive and
Post-Dobbs Politics in Congress with Michele Swers
Josh Huder | August 4, 2023
Laura and Josh talk with Georgetown Professor Michele Swers about abortion politics after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision and a bit of Nancy Pelosi’s speakership.
Director’s Desk
Kristin Nicholson | August 1, 2023
Dear Friends, As the House and Senate settle into August recess, let’s take a quick look at where things stand on the Hill and what looms ahead in September. Despite a lot of promises from both sides of the Capitol, the appropriations process is barely inching along, raising fears of a possible shutdown.
The Worst Job in Washington: Kevin McCarthy and the Challenge of the Speakership
GAI | August 1, 2023
By Matthew Green, Professor, Department of Politics (The Catholic University of America) The past seven months have made it abundantly clear that the House speakership is one of the most difficult jobs in Washington. In January, for the first time in a century, the majority party’s nominee for speaker – Kevin McCarthy of California –
Why Congress with Philip Wallach
GAI | June 13, 2023
Matt and Josh are joined by special guest Philip Wallach from the American Enterprise Institute to discuss his new book, Why Congress.
Director’s Desk
Kristin Nicholson | June 7, 2023
Dear Friends, Washington may be starting June with wildfire haze and sonic booms, but thankfully at least not a debt default. I hope you’ll read on for Senior Fellow Laura Blessing’s fascinating look at the many similarities between the debt limit negotiations of 2011 and 2023, and some important cautions for the
Debt Limit Déjà Vu? What Can We Learn from the Close Calls of 2011 and 2023?
Laura Blessing | June 7, 2023
Normally, we remember what we were doing when great triumphs or tragedies take place on the world stage. Fiscal policy is not typically on that list of events. And yet, I remember clearly what I was doing in the lead up to Treasury’s “X date” in 2011. I was in grad school, and I had
Debt Limit with Michael Thorning
GAI | May 26, 2023
Matt and Laura are joined by special guest Michael Thorning from the Bipartisan Policy Center, to discuss the debt limit negotiations, modernization of Congress, and the FY24 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.
Director’s Desk
Kristin Nicholson | May 3, 2023
Dear Friends, The biggest story on Capitol Hill- and the theme of this month’s newsletter – is the debt limit. Now that House Republicans have passed what amounts to an initial offer (and promptly left town for a week-long recess), the focus will shift to whatever move President Biden and