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 playing out between the two chambers, with the Senate forging a relatively bipartisan path on spending measures while on the House side Speaker McCarthy works to convince hardliners in his own party not to block a short-term funding deal. The posturing thus far does not bode well for a painless outcome.

With precious few legislative days in September, key deadlines are also looming on the Farm Bill and FAA reauthorizations. Meanwhile, Senator Tommy Tuberville’s ongoing hold on military promotions has drawn condemnation from service secretaries, but no resolution appears imminent. And the health of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been a major topic of discussion since the Senate returned to session on Tuesday.

This month’s newsletter feature takes us across the street from the Capitol to the United States Supreme Court. GAI Non-Resident Senior Fellow Susan Sullivan Lagon has provided a wonderful primer on a subject which has received renewed attention in recent months – the lack of a robust code of ethics for Supreme Court justices and potential responses from Congress. I hope you will take the time to read through and learn as much as I did from Dr. Lagon’s piece.

All the best,

Kristin

Kristin Nicholson is the Director of the Government Affairs Institute

Categories: Director's Desk, Media Center, Updates