Blog

The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism
The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism

Sarah Burns, The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism (University of Kansas Press, 2019). Buy ...

January 28, 2024
Read More...
Building a Better Budget Process
Building a Better Budget Process

Convergence, a not-for-profit organization, convened various individuals from a range of political and policy perspectives to figure out a new ...

January 23, 2024
Read More...
What Are Continuing Resolutions?
What Are Continuing Resolutions?

"When... annual appropriations acts are not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1), one or more continuing ...

January 19, 2024
Read More...
How Does Campaign Fundraising in the House of Representatives Work?
How Does Campaign Fundraising in the House of Representatives Work?

Campaigns cost money---for travel, for signs, for advertisements, voter data, etc. This means members of Congress have to devote time ...

January 18, 2024
Read More...
Why Do Federal Government Shutdowns Occur?
Why Do Federal Government Shutdowns Occur?

Article I, section 9, clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution declares, "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but ...

January 16, 2024
Read More...
Job Description for a Member of Congress
Job Description for a Member of Congress

Kathy Goldschmidt and Bradley Sinkaus, Job Description for a Member of Congress, Congressional Management Foundation, 2018. Note: The job description offered ...

January 16, 2024
Read More...
Congress at a Crossroads: Retiring Members of Congress Tell Us What’s Right, What’s Wrong–And How to Fix It
Congress at a Crossroads: Retiring Members of Congress Tell Us What’s Right, What’s Wrong–And How to Fix It

Mark Sobol and Leonard Steinhorn, Congress at a Crossroads: Retiring Members of Congress Tell Us What's Right, What's Wrong–And How ...

January 12, 2024
Read More...
Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History
Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History

George Crile, Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003). Buy ...

January 11, 2024
Read More...
Congress: The Strongest Branch of Liberty?
Congress: The Strongest Branch of Liberty?

Louis Fisher, Congress: Protecting Individual Rights (University of Kansas Press, 2016). Buy a copy. Which branch of government comes to mind ...

January 10, 2024
Read More...
What Is Congressional Oversight and How Can It Be Measured?
What Is Congressional Oversight and How Can It Be Measured?

Carl Levin and Elise J. Bean, "Defining Congressional Oversight and Measuring Its Effectiveness," 64 Wayne L. Rev. 2, 2018, pp. ...

January 9, 2024
Read More...
Where Can I Find Out How Much Congress Spends On Itself?
Where Can I Find Out How Much Congress Spends On Itself?

You can find data for legislative branch spening in the data set compiled by the First Branch Forecast, which has ...

January 8, 2024
Read More...
A Chat with John Lawrence, Author of The Class of 74: Congress after Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship
A Chat with John Lawrence, Author of The Class of 74: Congress after Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship

John Lawrence, The Class of '74: Congress after Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018). Buy ...

January 7, 2024
Read More...
What Is the Status of the Reforms Proposed by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress?
What Is the Status of the Reforms Proposed by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress?

J.D. Rackey, "What Is the Status of the Reforms Proposed by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress?" (Sunwater ...

January 6, 2024
Read More...
A Review of Fergus Bordewich, The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government
A Review of Fergus Bordewich, The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government

Fergus M. Bordewich, The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government ...

January 4, 2024
Read More...
APSA Report on Reforming Congress
APSA Report on Reforming Congress

In 2019, the American Political Science Association (APSA) supported a scholarly effort led by Frances Lee (Princeton), Eric Schickler (UC-Berkeley), ...

January 4, 2024
Read More...
What Does the House Parliamentarian’s Office Do?
What Does the House Parliamentarian’s Office Do?

You'll find the answer in this video. The Sunwater Institute's Matt Chervenak interviews Former House Parliamentarian, Tom Wickham. The answer ...

January 3, 2024
Read More...
Final Report of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress
Final Report of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

The House of Representatives established the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (SCMC) on January 4, 2019. It was ...

January 3, 2024
Read More...
Does the Executive Branch Control the Power of the Purse?
Does the Executive Branch Control the Power of the Purse?

Although the US Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, today a number of laws and arrangements have empowered ...

January 2, 2024
Read More...
Revitalizing the Congressional Research Service for the 21st Century
Revitalizing the Congressional Research Service for the 21st Century

kosar-crs-writtentestimony-04-26-2023Download

January 2, 2024
Read More...
The Excessive Complexity of House of Representative Rules on Legislative Procedure
The Excessive Complexity of House of Representative Rules on Legislative Procedure

kosar-testimony-big-ideas-hearing-07-28-2022Download

January 2, 2024
Read More...

GET UPDATES In YOUR INBOX

Stay in the know about our news and events.