Commentary on Congress

Why Has Trump Drawn So Heavily from Congress with His Appointments?
Why Has Trump Drawn So Heavily from Congress with His Appointments?

By Philip Wallach and Jaehun Lee When he was first elected president in November 2016, Donald Trump chose a diverse array ...

December 18, 2024
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Trump-picked federal budget-cutters Musk and Ramaswamy face challenge of challenge of convincing lawmakers
Trump-picked federal budget-cutters Musk and Ramaswamy face challenge of challenge of convincing lawmakers

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been much in the news since its creation was announced in mid-November by ...

December 6, 2024
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How one congressional staffer made a difference
How one congressional staffer made a difference

Buy it. It is not easy being a staffer on Capitol Hill. No, the work is not road paving or ditch ...

November 4, 2024
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Will Senators Hard-Bargain to Revive the Senate?
Will Senators Hard-Bargain to Revive the Senate?

Hello? Is there anyone here? The U.S. Senate chamber, 1891. Source: R.K. Bonine via the Library of Congress. Last month, Sen. George ...

October 18, 2024
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How senators can restore the world’s greatest deliberative body
How senators can restore the world’s greatest deliberative body

Senate pageboys celebrate adjournment in October, 1949, with good reason. The 80th Congress enacted more than 900 bills in a ...

October 7, 2024
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An (Un)happy 50th Birthday for the Congressional Budget Process
An (Un)happy 50th Birthday for the Congressional Budget Process

President Joe Biden’s White House recently delivered to Congress its “Mid-Session Review” of the federal budget. The bottom line in this late July ...

September 2, 2024
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Nixon Resigned Because He Lost Congress
Nixon Resigned Because He Lost Congress

First day of the House Judiciary Committee's formal impeachment hearings against President Nixon, May 9, 1974. Source: Wikipedia. Once President Joe Biden ...

September 2, 2024
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Americans dislike deficits and debt. So why don’t they vote that way?
Americans dislike deficits and debt. So why don’t they vote that way?

Annual deficits make for ever growing debt. Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve. Do voters punish politicians who increase budget deficits and ...

June 6, 2024
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Want government to work better? Then have it do fewer things.
Want government to work better? Then have it do fewer things.

Last month, President Joseph Biden announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles and some other items. His ...

June 4, 2024
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Congress Is Weak Because Its Members Want It to Be Weak
Congress Is Weak Because Its Members Want It to Be Weak

Yuval Levin, "Congress Is Weak Because Its Members Want It to Be Weak," Commentary, July/August 2018. The title of this ...

May 2, 2024
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Yes, Congress Actually Is Doing Substantive Things
Yes, Congress Actually Is Doing Substantive Things

Source: MajorityLeader.gov. Yes, Congress has troubles. The budget process is in shambles. It suffers a surfeit of mindless partisanship. Our national ...

April 29, 2024
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Why Do People Run for Congress?
Why Do People Run for Congress?

By John Haskell Members of Congress are on the go full-time and aren’t paid enough to qualify for a home loan ...

March 19, 2024
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About Those GOP Legislators Quitting the House…
About Those GOP Legislators Quitting the House…

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) chairs the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party. He is a ...

February 28, 2024
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