Congress Publications
The Trans - Atlantic South Partnership: Positions on Building a Mutually Beneficial Partnership with Africa
May 21, 2013It is very simple. Until the U.S. is as optimally invested, or doing business as briskly as the Chinese, the EU, Indians, Brazilians or Vietnamese; the world’s largest economy can neither expand its commercial footprint in Africa nor make a portentous impact on the lives of over a billion Africans. more
Congress Takes Recess From Pro Formas
Apr 22, 2013So far this Congress has been spared the brief “pro forma” sessions used to block presidential recess appointments in previous Congresses. Both parties have done it to prevent a president of the other party from filling judicial or executive branch vacancies while Congress is away. A recent court decision however, may change all that. more
Filibusters Sometimes Serve Purposes
Mar 27, 2013Senate filibusters have long been a target of congressional reformers, though as much as the Senate might tweak the rules, they are unlikely to give up this valuable right of the minority to talk. And sometimes talking does build support for an issue. more
Rubber-Band Politics' Snapback Sting
Mar 12, 2013Sometimes Congress’s budget gimmicks snap back and sting. Sequestration (or across the board spending cuts) wasn’t supposed to happen, but something snapped, and everyone got stung. more
Getting Back to Legislating: Reflections of a Congressional Working Group
Feb 19, 2013A group of former Members of Congress, staff and scholars has urged Congress to return to a culture of legislating and abandon the election centered culture that has produced hyper-partisanship and gridlock. The experts suggest the transformation will not require major changes in rules and procedures, but rather leadership-led encouragement of a more deliberative legislative process in committees and on the floor. more
Information on the 113th Congress
Jan 25, 2013The 113th Congress has nearly the same partian makeup, but with over 80 new House members and 12 freshman senators it's bound to produce some different results. Information on the new Congress and data on previous ones still point to increasing partisanship. more
Process Gimmicks Can't Replace Policymaking
Jan 24, 2013It is often said that process is policy; that he who makes the rules controls policy outcomes. But in recent years, process has often been used to avoid tough policy choices, especially when it comes to getting government spending under control, writes Don Wolfensberger. more
New House Adopts Its Rules in the Dark
Jan 11, 2013The adoption of House rules on the opening day of a new Congress is a perfunctory and partisan exercise that gets little attention. It hasn't always been that way, writes Don Wolfensberger. more
VPs Hold Key on Filibuster Change
Dec 28, 2012The Senate will decide in January whether it wants to change its filibuster rule. How it is done could usher in either a constitutional nirvana or a nuclear winter. more
Fast-Track Funding Bills Always Hard to Derail
Oct 23, 2012In a rare show of bipartisanship, Congress agreed in October to fund the government for six more months rather than suffer the political consequences of a government shutdown. While outrage over the killing of U.S. personnel in Libya threatened to derail the agreeement, pressures to adjourn for election campaigns prevailed. more
