The Congressional Research Service plays an essential role in policymaking and oversight. It makes Congress smarter about issues and teaches new legislators how to legislate. I would not have spent 11 years working at CRS if I did not think very highly of the institution. But there is one topic on which the widely esteemed […]
#1 Thank you for making your speech short. Really, the days when folks enjoyed hearing long orations have passed. #2 I am glad you thanked the Obamas for being “magnificent” to you during the transition. Offering “gracious aid” to an incoming president is part of the orderly transfer of government. I hope you’ll be as helpful when […]
For the better part of eight years, Republicans have tried to stop the Obama administration from issuing new regulations. They have not had much success. But this may well change in January, when President-elect Donald Trump arrives in the Oval Office. Congress’ primary regulation-whacking tool is the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a bipartisan statute enacted […]
Nearly everyone is gobsmacked by last night’s election results. But should we really be so surprised? No, because a significant portion of the public has been down on the federal government for a long time. Candidates for the presidency have been running as change-agents for decades. Jimmy Carter was the first of the recent outsider […]
Why is Congress loath to increase its staff, and sometimes eager to cut it? Anthony J. Madonna and Ian Ostrander take up this question in a recent conference paper, sardonically titled “A Congress of Cannibals: The Evolution of Professional Staff in Congress.” The authors analyze history and data in an attempt to determine why, despite a one-third growth in […]
