Congress Project
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"Obama in Office" is a frank and objective assessment of Obama’s first two years as President as seen through the eyes of 18 of the country’s most astute scholars, journalists and practitioners. This book discussion, held on November 29, featured five of the chapter authors, including James Thurber, the book’s editor. more
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The Congress Project fosters a dialogue between scholars who study Congress and policymakers who have experience with how Congress works. The project offers a series of seminars and forums featuring members of Congress and their staff, political scientists, historians, and Washington media representatives. more
The Latest from the Congress Project
Flurry of Budget Process Reforms Blanket House
Publication //
Feb 08, 2012
The House of Representatives is considering a spurt of budget process reform bills this month. While it has been pegged by House Republican leaders to the Democratic Senate’s failure to produce a budget resolution over the last three years, it is also a useful exercise in better educating Members on the process—even if the pieces don’t all fit together at this point. more
Congress Left for Recess on Temporary Miracle
Publication //
Jan 26, 2012
Congress completed work on an important piece of legislation Dec. 23 after most Members had already left town for the holidays. In his column, Don Wolfensberger describes this immaculate conception of a public law as a temporary Christmas miracle with a very short half-life since it will have to be revisited in February. more
Is Foreign Aid Worth the Cost?
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January 23, 2012 // 4:00pm — 6:00pm
Bipartisan support for foreign aid has led to notable successes, such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and long-running scholarship and technical programs for international students. Yet the U.S. public and many in Congress remain deeply skeptical of the value of such funding, questioning if it’s a fair trade-off when similar investments may be needed at home. more
Deficit Panel’s Failure Reflects Ambivalent Public Mood
Publication //
Dec 14, 2011
While there has been a lot of finger-pointing in Congress over who is to blame for the failure of the joint committee on deficit reduction, the American people are ultimately to blame for their ambivalence about increasing taxes and lowering government entitlement benefits. That mood is reflected in the stalemate among parties and Members over how to tackle the debt problem. Congress is a representative body and right now it is representing the reluctance of the people they represent to elevate deficit reduction over jobs and the economy. Read more from Don Wolfensberger's latest article from Roll Call's Procedural Politics column. more
Balanced Budget Proposal Tilts on Procedure
Publication //
Nov 29, 2011
Part of the debt limit deal last August was a provision mandating that both Houses vote on an amendment to the Constitution to require a balanced budget each year. When the House Judiciary Committee reported a version that required a two-thirds vote to raise taxes, House Republicans reversed the committee in favor a simple majority vote to attract Democrats. In this article from Roll Call's Procedural Politics column, Don Wolfensberger comments that while the procedural acrobatics to make this change were complicated, they still left the amendment short of the two-thirds vote needed for constitutional amendments. more
