TOP LINE The debt limit crisis mercifully is over, for now, without the Senate as much as cutting into its three-day weekend. The institutional conditions that enabled the drama, however, remain. For now, it’s back to business on the urgent matters of the day like messaging bills about appliances. We’ll be waiting for the stalled … Continued
In a win for government spending transparency, the House is publishing highly detailed information about the money it spends on itself. The Clerk of the House just released the latest House Statements of Disbursements — which catalog every penny spent by every person in the House of Representatives — with new metadata (or entity identifiers). … Continued
TOP LINE Appropriations bills’ markups, scheduled to begin last week, have taken a hiatus awaiting the outcome of the topic du jour. It’s not clear that House Republicans would have been able to pass those bills individually. This week: the deal that Pres. Biden and Speaker McCarthy have reached to raise the debt limit scrambled the … Continued
TOP LINE Government accountability requires both structural mechanisms and personal will. By moderately decreasing funding levels for the Legislative branch, House appropriators preserved most of the structural accountability capacity of Congress in their FY 2024 spending package. Individuals, however, continue to dodge holding peers accountable. The US Capitol Police is allowing former acting chief Yogananda … Continued
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just now, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released declassified opinion from the FISA Court, which describes previously unknown abuses of the controversial FISA surveillance law known as “Section 702.” In response, Sean Vitka, senior policy counsel at Demand Progress, issued the following statement: “This newly revealed abuse of Section 702 … Continued
By Taylor J. Swift, senior policy advisor The House proposes to appropriate $6.746 billion towards the Legislative branch, a 2.2% reduction from FY 23, according to a statement released by Appropriations Committee Republicans. Excluding the Senate amount, the remaining $5.313 billion in discretionary appropriations reflects a $252 million or 4.5% cut from the FY 23 … Continued
TOP LINE In a place driven by interpersonal relationships, failures to treat other people with respect in the Legislative branch stand out. Last week, we learned a lot more about how the people inside CRS feel about how upper management treats them and how that impacts its capabilities. We did so through its union, which … Continued
TOP LINE Lawmakers assumed that income tax revenue coming in during April would give them a few more months to posture before the debt default roiled the markets. The time to implement a solution to the debt limit, however, was back in the lame duck session of the last Congress. Unfortunately, Senator Joe Manchin, along … Continued
TOP LINE Last week’s House vote garnered a lot of attention but changed nothing. We see little room for Speaker McCarthy to maneuver to stay at the top of his conference while simultaneously negotiating a deal that avoids default on our nation’s debt. Prior Republican speakers have cut loose part of their conference to avert … Continued
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released the Annual Statistical Transparency Report for 2022. The release comes as Congress is embroiled in debate over how to reform privacy protections for Americans in light of decades of well-documented misuse of presidential surveillance powers, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and an extremely controversial part … Continued
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the House of Representatives voted on H.Con.Res.30. The bill would have removed the U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in Somalia a year after its passage. During that period, Congress would have been able to debate and vote on the continued presence of U.S. Armed Forces in Somalia. The bill did not pass but … Continued
WASHINGTON, DC — During this morning’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, everyone from Ranking Member Nadler to Subcommittee Chair Biggs celebrated and demonstrated the bipartisan appetite for robust reform of warrantless surveillance that affects people in the United States. In response to the hearing, Demand Progress Senior Policy Counsel Sean Vitka issued the following statement: “There is no … Continued
WASHINGTON, DC — On Thursday, the House will vote on H.Con.Res.30, a war powers resolution introduced by Representative Matt Gaetz. The bill would remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in Somalia a year after its passage. During that period, Congress would be able to debate and vote on the continued presence of U.S. military in Somalia. Ahead … Continued
TOP LINE Countermajoritarianism defined the week, as it has this Congress. House leadership unveiled an unserious debt limit proposal designed to hold their factions together while they hope Dems make an unforced error. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, stand athwart majority rule in the Judiciary Committee. Senate Democrats can reclaim their power, but only if they stick … Continued