Highway to Hill

This week on Highway to Hill: This week, SoRelle chats with Jessica Seale of the Coastal Strategy Group , a consulting firm for Capitol Hill to talk about how Congress has (and hasn’t dealt with policy around artificial intelligence. Jessica has led comms departments and digital efforts in the US Senate and House of Representatives, and has held formal positions in the executive branch, including...

This week on Highway to Hill: A co-opted commission, a cage match at the White House, and the saddest state fair in history: It’s America’s 250th birthday this weekend, but exactly how we’re celebrating is getting a little confusing, and a lot upsetting. Charlie and SoRelle raise a very tentative glass to America by diving into how an anniversary we was really looking forward to has devolved into...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill: We are talking all about the boogey man of congressional politics: money. We’re joined by Michael Kistner, an assistant professor at the University of Houston, who has a wonderful new book out with University of Chicago Press titled, “Paying for the Party.” Michael’s research looks at how parties have institutionalized fundraising, evolving how Congress a...

Today on Highway to Hill : With a deal on the table -- or at least the concepts of a deal -- the War in Iran might be drawing to a close. What exactly is in this deal, and does Congress have any say in the matter? Plus, what’s the difference between a treaty and an executive agreement? The answer is actually super important! This week’s syllabus 📚 * “ A Look at the Text of the Agreement Between t...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : With the massive amount of turnover in the Trump administration, Congress is on tap to fulfill one of its major constitutional responsibilities. What does “advice and consent” even mean for nominations to cabinet posts? What does the Senate do to figure out whether nominees are qualified? And where will the YOLO Republicans come down on two of Trump’s mo...

On this week's episode of Highway to Hill : Want to work on Capitol Hill but don't know how to break in? Charlie and SoRelle are joined by Tom Manatos, founder of Tom Manatos Jobs , to talk about how to actually get a job in Congress. Tom started his job board by cutting and pasting email listings back in the pre-internet days, and now it's become the go-to resource for Capitol Hill positions. Tom...

Today on Highway to Hill: We go into private eye mode as we try to locate some members of Congress who haven’t been showing up to work for quite awhile. Why do members of Congress miss votes in Washington, and what do they owe to their constituents? Plus, we break down what it means when the whole Congress goes on “recess”, and why a little R&R isn’t the worst thing in the world. This week’s sylla...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : It’s party primary season across a whole bunch of states. Quite a few high-profile incumbents have been ousted or are clearly in trouble thanks to endorsements (or non endorsements) from Donald Trump. Is the president’s star power in the GOP enough to keep them save in the midterms, or is he just adding to the Republicans’ electoral problems? Plus, some...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : After demolishing the East Wing of the White House last year, President Trump wants Congress to fund his massive ballroom project — to the tune of $1 billion. Charlie and SoRelle break down why Trump needs congressional approval (a judge ruled construction can’t continue without “express authorization”), how Republicans are trying to sneak ballroom fundi...

On this week's episode of Highway to Hill : The generative AI revolution is coming to Congress — or is it? Charlie and SoRelle are joined by Aubrey Wilson from POPVOX Foundation to break down how Congress is (or isn't) using AI right now. Why is adoption so mixed across offices, and what are the biggest barriers to using these tools safely and effectively? Aubrey explains how AI could help solve C...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : The redistricting wars reach new heights as both sides notch victories in a chaotic week that included a major Supreme Court ruling on race and redistricting. Charlie and SoRelle break down the difference between reapportionment, redistricting, and gerrymandering (they’re not all the same thing!), explain packing versus cracking, and why we’re talking ab...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill: SoRelle is at a conference doing actual political science, so Casey Burgat steps in to help Charlie break down why Republicans are already talking about replacing Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — despite lifetime appointments. What’s driving this push? The nightmare scenario of getting “Ginsburg’d” if Democrats take the Senate in...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : The vibes are bad in the House as multiple scandals collide. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales resign following revelations of sexual misconduct and worse — but what about Cory Mills and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who have actual legal charges against them and don’t seem to be going anywhere? Charlie and SoRelle break down the scandals, the reasons behind...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : The president threatened to destroy an entire civilization by 8 PM Eastern on Tuesday (primetime, naturally), then backed down after terrifying both Iranians and Americans alike. Charlie and SoRelle break down the Easter Sunday festivities, what actually happened with the Iran ceasefire, and why nobody seems to know what’s going on — including the White...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : Charlie and SoRelle are joined by Kevin R. Kosar from the American Enterprise Institute and host of the Understanding Congress podcast to talk about how Congress lost so much power to the executive branch, and what it would take to get some of it back. Is the “imperial presidency” a Trump thing or a century-long trend? What’s the Congressional Research S...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill: Congressional Republicans are turning to reconciliation — a Senate procedural loophole that only requires 51 votes instead of 60 — to try to fund ICE and parts of the SAVE Act without Democratic support. But can they actually do that? Charlie and SoRelle explain what reconciliation is, why it can only be used three times a year, what the Byrd Rule means,...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : The Senate is debating the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote nationwide — but what does that actually mean? Charlie and SoRelle break down how many Americans don’t have quick access to birth certificates or passports (over 21 million); the nightmare this would cause for mail-in voters in red and blue states alike; and whether it...

In our very first bonus non-Friday episode, Charlie deep dives on the implications of an age-old question in Congress: should we expand the size of the House of Representatives? He’s joined by Anne Meeker and Aubrey Wilson of POPVOX Foundation to talk through some of the potential benefits, needs, and challenges that would come along with embiggening the People’s Chamber. It’s a conversation that...

On this week's episode of Highway to Hill : Does calling your member of Congress actually do anything? Charlie and SoRelle are joined by Anne Meeker , former House casework director and the Managing Director of PopVox Foundation , to break down what happens when you contact Congress: how offices batch and track constituent communications, why you should be nice to congressional interns answering t...

On this week's episode of Highway to Hill: The Trump administration has gone to war with Iran — but why? Three American soldiers are dead, hundreds of Iranian civilians are dead, and the justifications keep changing. Was it about nuclear weapons? Regime change? An "imminent threat" that only existed because Israel was planning to attack? Charlie and SoRelle dig into what Congress's constitutional...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill : Texas is voting next week in tight primaries for both parties to decide who’ll compete for a U.S. Senate seat this November. Charlie and SoRelle are joined by special guest Casey Burgat to break down the Democratic race between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett, including their campaign strategies — is it better to run up the score in Dallas and Housto...

On this week's episode of Highway to Hill : We're in a partial government shutdown, but you might not have noticed. Why does this shutdown feel so different from the one last year? Charlie and SoRelle break down how Democrats separated out DHS funding, what agencies are actually affected (TSA workers without pay, but ICE is largely funded), and whether this strategy gives Democrats any real levera...

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill: The Trump administration just gutted the EPA’s “endangerment finding” — the legal foundation for decades of federal climate regulation. How did we get to a place where a single administrative action can erase that much environmental policy? Charlie and SoRelle explain what Chevron deference is, why Congress keeps passing vague laws and letting bureaucrats...

On this week's episode of Highway to Hill: President Trump says he wants to "nationalize elections" — but what does that even mean? Who has the power to do that? (Spoiler: not him.) Charlie and SoRelle break down Trump's controversial comments; explain what the Constitution actually says about who runs elections; and dig into the SAVE Act that the White House claims Trump was really talking about....

Fallout continues from the tragic killing of Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who was gunned down in Minneapolis by federal agents, for the apparent crime of trying to help up a woman who the agents had shoved to the ground. What does Congress have to do with what happened in Minneapolis? Are we heading towards a(nother) government shutdown over it? And what are some Congress stories we missed in the mi...