Understanding Congress

The topic of this episode is, “What is the relationship between lobbyists and Congress?” My guest is Timothy LaPira . He is a professor of political science at James Madison University and a faculty affiliate at the Center for Effective Lawmaking at the University of Virginia. Tim, I should add, is the lead editor of our volume Congress Overwhelmed: The Decline of Congressional Capacity and Prospe...

The topic of this episode is, “What does the Congressional Budget Office do?” My guest is Professor Philip Joyce . He is the senior associate dean at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, where he also is a professor of public policy. There, Philip Joyce teaches and researches public budgeting, performance measurement, and intergovernmental relations. He's the author of many publicat...

The topic of this episode is, “Should we expand the membership of the House of Representatives?” My guest is Yuval Levin , who is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Dr. Levin is the founder and editor of the journal National Affairs , a senior editor at The New Atlantis , a contributing editor at National Review , and a contributing o...

The topic of this episode is, “What is wrong and right with the House of Representatives?” My guest is Dan Lipinski , who is uniquely positioned to answer this question. He was a member of Congress, and represented Illinois’ third district from 2005 to 2021. He also is a political scientist — he got his doctorate from Duke University in 1998. And if that is not enough, Dan is a former congressiona...

The topic of this episode is, “What differences do women make in Congress?” My guest is Michele Swers , professor of American government at Georgetown University. She studies Congress, congressional elections, and women in politics. She has written a lot of research articles and book chapters, and also is the author of two books on women in Congress. The first one is titled The Difference Women Ma...

The topic of this episode is, "What is the role of the Senate’s majority leader?" My guest is Dr. James Wallner . He is a senior fellow at the R Street Institute and a lecturer at Clemson University. He is the author of three books on the Senate, including one titled On Parliamentary War: Partisan Conflict and Procedural Change in the U.S. Senate (2017). James has worked in the Senate, and also is...

The topic of this episode is, "What is the Congressional Review Act?" My guest is  Professor Bridget C. E. Dooling  of George Washington University’s Regulatory Studies Center. She has a deep background in regulation. Previously, Bridget worked for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget. She also has clerked for an administrative law judge...

The topic of this episode is, “How has Congress evolved as an institution?” My guest is  Eric Schickler , the author of the book, “ Disjointed Pluralism : Institutional Innovation and the Development of the U.S. Congress”. It is the 20 th  anniversary of this classic text, which won the Richard F. Fenno, Jr. Prize for the best book on legislative politics. Eric is the Jeffrey and Ashley...

The topic of this episode is “How do legislators raise money to run for Congress?” My guest is Weston Wamp, who is the Founder at Millennial Debt Foundation and a Senior Political Strategist at Issue One . He hails from Tennessee, and ran for Congress in 2014. If his last name is familiar to you, that is because he is the son of former member of the House Zach Wamp, a Republican who represented Te...

The topic of this episode is, “How can a new staffer survive Congress?” My guest is Mark Strand, the coauthor of the book, “Surviving Inside Congress.” Mark is the President of the Congressional Institute , a not-for-profit organization that helps Members of Congress better serve their constituents and that helps constituents better understand Congress. Mark has led the institute since 2007, and p...

The topic of this episode is, “What does the Committee on House Administration do?” And who better to answer this question than my guest, Representative Rodney Davis . He is the ranking member of the Committee on House Administration, or CHA as it often is called. He has been on the committee since 2014. Rep. Davis currently serving his fifth term in Congress representing the 13th District of Illi...

The topic of today’s episode is, “Are earmarks good or bad?” My guest is Zachary Courser , a visiting assistant professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. He is the co-director of the Policy Lab at Claremont McKenna College, and the co-editor of the volume, Parchment Barriers: Political Polarization and the Limits of Constitutional Order . Zach also is the author of articles on conserva...

The topic of today’s episode is, “Can Congress budget?” My guest is Dr. Allen Schick . He is professor emeritus at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. He previously has held positions at the Congressional Research Service, the Urban Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the American Enterprise Institute. Dr. Schick published three volumes with AEI press, which you can do...

The topic of today’s episode is, “How does Congress fund itself?” My guest is Daniel Schuman . He is the Policy Director at Demand Progress , a grassroots, nonpartisan organization with over 1.5 million affiliated activists fighting for the rights and freedoms needed for a modern democracy. Daniel has spent many years studying our national legislature, working to reform it, and advocating to bette...

The subject of today’s episode is, “What does the House rules committee do?” My guest is Don Wolfensberger . He is a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center. He served as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives for 28 years and was the director of the Rules Committee. Don is the author of two books: Changing Cultures in Congress:...

“How Congress tricks Americans” — that is the topic of this episode. My guest is Prof. David Schoenbrod the author of the book, DC Confidential: Inside the Five Tricks of Washington . David is a Trustee Professor at New York Law School, where he teaches and studies environmental law, regulation, and other heady subjects. He also is a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center .

“Is Congress Broken?” — that is the topic of this episode. My guest is Dr. Jack Pitney , the coeditor of the book, Is Congress Broken? The Virtues and Defects of Partisanship and Gridlock . Jack is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics at Claremont McKenna College, where he teaches American politics and government. This book, which was coedited by William Connelley and Gary Schmitt, is a marvel...

The topic of today's episode is, “How does the budget process work and not work?” My guest is Tori Gorman , the Policy Director for The Concord Coalition. It is a non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about federal budget issues, and their consequences for the future. Tori spent 16 years on Capitol Hill where she held director level positions, advising senior memb...

The topic of today's episode is “What is the filibuster?” And does it have a future? My guest is Dr. Molly Reynolds , who is a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. She studies Congress, with a focus on how congressional rules and procedures affect domestic policy outcomes. She also supervises the maintenance of the “ Vital Statistics on Congress ,” Brookings’ long runn...

The topic of today's episode is, “How Does the House of Representatives Organize Itself for a New Congress?” My guest is Dr. Matthew Green , an extraordinarily accomplished scholar of the U.S. Congress. He has been a professor of politics at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. since 2005, and he received his doctorate from Yale. Matt has authored or coauthored six books, the most recent of whi...

The topic of today's episode is “Reforming Congress for the 21st Century.” My guest is Representative Derek Kilmer , Congressman of the 6th district of Washington State. He was first elected to Congress in 2012. Before that, Mr. Kilmer served in his home State's legislature, worked for the Economic Development Board for Tacoma Pierce County, and was a consultant for McKinsey & Company. He rece...

The topic of today's episode is, "Do we need a Congress?" My guest is my friend and colleague, Dr.  Philip Wallach . He is a resident scholar here at AEI where he studies America's separation of powers system. And he focuses on regulatory power issues and the relationship between Congress and the administrative state. Before joining AEI, Phil was a senior fellow in governance studies at both...