The anticipated expulsion vote for Rep. George Santos [R, NY] provides us an opportunity to consider why a chamber of Congress should be able to expel a member and whether the House’s process is designed to achieve a just outcome.
Continue reading “FBF: Congressional Ethics Process Explained and The Case of Rep. George Santos”Month: November 2023
FBF: Five Structural Innovations in Congress Over the Last Twenty Years
Congress isn’t generally thought of as an innovative institution, but the last twenty years have brought serious efforts to modernize aspects of its operations. I thought it might be interesting to review five significant modernization efforts and the circumstances that brought them into existence.
Continue reading “FBF: Five Structural Innovations in Congress Over the Last Twenty Years”FBF: Speaker Pro Emergency
It seems like a million years ago, but the successful effort to remove Speaker McCarthy and the fight over who should serve in that office laid bare significant problems with how the House operates in the absence of a Speaker. These problems, should a vacancy reoccur, may arise in the midst of another crisis — whether an existential threat or mere political strife — and the House must get ready now. Should the House create a Speaker pro emergency? How might that office be different from an acting Speaker pro tempore? Let’s dig in.
Continue reading “FBF: Speaker Pro Emergency”