Congress

  On April 26, 2019, at the annual National Rifle Association meeting in Indianapolis, President Trump announced that the United States would revoke the effect of its signature on the Arms Trade Treaty. The following text is taken from his speech: “Under my administration, we will never surrender American sovereignty to anyone. We will never […]

In their escalating attempts to make Trump officials comply with congressional subpoenas, some House Democrats are reexamining a power of Congress not used since 1935. This power is called inherent contempt, and it is one of three strategies that Congress can use to enforce its subpoenas. Since 1935, Congress has relied on the executive and […]

Testimony of Sen. Jim DeMint Chairman Conservative Partnership Institute   Subcommittee on the Constitution Senate Judiciary Committee Keeping Congress Accountable: Term Limits in the United States June 18, 2019             Thank you, Chairman Cruz and members of the subcommittee, for the invitation to be here today. It’s extremely gracious of you, considering I’m going to […]

On May 23rd, Congress attempted to reauthorize the insolvent National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) without any reforms for the 11th time, as part of a larger disaster assistance bill.   The NFIP has long been the plague of fiscally-minded taxpayers and the homeowners who are supposed to benefit from it. It’s worth taking a look […]

Recently, representatives from Facebook and Twitter appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to respond to claims that their companies are engaging in the censorship of conservative news and voices. For years, conservatives have lamented the power of Big Tech over political discourse and their bias against the Right. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) made sure to […]

Last week, Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee came together in a bipartisan move to express interest in extreme risk protection orders, or “red flag laws.” Members of the Committee, including the Committee’s chairman, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), are hoping to create a federal level program that would incentivize states to adopt red […]

The past two years have seen record obstruction from Senate Democrats against the confirmations of President Trump’s nominees. Democrats continue to demand cloture votes — the 60 vote requirement — on nearly all nominees, even those that a majority of the Senate does not oppose. Invoking cloture adds an extra day to the consideration of […]

The Senate is considering Senate Joint Resolution 54, under the expedited procedures in 50 USC 1546(a) (the War Powers Act).  The statute provides for a fully open amendment process with no limitations.  Which would mean that, according to the statute, the Senate can pass literally any amendment (build the wall, Repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, […]

In a surprising vote on Wednesday, the Senate moved forward debate on a resolution of disapproval on U.S. participation in the conflict in Yemen. The resolution, offered by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Ct.), was offered under the War Powers Act (WPA). Under the terms of the law, which was […]

As the incoming majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats are preparing to elect their next Speaker. Will Nancy Pelosi return to the post, which she previously held from 2007 to 2010, or will a younger generation of Members succeed her? More importantly, however, just how does a Speaker get elected? According to Democratic caucus […]

The Senate is in town for its first full work-week in August to address spending bills for Labor, Health and Human Services (Labor-HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD), the two largest executive agencies. Appropriations bills usually provide a forum for an open amendment process, where members have many opportunities to offer their ideas and have […]