BCRA unlikely to survive the Parliamentarian? Hold your horses.

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 Senate procedural terms, a “Message” is a bill that has been amended in the House and sent back to the Senate. The Senate can do several things with the amendment — Concur (i.e. pass the bill with the House Amendment) Concur with an Amendment (i.e. amend the bill and send back to the House) […]

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 […]

President Trump’s selection of his second Supreme Court appointment, the Hon. Brett Kavanaugh, is heralded as a Republican victory. The media and both parties are singularly focused on the confirmation of Kavanaugh’s appointment. But with all the focus on this nomination, the Senate itself is ignoring equally important nominations: judges for the lower courts. The […]

The Senate is taking up the Farm Bill this week, which provides conservatives numerous opportunities for amendments. Here are eight ideas for reform. Reduce subsidies by 15 percent the federal crop insurance subsidy for farmers with an adjusted gross income of $700,000. This amendment was offered by Sens. Coburn (R-OK) and Durbin (D-Ill.) in 2013, […]

Arcane procedural maneuvers are usually reserved for the Senate. But this week in the House, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) resurrected a House rule from 1876 in a bid to take down a bureaucrat. On Thursday, the House considered Gosar’s amendment to reduce the salary of Mark Gabriel, the Administrator of the Western Power Administration, to […]

Every year, groups within the conservative movement hold important conferences that help shape the debates, policies and messaging of freedom fighters on the right. Below are some important conservative events held around the country. If you have tips on events that should be listed, please email us at [email protected]. 2018 May 16-18: GOPAC Spring Leadership […]

This week in the “Lazy Senate,” the spotlight is on the Senate’s pesky 30-hour rule — the one that Republicans constantly blame for the Senate’s slow pace of confirmations. But is it? The short answer is, no. It’s just another excuse by Republican leadership to be, you guessed it, lazy. Here’s why. In 2013 and […]

The Senate’s arcane rules have never been more popular. The Senate’s 44 standing rules, usually  obscured by their more popular precedents or made irrelevant by routine waivers, are suddenly getting some love. The rules haven’t changed or made a sudden showy reappearance on C-SPAN. In fact, it’s the opposite. Conservatives are getting irritated with the Senate Republicans refusal to use […]

After expressing unhappiness with the size of the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill he signed last month, reports indicate that President Trump is working on a package of rescissions to cut some of the spending. What is a rescission? A “rescission” is the cancellation or reduction of budget authority (the ability of an agency to […]