Congress

The Debt Ceiling Law is now a Tool of Partisan Political Power; Abolish It

by Mark Weisbrot

There is no "ticking bomb" of national debt; the use of the debt ceiling to threaten the nation with default to secure spending cuts that damage Democratic presidents is by now a clearly established partisan trick, and the US government should no longer be held hostage to it, says an economic policy researcher. 

Financial Historian Kathleen Day on the Origins and History of the Debt Ceiling

Is the debt ceiling, which has been raised 78 times since being established by Congress during World War I, a useful periodic reminder of fiscal restraint or an outdated relic that has become a weapon for partisan extortionists? Kathleen Day discusses the ceiling with NPR's Scott Simon. 

Rep. Patricia Schroeder's Career Shows Real Effects of Electing More Women

by Sarah B. Rowley

Policymakers have too often ignored women's lived experiences in many areas when legislating. The late Congresswoman from Colorado showed how those experiences could be represented. 

Anastasia Curwood on Shirley Chisholm's Childhood Heroes

Born in Barbados, Shirley Chisholm moved to Brooklyn as a child. Her biographer discusses how her childhood heroes shaped her political worldview. 

Former US Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-CO) Dies at 82

Elected as a Vietnam war opponent in 1972, Schroeder's service on the Armed Services Commitee helped to change the status of women in the military. She also was a reliable source of a biting political quip and a fierce advocate for women in elected office. 

McCarthy Kicking Dems off Key Committees Isn't Just Retaliation, it's Enabling the GOP Agenda

by Josh Kluever

McCarthy's use of "anti-American" in his rhetorical objections to particular Democrats suggests he wants to eliminate prominent Democrats from positions where they can object to Republican policies in House committees and police the boundaries of acceptable political opinion. 

The 14th Amendment Should Put a Stop to Debt Ceiling Hostage Taking

by Eric Foner

The provisions of the Reconstruction Amendments dealing with the national debt were tied to the nation's short-lived commitment to interracial democracy in the South; today they offer the Biden administration a possible tool to use if Congress pushes to the brink of default. 

The Constitutional Case for Demolishing the Debt Ceiling

by Thomas Geoghegan

The Founders would find the debt ceiling a ludicrous concept; it's time to take this instrument of blackmail out of the legislative process. The Biden administration should provoke a court fight over the law as an unconstitutional limit on the government's ability to pay its debts. 

Republicans (Finally) Rally Around McCarthy as Speaker

Kevin McCarthy has secured the speakership through apparent deals allowing a group of right-wing hardliners to have greater influence over legislation and more investigative power. Historians followed the voting and discuss what comes next. 

The Constitution Won't Be Much Help Resolving the Speaker Mess

While the Constitution requires the House to choose it's speaker, it gives no guidance how. Usually custom and party discipline are sufficient to accomplish the task, but not always. 

Will a Cherokee Nation Delegate be Seated in Congress?

Even without a vote in Congress, Delegates can use the privileges of their position to make a difference. Kimberly Teehee's potential seating as the Cherokee Nation's delegate would create a dedicated voice for Native issues. 

Carrie Meek, Trailblazing Black Congresswoman, Dies at 95

Carrie Meek was the daughter of sharecroppers and the granddaughter of a slave; she was elected to Congress from Florida in 1992 as one of the first Black representatives since Reconstruction. 

The History of the Debt Ceiling: How a Routine Procedure Became Routine Political Brinksmanship

It's clear that the originators of legislation establishing a debt limit for the United States did not intend for the measure to be a land mine threatening to derail the government's operations on a recurring basis. 

Stuck At 435 Representatives? Why The U.S. House Hasn't Grown With Census Counts

Legislation passed in 1929 sets a cap on the size of the US House of Representatives, making the decennial census a high-stakes battle for precious seats. Expanding the House would make it more democratic and avoid taking existing seats away. 

Trump-Loving White Women are Protecting Matt Gaetz. History Tells Us Why

by Keisha N. Blain

While the allegations of potentially criminal sexual conduct by Rep. Matt Gaetz are shocking, it should not be shocking that conservative white women have closed ranks in support of the Congressman. 

The Closer You Look, the Worse it Gaetz

by Claire Potter

"It appears that Gaetz went to Washington to fight a culture war and stayed for the parties."

U of M Professor Testifies During Hearing on Anti-Asian Violence

Historian Erika Lee testified to Congress on Thursday about anti-Asian violence in the United States, in a hearing scheduled before the killing of eight people in metro Atlanta highlighted the urgency of the issue.

How Did "Bipartisanship" Become a Goal In Itself? (Podcast)

TNR's "Politics of Everything" podcast discusses how bipartisanship came to be the end of politics instead of a means to achieve other goals. Features historian Julian Zelizer. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene Knows Exactly What She's Doing

by Jamelle Bouie

Historians Lisa McGirr, Sara Diamond, and Daniel Schlozman and Sam Rosenfeld argue that the Republican Party has always had to keep a porous border between itself and the hard right groups who led its activist base since the Goldwater years. The borders today seem to be dissolving.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Marjorie?

The House of Representatives has voted, mostly on party lines, to remove Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments in response to her statements endorsing the Capitol riots and conspiracy theories that school shootings were hoaxes and California wildfires were started by the Rothschild banking family using space lasers.