The Latest on the Government Shutdown

Our Take What was supposed to be a slow start to the 2016 Congressional calendar was further delayed by a snow storm that dumped historic accumulations on our nation’s Capital causing the House to cancel work for the week and the Senate to delay votes.  While many pundits criticize members of Congress for not living […]

The Week in Review A severe snowstorm struck Washington last weekend, disrupting the schedules of both chambers. The House elected to delay all legislative business due to the weather, in part because Democrats were already scheduled to head to Baltimore for an issues conference on Wednesday and Thursday. The snow only held off the Senate […]

The Senate is set to begin working through amendments on a wide-ranging energy bill, as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is working to ensure the bill moves forward in a bipartisan fashion. The legislation (S. 2012) is designed to boost energy efficiency, speed construction of electric transmission lines, […]

With Washington still shoveling out from a mammoth snow storm and the public transit systems and airports not yet back to full service, the Capitol will remain largely quiet today. The Senate’s scheduled to gavel in at 10:00 a.m. with no roll-call votes planned for the day. Senate leadership has delayed until tomorrow a vote on […]

The Week in Review With the House in recess and the work-week shortened by both Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and a severe snowstorm that sent lawmakers home on Thursday, legislative business was light last week. However, on Tuesday, Senate Democrats successfully blocked a House-passed measure (H.R. 4038) that would restrict refugees from Iraq and […]

Washington is still digging out from a severe snowstorm over the weekend that brought two feet of snow to the area. As a result, the week’s schedule is still in flux, with the House already calling off all votes for the week and the Senate delaying all their votes until Wednesday at the earliest. As […]

Looking Ahead Near Term House is in recess Senate is in session and is scheduled to take up the Syrian refugee bill before moving onto an energy bill that could be on the floor for a couple of weeks.

The Week in Review With the President delivering his final State of the Union address and Republicans holding a joint retreat to plan their legislative priorities for the year, last week in Washington featured competing political visions for 2016. In his address on Tuesday, the President avoided the policy ‘laundry list’ that typically accompanies the […]

With the House in recess this week in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Senate will first vote on the nomination of Wilhelmina Marie Wright to be U.S. district court judge in Minnesota before moving on to the contentious debate over settling Syrian refugees in the United States. On Wednesday, the upper chamber […]

Introduction   After a turbulent, but ultimately successful 2015, Congress enters an election year on an upswing. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have both emphasized their commitment to receiving more input from the rank-and-file members of the party in the shaping of legislative priorities for the upcoming session. As […]

President Obama will provide an overview of his record in office as he attempts to burnish his legacy tonight during his final State of the Union address. The speech to a joint session of Congress will give Obama a chance to sell the public – and, to a lesser extent, lawmakers – on his legislative […]

The Senate returns to Washington today, but the highlight of the week will be President Obama’s final State of the Union address tomorrow night. After taking the spotlight with executive actions on gun control last week, the President is expected to use the annual speech to outline the remainder of his agenda, particularly selling Congress […]