Analysis
House Makes Ending Talking Filibuster Easier
This post highlights how the House can make it easier for the Senate to pass legislation.
Senate Rules Can Limit Talking Filibuster
This piece reviews the procedural tools that can shorten, structure, or otherwise discipline extended debate in the Senate.
Republicans Don’t Need Cloture to Overcome SAVE America Act Filibuster
Senate rules provide alternative ways to outlast or outmaneuver a filibuster.
How to Find Rule XVI Violations in Minibus
A practical guide to identifying appropriations provisions that may run afoul of Rule XVI.
Why the Senate Needs Unanimous Consent to Advance Minibus
This piece explains why moving a minibus through the Senate often depends less on raw majority power than on unanimous consent.
Senate Republicans Could Enforce Earmark Ban If They Wanted To
Senate rules and party practices may give Republicans more leverage over earmarks than they are using.
Earmark Dispute Stalls Senate Minibus
How substantive disagreements can quickly become floor-management problems when senators don’t follow their own party rules.
Democrats Can’t Win If They Don’t Try
Senate minorities only gain leverage when they are willing to use the tools available to them.
Republicans Can End Shutdown Without Nuking Filibuster
This piece lays out how existing procedures can be used to move the process forward without nuking the rules.
The Senate’s Shutdown
The article explores how Senate rules shape the timing, leverage, and possible resolution of fiscal brinkmanship.
Pocket Rescissions Are Not Illegal
This post argues that so-called pocket rescissions fit more comfortably within the law and practice than critics often admit.
How Congress Considers Rescission Bills
A useful primer on how rescission proposals move through Congress and where the pressure points lie.
Parliamentarians Advise, Senators Decide
The parliamentarian’s influence is significant, but the Senate’s rules are ultimately determined by senators themselves.
GOP Baseline Plan Is Not Going Nuclear
Not every aggressive move breaks the rules—some just use them better.
What Happens If House Changes Its Mind On Mayorkas Impeachment?
This piece explores what happens when the House revisits a decision after the process is already in motion.
Senate Rules May Expedite Border Bill
How Senate rules might be used to move a border bill more quickly than many observers expect.
Last Week in the Senate
Sometimes, what happens on the floor reveals how the Senate really works.
Senate Rules Committee Considers Changing Senate Rules
Efforts to change the rules often reflect politics more than procedure.
Sinema Proposal Risks Nuking Senate Rules
Targeted reforms can have broader consequences than intended.
Minibus Proponents Look to Circumvent the Senate Rules
When rules constrain action, lawmakers look for ways around them.
