Congress
683 Articles
Norms Watch: Damage to Democracy and Rule of Law in January 2019
Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of those norms in reactions…
Schiff’s First Order of Business for the House Intelligence Committee
The start of a new Congress wipes the slate clean for the House of Representatives, which must adopt new rules, establish new committees, and write new legislation. One major opportunity…
Pentagon’s Climate Change Report Lacks Analysis the Law Requires
Hurricanes and wildfires in the U.S. and humanitarian crises abroad illustrated the national security impact of climate change in 2018. Yet the Pentagon’s congressionally required…
New House Rules Promote Aggressive Congressional Oversight
The new Democratic majority has taken formal control of the House and has fortified congressional oversight power in its new rules package. At the same time, a lot of additional…
Attorney General Nominee Barr on Transparency: A Direct Answer? Or Misdirection?
In his written opening statement for his confirmation hearing as attorney general, William Barr says his goal is "to provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law."…
Annotation of the Pentagon Report to Congress on Detainee Abuse by U.S. Partners in Yemen
In a mere two pages of carefully parsed prose, DoD has provided what can only be described as a deliberately misleading and deceptively evasive account of U.S. and Emirati actions…
Wrecking the Government to Build a Wall
Washington has muddled into and out of shutdowns before, but this one has the potential to be dangerously historic. The current impasse may become the straw that breaks the camel’s…
10 Ways the U.S. Can Curb Interpol Abuses
Interpol serves a good purpose, and it has good rules. But not all members are as good as its rules. The U.S. can take steps, on its own or with others, to limit abuses and shield…
U.S. House Investigations v. White House Slow-Walk: Scenarios
Democrats in the U.S. House are preparing to wield their new majority power in January. While they lack the control of both chambers necessary to push through legislation, they…
The Votes Are There for a Congressional Reckoning on Yemen
Democratic control of the House opens the door to real action and accountability for U.S. policy in Yemen next year.
A Congressional Cybersecurity To-Do List
With a lame duck session pending, Congress may address a number of cybersecurity and data security issues before the end of the calendar year. Since it passed the “Cybersecurity…
Conference Roundup: National Security and Shifting Geopolitics – Challenges at Home and Abroad
Leading scholars, senior policymakers and award-winning journalists discussed key national security challenges of our era in a daylong conference Oct. 22, 2018, hosted by the Reiss…