ICYMI: Top reads on Congress

Sarah Binder, “Three takeaways from Congress’s ability to avoid a shutdown — this time around, at least,” Washington Post:

“Thwarted by Congress’s unwillingness to meet his funding demands, the president also declared a national emergency — intending to circumvent Congress’s power of the purse so that he can build the wall after all. Here are three takeaways from the deal.”

Kate Ackley, “Outside influences seek to remake ‘This Old House’” Roll Call:

“Congress’ “This Old House” committee, a brand-new panel tasked with helping to update the legislative branch for the modern era, is already sparking attention off of Capitol Hill.”

Katherine Scott, “Kilmer Brings Nerdy Consulting Tools to Task of Fixing House,” Bloomberg:

“Before making recommendations on how to make Congress more modern and efficient, he wants to look at operations of state legislatures, nonprofits, and the private sector.”

John M. Donnelly, “Congress could block big chunk of Trump’s emergency wall money,” Roll Call:

“More than one-third of the money President Donald Trump wants to redirect from other federal programs to build a border barrier is likely to be unavailable from the sources he has identified.”

Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris, “Pelosi: House moving ‘swiftly’ to block Trump’s emergency declaration,” Politico:

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is throwing her muscle behind a legislative effort to block President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration, the first formal step to counter Trump and squeeze Republicans on the border wall.”

Emily Kopp, “Echoes of the AUMF in Trump’s national emergency declaration,” Roll Call:

“When President Donald Trump declared a national state of emergency last week to get his way on funding for his border wall, legal scholars warned the move dramatically tilted the balance of power in favor of the White House.”

Carl Hulse, “G.O.P. Ready to ‘Nuke’ Senate Democrats Again Over Nominee Delays,” New York Times:

“Angry over Democratic delaying tactics that have slowed the conveyor belt of Trump administration nominees plodding toward confirmation, the Senate majority is preparing to strong-arm a rules change that would reduce required debate time on judicial and executive branch appointees to two hours from as many as 30.”

Don Wolfensberger, “Green New Deal Resolution invites big picture governing,” The Hill:

“This is not a new idea; in fact, it is how the early Congresses went about legislating by having general debates in the committee of the whole House on the state of the Union on a particular issue, then sending it to a select committee to develop legislative language.”