This set of directions was tailored for me because ProPublica has my zip code. If you sign up with your zip code, ProPublica will tell you what your member of Congress is doing.
A User’s Guide to DemocracyLESSON #2: WHY CONGRESS SEEMS SO STUCK
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| Hi there,
Today, we’re going to talk about the biggest job Congress has: lawmaking. Made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate (which together are theoretically co-equal to the presidency), Congress is tasked with making laws on our behalf. I learned what Congress does back in elementary school social studies (supplemented with Saturday morning “Schoolhouse Rock”). In an ideal world, here is how the system should work:
Ta-da!
These days, that’s not how it works most of the time. Congress does pass a lot of bills through the legislative process. But these are mostly noncontroversial: bills to congratulate someone, rename a post office or designate a national week. There’s no debate and no deliberative, committee-driven process required. When it comes to the legislation you do hear about — big, politically contentious things like immigration, health care and taxes — the process hasn’t been working as planned. Why does Congress seem so stuck?One reason for the gridlock is that, these days, bills on big, national issues are written under the supervision of party leadership: the Senate majority leader and the House speaker. They receive guidance from only a small group of other congressional power brokers, rather than the rank-and-file lawmakers who used to contribute to the process. Most bills, in fact, move under a process that bars amendments and debate — meaning that the average member of Congress is sitting around waiting for his or her party leadership to emerge from behind closed doors and instruct them how to vote. That legislation is then presented as a “take it or leave it” deal when it’s voted on by the full Congress, and, faced with bills on which they’ve had no real input, many members opt for “leave it.” Without enough support to pass a nearly evenly divided Congress, these bills get stuck in legislative limbo. For example, immigration is one of the biggest flashpoints in domestic politics, but over the past several years Congress has held only a couple days of debate on destined-to-fail proposals. None of the bills offered in the Senate could gain the 60 votes needed to advance because the proposals mainly appealed to one party, and there was little room to amend them to make them more palatable. Where does your lawmaker fit into all of this?One of the ways you can find out what Rep. Velázquez is up to is by checking out the bills she has sponsored. This is all public information, and ProPublica’s Represent app can help you navigate to the information that matters to you. Fun fact: Representatives who sit on the Appropriations Committee, which determines government spending, tend to have fewer bills than other lawmakers. That’s because this committee tends to produce bills as a group project, with only the committee chair (currently Rep. Nina Lowey) named as a main sponsor. To understand your representative through their bills, you want to look for three things: 1. What the bill is about: Think about the things that matter to you and your community, and ask yourself:
2. How far it got: Every bill that gets introduced is automatically referred to a committee. Many measures never get past this stage and were never intended to — because they are mostly meant to let lawmakers go to town halls and say, “I introduced an important bill.” But virtue signaling is not enough for those of us who want to see things get done. That’s why we’re looking only at recent bills that made it beyond the introduction stage. Of the 49 bills she has sponsored, 11 of them have made progress beyond the first step. 3. Who else is supporting the bill: When it comes to bill co-sponsors, pay attention to whether or not it has bipartisan support. Whether you want a lawmaker who’s willing to compromise with the other side, or whether you object to compromise as a sign of giving in to the other side, bipartisan support can mean that your representative has done some work to shop her bill around and help get it passed. Here’s what Rep. Velázquez has been up to.Dig in and take a look at the bills she has sponsored during this term. (I’ll wait.)
HomeworkNow that you’re familiar with the basics of using ProPublica’s Represent database, this week’s assignment is to look up the legislative work of your lawmakers in the Senate, too. What does it tell you about what they’re doing in your name?
And to learn more about the radically altered mechanics of Capitol Hill, read the ProPublica and Washington Post piece, “How Congress Stopped Working.” That’s all for this time. Thanks for rocking with me, and I’ll see you soon! Cynthia Gordy Giwa
P.S. Remember to tell me what you find by replying to this email or on Twitter at @CynthiaGiwa, and encourage your friends to sign up, too!
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Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is freaking awesome.
This is useful, but there are other ways to search too. For example this is a bill co-sponsored by Elizabeth Warren. The website will help you find all other bills she is sponsoring or co-sponsoring. Same search can be done for any member of the Senate. I happen to be tracking this bill because it is proposed as if a solution to the student debt problem but it is not. It is all about requiring USDE and other agencies, including the IRS, to help in generating the economic value of a postsecondary certificate or a degree, including a graduate degree, and by program. It also calls for the use of personally identifiable information for each student.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/800
The focus on bills–sponsored, cosponsored, or passed–when judging the performance of Congress or individual members or senators is both misleading and ultimately counter productive if an effective functioning legislative process is the goal. There has not been a normal appropriations process–how we annually fund all the functions of the federal government–since 1994. Oversight is the least sexy and arguably the most important function of Congress. It examines how funds are spent, rules are implemented, and if federal departments and agencies are doing what they are supposed to do. The true measure of productivity and, more to the point, purpose, in current history are two functions that few Americans value or understand: appropriations and oversight. Appreciating these processes, making them work as they should, is what citizen’s need to focus on. Neither can be measured by bills introduced or passed yardsticks. Over time, widespread public ignorance of each has made sections 7 and 8 of Article I of the constitution virtually meaningless and concentrated power for congressional leaders and the executive branch.
Authorizing bills–the ones that are compiled on lists like the subject of this post–do not have funding powers. They can suggest what something costs, but ultimately appropriators decide what gets how much–if anything. Theoretical total authorized funding is probably many trillions of dollars more than is actually spent. Let’s take two random examples from the list above. The Horse Transportation Safety Act could be signed into law. It would authorize x amount of annual federal funding to implement through a department, perhaps Agriculture (I don’t know the specifics). It will be up to Agriculture appropriations to decide IF and HOW MUCH funding might be allocated. It is far more likely that it gets none. Or let’s take a regulation like the Fairness for Federal Contractors legislation. It might well become law. But if appropriations doesn’t make provisions to fund the agency which as actually supposed to implement the law, nothing will happen.
In my experience, I have seen members of Congress pass legislation which authorizes, for example, $5 million into a particular type of disease research only to have not a penny appropriated. Yet some of those members will go back to interest groups claiming to have gotten $5 million for “their” disease when they know no funding changed and people believe it because they know nothing about the reality of appropriations. Checklists like the one above measure the wrong thing.
I also have to chuckle a bit at the outrage surrounding the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress. It is correct and true, but in reality, when viewed through the lens of appropriations and oversight, Congress has been obstructed for decades, mostly by Republican congressional leadership. If those functions are restored, if appropriations bills become law before the beginning of the October 1 federal fiscal year and committees are allowed to have input based on regular oversight of departments and agencies, then we might actually see government work again. But if we focus on bills introduced and passed as a yardstick, it ain’t going to happen anytime soon.
Can’t counter how crucial the aftermath of bill-passing is. 1994, you’re referring to the takeover of both houses of congress by Republicans for 1st time in 40 yrs: I gather there must have been rule-changes &/or simple refusal to appropriate funds for previously-Dem-passed laws, & removal of oversight funds for activities Reps preferred go on unchecked. Any details? I’m pretty sure I saw crap like that going on in the ‘80’s as well, but perhaps it was tempered by a more bipartisan mix.
Another ProPublica article analyzes the front-end gridlock—both parties contributed—which have recently shifted legislative power toward executive and courts. (Though I’ve read other articles which trace congress’s abdication of power back into previous decades): https://www.propublica.org/article/how-congress-stopped-working
Found this on Quora this morning:
“Since January 2019, the Democratic-controlled House has passed over 300 bills (you can look up the details at thomas.loc.gov); something on the order of two dozen of them have been taken up by the Senate, where Mitch McConnell seems to have decided that their only job is confirming Trump appointments.”
Also saw this on Quora this morning:
“Why hasn’t anyone mentioned that the Democrats have over 300 bills stacked up and stopped by Mitch McConnell. They include bills concerning infrastructure, immigration, labor laws, clean air and water bills….etc, etc. It amazes me when the Republicans had a majority in both legislative houses and the executive branch they hardly passed anything constructive other than a tax break for the rich and dismantling of everything President Obama did. Racist??? You be the judge.
“Moscow Mitch has stopped almost all Democratic bills to come to the Senate floor for debate. Something he’s been doing since President Obama’s first day in office. In fact, I recall watching him say that’s exactly what he was going to do 10 years ago. He has created a Congress that can no longer function and I believe he will go down in our history as the worst Senate Majority leader.”
NOTE: The evidence is overwhelming that Mitch McConnel has done more damage to the United States than Donald Trump who is more of a serial lying fraud, and mumbling, garbled, hate-filled joker than anything else. Without Moscow Mitch, most of the damage Trump has cost since he has been president would never have happened.
Vote Smart has similar information.
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/
A wonderful resource.
BTW, have you ever noticed how FEW right-wing comedians there are? If comedians were insects, right-wing ones would be those mosquitoes who are welcome anytime. If comedians were writing, right-wing ones would be scholarly works by Donald Trump. If comedians were aphorisms, right-wing ones would be words of wisdom from Arne Duncan.
There’s a reason for this. Humor, however low, requires at least a little perspective and intelligence.
To Don the Con, IQ 45, Prez Pinocchio, The Dapper Don v2.0, Donnie Trumpty Dumpty, Repugnican, with Apologies to EBB,
by Bob Shepherd
How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.
I loathe thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach. I cannot stand the sight
Of thee. Disdain thou makest me embrace.
I loathe thee to the level of every day’s
Most fervent rage, by sun and monitor light.
I loathe thy morals, thy contempt for every right.
I loathe thy vanity, seeking constant praise.
I loathe thee with the passion one might choose
To heap on vandals, and with my childhood’s faith
That our decency, under thy boot, we shall not lose.
So may we curse thee with every waking breath
Thy objectification of all, thy conman’s ruse,
Thy instincts not of a man but a wasp on Meth.
More on King Con, our pustulous POS-tus POTUS Impotus: https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/category/trump-don-the-con/
To His Lowness, Agent Orange, by the Grace of His God, Mammon, King Bling Thing Child-Man in the Promised Land
How about a contest of some kind to see who despises Trumplestiltskin the most?
Urban Dictionary:
trumplestiltskin
Pretty much the opposite of Rumplestiltskin, he wants EVERYBODY to know his name. He has a daughter that can spin bricks into walls. The only thing he has in common with Rumplestiltskin is that he is greedy.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trumplestiltskin
LOL!!!!
Honestly, Bob, I have never in my life detested anyone as much as I detest the Orange One. I see I am not alone. He destroys whatever he touches.
The Trumpties have just been barred from operating a charity in NY State for stealing money from kids with cancer.
From kids with cancer
FROM FREAKING KIDS WITH CANCER
Any links to the facts. I’d like to write a blog post about this Trumpish theft.
Here’s a thorough description of what happened, from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/06/06/how-donald-trump-shifted-kids-cancer-charity-money-into-his-business/#5419f7ad6b4a
Thanks, I read the Forbes piece.
The list of crimes for this scum bag family boggles the mind. Everyone that belongs to the Always Trump crowd of ignorant, head-in-the-sand voters, should all be tortured to death repeatedly after they die the first time and go to whatever hell there is.
Hell, Lloyd, is having to live inside the narrow, twisted, sick mind of a John Ashcroft, a Dick Cheney, a Donald Trump, a Tucker Carlsen, an Ann Coulter. Or in a world any of these would create.
Talking about having to live inside the mind of one of these monsters, one of the books I’m working on is about an alien that does just that when his AI ship transports him inside the mind of Adolf Hitler.
LOL. Well, this will be interesting! I’ve loved your novels, Lloyd! Keep writing them!
Are you working as a freelance editor?
I am writing short stories and poetry and editing a novel of my own and working on my baking and my guitar playing, when I am not just loafing or chasing grandkids around. LOL. But I would love to see your work in progress, Lloyd.
Thank you.
There are choices.
Two of the manuscripts were written in my two PTSD support groups through the VA and a local Vet Center. Both groups are made up of combat vets mostly from the Marines and Special Forces. I thought my combat experience was bad. You should hear what Special Forces troops go through. It’s at least ten times worse.
The book that will reach Amazon first is “The Patriot Oath”. I think it would fit in the suspense adventure genre.
In “The Patriot Oath”, after 23 years serving mostly in Special Forces, Josh Kavanagh retires early and leaves the military because his little sister was raped by a billionaire’s son, Darwin Tweet. And he doesn’t come home alone. Before Josh retired, he sought the help of a retired Special Forces Army general to help him start an elite, secretive mercenary outfit called The Oath Group, which is already hidden in the hills on his family’s Montana ranch. This employee-owned outfit is eager to help Josh get justice for his sister while dealing a deadly blow to white supremacy.
The other three rough drafts are SF/Fantasy and the first one is called “Becoming Merlin”. These books are about a powerful, shape-shifting alien who finds himself out-of-his body and inside Hitler’s head as an observer – for only a few scenes in the first book. The alien and his AI ship are hiding on Earth. They are being hunted by the mysterious aliens that created them that also want to terminate them. The fugitives are searching for the reason their creators fear the planet Earth and its solar system.
Lloyd,
Can’t wait to read them!
Thank you. I can’t wait to finish them.
Editing and endless revisions! Ugh!
I’m sure you know what I mean.
LOL!
Yep!
“O Donnie Boy,” aka, “Moscow’s Asset Governing America” (MAGA) (to the tune of “Danny Boy”) | Bob Shepherd
O Donnie Boy,
your handler Putin’s calling.
He’s sending thanks
for the Ukraine delay
He wants to say,
impeachment’s surely galling,
but the pee tape
still won’t see light of day.
But come ye back
To Moscow. Be not worried.
We’re here to help
you grab ‘em at the polls,
and if you lose,
you won’t see jail, I promise.
O Donnie boy,
just fly on home
to Sochi Bay.
For more songs and poems about the Trump the Chump misadministration, go here: https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/category/trump-don-the-con/
I finally got a chance to look at this post more closely.
The prognosis for Congress according to the linked ProPublica video: “The answers are…bleak and more bleak.”
Hmmmm….. sounds like a Magic 8-Ball that’s about to be dropped off the Empire State Building.
Well, at least these are good resources for those who care (or want more people to care.)
To use the analogy referenced at the end of the video…..maybe when the asteroid that is barreling towards us starts to block out the sun the country will be mobilized…. or are we there already?
Machiavelli: “When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content.”
That is until that morning when a giant space rock falls on their heads.
It is notable that the chief accomplishment noted in this article is the confirmation of 84 judges. Republicans were so intent on blocking Obama action as policy that anything he tried became mired in the mud hole of opposition that was congress. I believe there was distinct method in their madness.
The entire agenda of the right is to govern with a tiny minority. To this end, they must de-Montesquieu the government. Balance of powers must quietly go away, leaving a powerful executive. The right is just like the Eithteenth century monarchist. Shapiro even quoted Thomas Hobbes in some of his writing, suggesting (as though it were his own words, without quotes) that life before 1900 was “nasty, brutish, and short”. Then the great American laissez faire Miracle gave us all what we have now.
The right closely resembles the thinking of Oswald Mosley, who started the Brithish Union of Fascists in 1931. Like other Europeans on the right, they believed the enlightenment ideas of the previous century had given them their misery. Their so.ution was to advocate for the idea Mussolini put to an essay in 1923: individually we are nothing. In order to achieve greatness, individuals had to harness up to pull the wagon driven by a few great men.
The bankruptcy of this idea flowered under Hitler, whose wagon was rolling pretty good until it ran into the United States. The so called greatest generation then proceeded to assert that the enlightenment was indeed the paradigm of the future. The post-hitlerian reaction was so strong that modern politicians on the right are obliged to give lip service to various individual freedoms even as they seek ways to curtail those voices of dissent that test the waters of freedom.
Which brings us back to the judges. When Scalia died, the plan of the right to insert a particular, nay peculiar, type of judge into the places of local power was laid bare as McConnell delayed the nomination of Garland, who was as moderate as they come. Like all the other judicial openings, the right felt it was better for the judicial branch to be non-functional than to be working while Obama was in office. They desire nothing more than the neutering of the judicial and legislative branches of government so that the president can be exalted. Since the trump presidency took power, scores of vacancies created by philosophical differences have remained unfilled, adding power to a malignant presidency.
Spot on. And this, ofc, has long been the goal of Attorney General Acting as Private Attorney for Don the Con, Bill Barr. Surely, in Hobbes’s words, we need to live under “a common power to keep [us] all in awe,” for as Queen Elizabeth I wrote in 1601, “The Royal Prerogative [is] not to be canvassed, nor disputed, nor examined, and [does] not even admit of any limitation.”