Outside the Beltway

As usual, an attempt to explain congressional behavior brings us back to the issue of our basic institutions. The way we elect congress matters.

By the barest of margins, the House passed its bill repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, but the future of that bill is highly uncertain.

After failing twice in a month, House Republicans apparently think they have the votes to pass their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

There’s been a palace coup at The Heritage Foundation.

After 100 days in office, President Trump has very little to show for his work except to show that there’s no reason to trust his judgment going forward.

An assessment of the 45th President’s first 100 days.

The Freedom Caucus may be mollified, but moderate Republicans and the Senate aren’t. Meaning that repeal and replacement of Obamacare is becoming less likely.

The Trump Administration is out with a tax plan, but it’s seriously lacking in details.

The House Freedom Caucus is apparently getting behind a revised version of the GOP’s plan to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act, but the GOP hasn’t revealed what the new plan entails.

As he nears the end of his first 100 days in office, President Trump continues to suffer from bad poll numbers.

Faced with the fact that it has little to show for its first 100 days in office, the Trump Administration is pressuring Congress to come up with a new health care reform bill before the end of next week.

A political surprise in Great Britain as Prime Minister Theresa May calls a snap election for June 8th.

Predicting election outcomes is different than predicting impeachment.

Fulfilling a promise.

A big win for opponents of Voter ID laws.

When life terms means almost three decades on the bench, fights will be fierce.

Stop romanticizing the filibuster (and don’t appeal to the intent of the Founders).

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination based on sexual orientation, but its reasoning is questionable at best.

So far, there’s no sign that Donald Trump is having much of an impact on the economy.

Republicans are saying that repealing the PPACA isn’t off the table, but practically speaking it probably is.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party is set to follow through on a campaign promise.

This was one for the history books.

The failure of the AHCA shows that Donald Trump doesn’t know the slightest thing about leadership or how to be President.

A major legislative defeat for Paul Ryan, the House GOP, and President Trump.

The Trump Administration has issued an ultimatum, but the fate of the American Health Care Act is still very much up in the air.

Part Two in a series of observations about health care and health insurance in light of the introduction of the House GOP’s health care plan. This post examines several ideas advanced by conservatives, and the reasons they aren’t complete answers to the problems we face.

The Congressional Budget Office delivered some bad news yesterday to House Republicans on their replacement for Obamacare.

Health care policy analysts seem united in their assessment of the House GOP’s replacement for the Affordable Care Act, and it’s overwhelmingly negative.

Whether you call it TrumpCare, RyanCare, or GOPCare, the Republican replacement for the PPACA isn’t very impressive.

Can the GOP govern? Do they want to or know how to? (Does it matter?).

Budget hawks in the GOP face a showdown with Donald Trump’s spending ambitions this year that will likely decide whether we’ll ever get spending under control.

Independent of the current controversy surrounding President Trump’s immigration order, Republicans in Congress are looking at a plan to break up the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Two Republican Senators are introducing legislation that would result in drastic reductions in the number of people allowed into the country legally.

Repeal and replace is likely to take longer than many Republicans thought it would, but that shouldn’t be surprising.

Yet more incoherent economic policy from the Tweeter in Chief. A border tax will mean that Americans will undoubtedly pay for at least part of the Great Wall of Trump™.

Despite campaign promises, President Trump appears to be putting off any immediate decision on the location of the U.S. Embassy to Israel.

With repeal of the Affordable Care Act now likely sooner rather than later, key Republicans are urging the party to have a replacement in place before repeal is voted on.

Be clear on what one is defending.

Concepts, basic applications, and even a bibliography! Merry Festivus, everyone.

In the wake of the Democratic victory in the North Carolina Governor’s race, the Republican-controlled legislature has stripped the Governor’s office of significant power.

Godspeed, John Glenn.

Notwithstanding the election results, support for eliminating the Electoral College is at a 20-year low.

Alabama’s Jeff Sessions will become the nation’s top law enforcement officer. That’s not a good thing.

Senior Republican Senators are throwing cold water on the idea of eliminating the filibuster.

Reports of the demise of the Democratic Party have been greatly exaggerated.