JD Rackey

Government by Committee: (Re)centering Congressional Committees in the Policy Process | The Foundation for American Innovation The Foundation for American Innovation.

See also my and @lmcbell.bsky.social’s work on the needed revitalization of congressional committees in the post-Chevron era. www.thefai.org/posts/govern...

BPC's Working Group on Congress, Courts, and Administrative Law | Bipartisan Policy Center BPC’s Working Group on Congress, Courts, and Administrative Law will develop tools to help Congress respond both to legal need and political reality, and…

Our thoughts here draw heavily from @bipartisanpolicy.org’s Working Group on Congress, Courts, and Administrative Law which met last summer and developed an array of potential responses. bipartisanpolicy.org/congress-cou...

An interesting discussion emerging on the implications of Loper Bright & Sen. Schmitt’s report at the Yale Journal on Regulation’s Notice & Comment blog. Today my @bipartisanpolicy.org colleagues and I added our thoughts on the implications for congressional capacity www.yalejreg.com/nc/congress-...

How do members of Congress get paid? They have direct deposit like a lot of U.S. workers, but some don’t get paid on a biweekly basis.

❔Do members of Congress get paid during a federal shutdown?
❔How does the 27th Amendment impact congressional pay?
❔What are the differences between the House and Senate?

Our JD Rackey breaks down these frequently asked questions and more in Marketplace ➡️ https://ow.ly/juTW50X75PP

How do members of Congress get paid? They have direct deposit like a lot of U.S. workers, but some don’t get paid on a biweekly basis.

I was a little surprised when I got this inquiry that anyone would care about this level of minutiae but yes, members of Congress use direct deposit. www.marketplace.org/story/2025/1...

Happening today!!

Modernizing Congress, One Hackathon at a Time | Bipartisan Policy Center Despite all that the parties disagree on, there is a clear bipartisan consensus that congressional operations need improvement

Next We’d. is the Congresional Hackathon 7.0! This event is not only a critical venue for ongoing modernization efforts but it is also a lot of fun! If you care about improving congressional operations this is a must-attend event, I hope to see you there! bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/moderni...

Our own J.D. Rackey joined @wsj.com's Kim Strassel to discuss efforts to strengthen productivity and collaboration in Congress, including the work of the bipartisan Subcommittee on Modernization & Innovation.

🔊 Listen:

NEW: Turnover among chief local election officials continued to climb following the presidential election, reaching 41% in 2024—up from 39% in 2022.

🧵New analysis by @RachelOrey, @Jferrer505, and @danmthomp explores how turnover trends evolved through 2024.

Happy to share my first @brookings.edu FixGov piece was published today. I take stock of the Senate confirmation process at the 200-day mark of the Trump administration. Among the key findings is the unprecedented degree to which Trump’s nominees have faced procedural barriers.

Congratulations to the Senate for passing Legislative branch appropriations bill (along with veterans affairs and agriculture) w/o including the House's awful cuts in funding for the GAO + Library of Congress and for protecting GAO's impoundment authority. @heinrich.senate.gov @murray.senate.gov

I just posted a new paper on @ssrn.bsky.social, titled "The Chadha Presidency". Here's the link, and I'll post the abstract in the next post. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Such a huge win for Congress!! LegiDex not only helps improve work efficiency for congressional staff but it also means Congress no longer needs to pay outside vendors for access to its own data in usable formats!

cha.house.gov/2025/7/subco...

They wanted to ‘fix Congress.’ They still do, modernizers say - Roll Call Despite losing a key Democratic champion to retirement, modernization advocates say the work isn’t done in the 119th Congress.

Behind the scenes, congressional modernization is still happening this Congress! Good piece by @justinjpapp.bsky.social rollcall.com/2025/07/07/t...

To be consistent (though in the minority) I also would not consider Booker’s speech a filibuster.

But even if we were to follow Greg’s definition, does the magic minute count? Is “strategic gain” limited to the underlying bill/policy or external political gain? If the former, then no. If the latter, maybe.

This is why I tend to prefer definitions that differentiate between a filibuster (extended debate in the senate) and dilatory obstruction (objecting to UC, filing many amendments, magic minute, etc.). If we collapse all of it onto “filibuster” we lose leverage over the particular Senate phenomena.

GAO is targeted by House Republicans in new spending bill The Legislative Branch appropriations subcommittee aims to cut Congress’ own budget by $51 million.

I'm reading GAO targeted by House Republicans, by @ktullymcmanus.bsky.social

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?

Term limits are all bad. They have a dozen deleterious effects on government and zero good ones. They achieve none of the goals their proponents say they do. No one should ever advocate for term limits.

Congressional agencies look for boost amid government downsizing - Roll Call Legislative branch agencies are generally asking for funding hikes during an era when the White House is slashing spending.

Even in a time of downsizing, Congress should be upscaling.

rollcall.com/2025/06/02/c...

I’m all for fiscal responsibility but let’s be real about this. Congress routinely cuts its own legs out from under itself for messaging purposes by needlessly tightening its belt.

When we talk about needing to increase funding for leg branch to boost its capacity this is the scale we are talking about. Many critical leg branch organizations have budgets smaller/not much beyond that of a parade.

FY24 allocates (not messing w/ FY25 CR math):
-$20.6m to pay House interns
-$38.7m for Sergent at Arms
-$14.6m for House Leg Counsel
-$136m for CRS
-$70m for CBO

A leg branch budget perspective on the proposed budget of the military parade, 🧵

The U.S. GAO and Inspectors General have issued 19,000+ unaddressed recommendations to address federal waste, fraud, and abuse. But #oversight hearings and expert testimony have long been in decline.

@jdrackey.bsky.social explores how Congress can restore its oversight role ➡️ bit.ly/4j8ISU8

✔️ Maine does not use a nonpartisan primary system.

🔎 @jdrackey.bsky.social, Michael Thorning, and Joshua Ferrer analyzed over two decades of election data to explore how primary election formats impact voter participation and representation.

Learn more. bit.ly/3ShH9kA

It sounds counterintuitive but Congress should invest in itself *more* if it wants to better oversee, control, and even downsize executive branch agencies. Good reporting by Justin Papp & @jimsaksa.com

🔎 Nonpartisan watchdogs across the federal government issue hundreds of reports and recommendations annually to combat waste, fraud and abuse.

But data suggests these recommendations aren't effectively entering the policymaking process. NEW by @jdrackey.bsky.social👇

bit.ly/4j8ISU8

If Congress wants to get serious about government efficiency it needs to rebuild its committees & make a greater effort to listen to its support entities! 4/4

bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/congres...

There is also reason to believe those hearings are less focused on IDing waste, fraud, & abuse as Congress has decreased how much it’s listening to federal watchdogs, mainly GAO and OIGs. 3/4