For the week ending January 23, 2020, there were 11 Capitol Police incidents reported; 20 individuals arrested. There were 3 traffic related incidents, including 1 DUI and 2 invalid permit arrests. Multiple individuals were also arrested for disorderly conduct that included chanting, shouting, and dropping papers down the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building […]
This blogpost summarizes some recent legislative developments concerning opinions issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. By way of background, OLC interprets the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes, and federal regulations. For many (but not all) matters within the executive branch, the opinions are considered authoritative. For example, the Department of Justice, as a […]
House Members are in their districts this week but the Senate is in for impeachment trial proceedings, which start today. Senators are the deciders, but they are not jurors. Before we start, it’s worth rereading MLK’s letter from a Birmingham jail. I found this section resonant: “I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means […]
For the week ending January 16, 2020, there were 10 Capitol Police incidents reported; 156 individuals arrested. There were 4 traffic related incidents, all involving invalid permit arrests. 147 individuals were also arrested for unlawful demonstration activities on the Rotunda steps of the Capitol Building on Friday, January 10th at 12:55pm. These arrests included actors […]
THE TOP LINE 8 House Dems voted to cede Congress’s constitutional role in matters of war and peace by voting ‘No’ on the House war powers resolution while Rep. Amash plus GOP Reps. Gaetz, Massie, and Rooney voted ‘Yes’ to protect our system of checks-and-balances. Notable, in addition to the vast majority of Republicans who likely would have voted differently […]
For the week ending January 09, 2020, there were 8 Capitol Police incidents reported; 47 individuals arrested. There were 4 traffic related incidents, including 2 DUI arrests and 2 invalid permits. 40 individuals were also arrested for obstructing the flow of traffic near the Capitol Building at the intersection of First and East Capitol Streets, […]
Welcome back. An astonishing amount has happened over the break, so let’s dive back in. THE TOP LINE The US assassinated Iranian Maj. Gen Qassem Soleimani in what may be a violation of US and international law — in flagrant violation of Congress’s war powers. Much more on this below in the section entitled “Wag the […]
Happy Holidays Everyone. 2019 has been a year like no other. Thank you for staying with us throughout it all. We’re going to take a week off and will be back in the new year. Go easy on us for this week’s newsletter. 🙂
For the week ending December 19, 2019, there were 11 Capitol Police incidents reported; 36 individuals arrested. There were 4 traffic related incidents, 2 drug related arrests, and 2 separate cases of assault of a police officer. 26 individuals were also arrested for disruption in the Capitol Rotunda on Friday, December 13th. See how this […]
TOP LINE It’s your jam. For weeks, we’ve been gearing up for leadership to jam members with tons of major votes as they head out the door. This week we will see at least two appropriations minibuses (likely Tuesday in the House), impeachment (Wednesday in the House), USCMA (i.e. NAFTA v2, likely on Thursday), a long […]
For the week ending December 12, 2019, there were 11 Capitol Police incidents reported; 12 individuals arrested. The incidents were primarily traffic related, with five consisting of invalid permits and four DUIs. One protester was arrested for disrupting the impeachment inquiry on Monday, December 9th at 9:23am in 1100 Longworth. Here’s how this week’s activity […]
Good news for Hill staff and Congressional spending nerds alike: the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has made some significant improvements to how it publishes data. The agency, which is responsible for advising Congress on the potential economic impact of legislation, announced several transparency-friendly changes on its site last week. Changes include: