Daniel Schuman
@americalabs.org
Progressive institutionalist with an interest in modernizing Congress and strengthening our democracy. Bluesky is my penance for working at an org that once encouraged Congress to tweet.
Like what you see? More at https://firstbranchforecast.substack.com/
Like what you see? More at https://firstbranchforecast.substack.com/
Announcing the replacement of the CIA Fact Book with the presidential vibe book.
www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell - CIA
www.cia.gov
February 4, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Announcing the replacement of the CIA Fact Book with the presidential vibe book.
www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
What has happened at the Washington Post is horrible.
February 4, 2026 at 4:25 PM
What has happened at the Washington Post is horrible.
Reposted by Daniel Schuman
So, the filibuster fiasco is going down precisely how @americalabs.org said it would: Facing demands from Luna to kill it, Thune was like "uh, we'll think about it" and that was enough for her
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
February 4, 2026 at 1:57 PM
So, the filibuster fiasco is going down precisely how @americalabs.org said it would: Facing demands from Luna to kill it, Thune was like "uh, we'll think about it" and that was enough for her
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
I just canceled my subscription to @wired.com, which is unfortunate. Their reporting is excellent and I want to encourage great journalism. But their website and access to it is awful, especially their app, and I'm so frustrating I'm giving up.
January 31, 2026 at 6:35 PM
I just canceled my subscription to @wired.com, which is unfortunate. Their reporting is excellent and I want to encourage great journalism. But their website and access to it is awful, especially their app, and I'm so frustrating I'm giving up.
Statement on the U.S. Government's withdrawal from the Open Government Partnership.
Also online here: americalabs.org/2026/01/28/s...
Also online here: americalabs.org/2026/01/28/s...
January 28, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Statement on the U.S. Government's withdrawal from the Open Government Partnership.
Also online here: americalabs.org/2026/01/28/s...
Also online here: americalabs.org/2026/01/28/s...
Something I've observed about "shut-down" politics in the Trump II era.
The first calls for using the appropriations process to constrain Trumpism were for the FY25 appropriations bill in March 2025. The majority of Democrats & pundits rejected it out of hand, saying it would politically backfire.
The first calls for using the appropriations process to constrain Trumpism were for the FY25 appropriations bill in March 2025. The majority of Democrats & pundits rejected it out of hand, saying it would politically backfire.
January 26, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Something I've observed about "shut-down" politics in the Trump II era.
The first calls for using the appropriations process to constrain Trumpism were for the FY25 appropriations bill in March 2025. The majority of Democrats & pundits rejected it out of hand, saying it would politically backfire.
The first calls for using the appropriations process to constrain Trumpism were for the FY25 appropriations bill in March 2025. The majority of Democrats & pundits rejected it out of hand, saying it would politically backfire.
Which algorithm did I piss off to get Asha in my feed? JFC, last time I interacted with her she was arguing why the USG need the power to surveil Americans without a warrant.
January 25, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Which algorithm did I piss off to get Asha in my feed? JFC, last time I interacted with her she was arguing why the USG need the power to surveil Americans without a warrant.
Soon from the Senate....
> The Department of Imperial Affairs is building a "Death Star."
- We are.
> Scary weapon. You've used it against civilian ships. My constituents are pissed. Don't do it again. We'll fund DIA, but attach a rider preventing you from using it vs the planet Hoth.
- It's a deal.
> The Department of Imperial Affairs is building a "Death Star."
- We are.
> Scary weapon. You've used it against civilian ships. My constituents are pissed. Don't do it again. We'll fund DIA, but attach a rider preventing you from using it vs the planet Hoth.
- It's a deal.
January 25, 2026 at 12:45 AM
Soon from the Senate....
> The Department of Imperial Affairs is building a "Death Star."
- We are.
> Scary weapon. You've used it against civilian ships. My constituents are pissed. Don't do it again. We'll fund DIA, but attach a rider preventing you from using it vs the planet Hoth.
- It's a deal.
> The Department of Imperial Affairs is building a "Death Star."
- We are.
> Scary weapon. You've used it against civilian ships. My constituents are pissed. Don't do it again. We'll fund DIA, but attach a rider preventing you from using it vs the planet Hoth.
- It's a deal.
Why would any Democrat or Republican vote to fund an agency that has used violence against American citizens and, if it receives continued funding, will continue to escalate that violence for the foreseeable future?
What possible legislative limit on their behavior would you trust they'd follow?
What possible legislative limit on their behavior would you trust they'd follow?
January 25, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Why would any Democrat or Republican vote to fund an agency that has used violence against American citizens and, if it receives continued funding, will continue to escalate that violence for the foreseeable future?
What possible legislative limit on their behavior would you trust they'd follow?
What possible legislative limit on their behavior would you trust they'd follow?
It appears Schumer has seen where his caucus members are going and is running to get ahead of them.
January 25, 2026 at 12:00 AM
It appears Schumer has seen where his caucus members are going and is running to get ahead of them.
There's only one way out.
January 24, 2026 at 11:33 PM
There's only one way out.
Children shouting "let us out, let us out" so loud you can hear it from the parking lot.
Leading up to that.. Eric Lee Atty
Kids screaming "Let us out! Let us out!"
Kids screaming "Let us out! Let us out!"
January 24, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Children shouting "let us out, let us out" so loud you can hear it from the parking lot.
The House moved from a strong committee chair system to a caucus system so the party and its leaders could impose policy uniformity on key issues. Cuellar is ranking member on the approps committee overseeing ICE and he voted to fund them.
Why are Dems keeping him in that job?
Why are Dems keeping him in that job?
January 24, 2026 at 10:52 PM
The House moved from a strong committee chair system to a caucus system so the party and its leaders could impose policy uniformity on key issues. Cuellar is ranking member on the approps committee overseeing ICE and he voted to fund them.
Why are Dems keeping him in that job?
Why are Dems keeping him in that job?
The Center for American Progress's nonstop promotion of Rahm Emanuel on Twitter says everything you need to know.
January 21, 2026 at 10:51 PM
The Center for American Progress's nonstop promotion of Rahm Emanuel on Twitter says everything you need to know.
Ummm, what's happening?
January 20, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Ummm, what's happening?
Are Republican and Democratic leaders serious about preventing members from trading securities based on confidential information? If not, then why are they moving forward with a "reform" bill? We tackle that thorny question, and more in this week's First Branch Forecast.
Trading on Reform
Congress Arbitrages Its Power to Stay in Business
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Are Republican and Democratic leaders serious about preventing members from trading securities based on confidential information? If not, then why are they moving forward with a "reform" bill? We tackle that thorny question, and more in this week's First Branch Forecast.
Gene Dodaro just retired as Comptroller General after 52 years of public service, including 17 leading @usgao.bsky.social. In his final interview in that role, he joined @nehls.bsky.social and me to talk about GAO’s role as Congress’s watchdog, how Congress has changed, and the future of oversight.
Interview: Comptroller General Gene Dodaro
We talked with the outgoing head of the Government Accountability Office after his 17 years leading the agency and 52 years of legislative branch service.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Gene Dodaro just retired as Comptroller General after 52 years of public service, including 17 leading @usgao.bsky.social. In his final interview in that role, he joined @nehls.bsky.social and me to talk about GAO’s role as Congress’s watchdog, how Congress has changed, and the future of oversight.
Tomorrow the Trump insurrectionists will re-enact their January 6th march to sack the Capitol and topple democracy, starting at the Ellipse and working their way down Pennsylvania Avenue.
They will celebrate their victory. Our political leaders have learned nothing. Here's what they should know.
They will celebrate their victory. Our political leaders have learned nothing. Here's what they should know.
Insurrection Without End
The Institutional Costs of Presidential Impunity
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Tomorrow the Trump insurrectionists will re-enact their January 6th march to sack the Capitol and topple democracy, starting at the Ellipse and working their way down Pennsylvania Avenue.
They will celebrate their victory. Our political leaders have learned nothing. Here's what they should know.
They will celebrate their victory. Our political leaders have learned nothing. Here's what they should know.
2025 wasn’t just another year of partisan fights—it exposed deeper structural failures in how Congress governs, spends, and defends its own power. We told that story each week in the First Branch Forecast.
Here's what we learned.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/four-lesso...
Here's what we learned.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/four-lesso...
Four Lessons from a Fracturing Congress
2025 in Review
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:40 PM
2025 wasn’t just another year of partisan fights—it exposed deeper structural failures in how Congress governs, spends, and defends its own power. We told that story each week in the First Branch Forecast.
Here's what we learned.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/four-lesso...
Here's what we learned.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/four-lesso...
Trump's DOJ rolls back provision of reproductive health services to veterans through potemkin legal opinion.
www.justice.gov/olc/media/14...
www.justice.gov/olc/media/14...
www.justice.gov
December 22, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Trump's DOJ rolls back provision of reproductive health services to veterans through potemkin legal opinion.
www.justice.gov/olc/media/14...
www.justice.gov/olc/media/14...
House members keep surrendering power—until they don’t. Last week’s discharge petition showed members still have tools to assert control.
The path to 218 doesn’t have to run through party leadership. It can run through factions assembling majorities when leadership blocks action.
The path to 218 doesn’t have to run through party leadership. It can run through factions assembling majorities when leadership blocks action.
December 22, 2025 at 1:29 PM
House members keep surrendering power—until they don’t. Last week’s discharge petition showed members still have tools to assert control.
The path to 218 doesn’t have to run through party leadership. It can run through factions assembling majorities when leadership blocks action.
The path to 218 doesn’t have to run through party leadership. It can run through factions assembling majorities when leadership blocks action.
What's is like serving as the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, responsible for its non-legislative technology and operations? Chris Nehls and I interviewed CAO Catherine Szpindor, who will be stepping down from her role after 14 years of service to the Congress.
December 18, 2025 at 3:53 PM
What's is like serving as the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, responsible for its non-legislative technology and operations? Chris Nehls and I interviewed CAO Catherine Szpindor, who will be stepping down from her role after 14 years of service to the Congress.
Congress is quietly shaping how AI will interact with democratic institutions—and doing so largely on its own terms. Much of this work isn't “AI policy,” but it may matter more than many headline-grabbing initiatives. The focus on reliable data and transparency about government to empower all of us.
December 15, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Congress is quietly shaping how AI will interact with democratic institutions—and doing so largely on its own terms. Much of this work isn't “AI policy,” but it may matter more than many headline-grabbing initiatives. The focus on reliable data and transparency about government to empower all of us.
Today, the Senate Rules Committee will vote on freezing senatorial pay during a partial gov't shutdown. This bad faith resolution may stoke some populist support, but it's terrible policy.
It puts pressure on senators to change their votes even when the holdup is the House or the president.
It puts pressure on senators to change their votes even when the holdup is the House or the president.
December 11, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Today, the Senate Rules Committee will vote on freezing senatorial pay during a partial gov't shutdown. This bad faith resolution may stoke some populist support, but it's terrible policy.
It puts pressure on senators to change their votes even when the holdup is the House or the president.
It puts pressure on senators to change their votes even when the holdup is the House or the president.
The National Defense Authorization Act often contains matters unrelated to the national defense. To wit:
December 8, 2025 at 3:01 PM
The National Defense Authorization Act often contains matters unrelated to the national defense. To wit: