Molly Reynolds
@mollyereynolds.bsky.social
Senior Fellow, @brookings.edu. Still not the Senate Parliamentarian.
I'd also note that one lesson from 2025 vs. 2017 is that the politics of a narrower (in this case, health-focused) reconciliation bill are potentially trickier than a big (beautiful or otherwise) one. There's just one hill on which you win or lose, not a bunch of different hills you can choose from.
To quote Jeff Young, "just in time!"
There is no evidence that a consensus on health reform exists within the Republican caucus — we still don't have a clear picture of what the HSA-based alternative to extending the enhanced subsidies is. (A Bill Cassidy bill? A Rick Scott bill? No one knows!)
There is no evidence that a consensus on health reform exists within the Republican caucus — we still don't have a clear picture of what the HSA-based alternative to extending the enhanced subsidies is. (A Bill Cassidy bill? A Rick Scott bill? No one knows!)
White House plans to release health bill and backs reconciliation
Deputy chief of staff James Blair pointed to the fast-track process for health and tariff legislation.
www.politico.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I'd also note that one lesson from 2025 vs. 2017 is that the politics of a narrower (in this case, health-focused) reconciliation bill are potentially trickier than a big (beautiful or otherwise) one. There's just one hill on which you win or lose, not a bunch of different hills you can choose from.
I wish I could take credit for the phrase "new heights of flouting" but that came from the team at @theunpopulist.net who gave me the space for this take on the current landscape of congressional vs. executive power over spending. www.theunpopulist.net/p/founders-w...
Founders Would Be Horrified by Congress's Surrender of its Power of the Purse to POTUS
The shutdown is testimony to how a subservient legislature makes governance dysfunctional
www.theunpopulist.net
November 13, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I wish I could take credit for the phrase "new heights of flouting" but that came from the team at @theunpopulist.net who gave me the space for this take on the current landscape of congressional vs. executive power over spending. www.theunpopulist.net/p/founders-w...
If you are a person who judges the quality of a book by how many random historical documents and rabbit holes it involves (and why would you judge a book in any other way?), I can personally attest, based on watching Vanessa write it, that this is the book for you.
Ok but GUYS MY BOOK IS ACTUALLY OUT TODAY
YOU CAN GO AND GET A COPY AND READ IT AND EVERYTHING
www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/vanes...
YOU CAN GO AND GET A COPY AND READ IT AND EVERYTHING
www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/vanes...
November 11, 2025 at 9:09 PM
If you are a person who judges the quality of a book by how many random historical documents and rabbit holes it involves (and why would you judge a book in any other way?), I can personally attest, based on watching Vanessa write it, that this is the book for you.
It's the Comet of the CR cloture motions.
Just a fun fact: The cloture motion that is being reconsidered is the fifth one (out of the eight that have been filed).
November 10, 2025 at 1:46 AM
It's the Comet of the CR cloture motions.
If this night doesn't include Steve Kornacki returning to his NJ politics reporter roots and pulling out some deep cuts on Jim McGreevey as he runs for Jersey City mayor, why am I even still a Peacock subscriber.
November 5, 2025 at 1:33 AM
If this night doesn't include Steve Kornacki returning to his NJ politics reporter roots and pulling out some deep cuts on Jim McGreevey as he runs for Jersey City mayor, why am I even still a Peacock subscriber.
It feels unfair that to break the record *for an Oregonian specifically*, Merkley is going to have to give a longer speech than one that set the overall record when it was given.
(Also this whole Merkley episode has been weirdly low-key by marathon speech standards and I'm not really sure why.)
(Also this whole Merkley episode has been weirdly low-key by marathon speech standards and I'm not really sure why.)
#Senate floor update:
@SenJeffMerkley (D-OR) began speaking at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday evening.
At 3:21 p.m., he has held the floor for twenty-one hours. Senator Wayne Morse (Ind-OR) holds the record for the longest floor speech for Oregon Senators at 22 hours and 26 minutes.
@SenJeffMerkley (D-OR) began speaking at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday evening.
At 3:21 p.m., he has held the floor for twenty-one hours. Senator Wayne Morse (Ind-OR) holds the record for the longest floor speech for Oregon Senators at 22 hours and 26 minutes.
October 22, 2025 at 7:54 PM
It feels unfair that to break the record *for an Oregonian specifically*, Merkley is going to have to give a longer speech than one that set the overall record when it was given.
(Also this whole Merkley episode has been weirdly low-key by marathon speech standards and I'm not really sure why.)
(Also this whole Merkley episode has been weirdly low-key by marathon speech standards and I'm not really sure why.)
The executive branch not spending the money that Congress has told them to spend is bad. The executive branch spending money on things for which Congress has not given them money is also bad (and, arguably, worse).
President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.
Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money
The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.
nyti.ms
October 16, 2025 at 12:19 AM
The executive branch not spending the money that Congress has told them to spend is bad. The executive branch spending money on things for which Congress has not given them money is also bad (and, arguably, worse).
If you're trying to make sense of the legal landscape of the moment (RIFs and otherwise), Sam and @nicholasbednar.bsky.social helped me understand it and I bet they can help you too.
On Lawfare Daily, @mollyereynolds.bsky.social spoke to @nicholasbednar.bsky.social and Sam Berger about how the Trump administration is using this government shutdown to pursue RIFs and how to think about the shutdown in the broader context of the Trump administration’s exercise of executive power.
Lawfare Daily: The Law of the Shutdown
YouTube video by Lawfare
youtu.be
October 10, 2025 at 6:58 PM
If you're trying to make sense of the legal landscape of the moment (RIFs and otherwise), Sam and @nicholasbednar.bsky.social helped me understand it and I bet they can help you too.
Find me when Collins's talking stick appears.
Is it time for ... a Senate shutdown GANG?
Coons: “A couple more days of this, and you'll have a group of senators at least trying"
Murkowski: “For the Democrats to switch their vote ... you have to have some germ of an idea as to where we go once we get it open"
www.semafor.com/article/10/0...
Coons: “A couple more days of this, and you'll have a group of senators at least trying"
Murkowski: “For the Democrats to switch their vote ... you have to have some germ of an idea as to where we go once we get it open"
www.semafor.com/article/10/0...
Could a bipartisan Senate gang stop the shutdown?
Senators once locked arms across the aisle on infrastructure, immigration, and more. Some in the chamber think that’s the way out of the current crisis.
www.semafor.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Find me when Collins's talking stick appears.
Reposted by Molly Reynolds
On Lawfare Daily, @mollyereynolds.bsky.social spoke to @nicholasbednar.bsky.social and Sam Berger about how the Trump administration is using this government shutdown to pursue RIFs and how to think about the shutdown in the broader context of the Trump administration’s exercise of executive power.
Lawfare Daily: The Law of the Shutdown
YouTube video by Lawfare
youtu.be
October 3, 2025 at 1:46 PM
On Lawfare Daily, @mollyereynolds.bsky.social spoke to @nicholasbednar.bsky.social and Sam Berger about how the Trump administration is using this government shutdown to pursue RIFs and how to think about the shutdown in the broader context of the Trump administration’s exercise of executive power.
Will admit that, in the *extremely* large number of hours I spent thinking about pandemic-era congressional operations between 2020 and 2022, "if one lies during testimony delivered remotely, where is one possibly indicted?" did not cross my mind.
I had wondered how Comey could be indicted in EDVA for lying to Congress, which is in DC. I had forgotten that during the pandemic you could testify from the friendly confines of home!
September 24, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Will admit that, in the *extremely* large number of hours I spent thinking about pandemic-era congressional operations between 2020 and 2022, "if one lies during testimony delivered remotely, where is one possibly indicted?" did not cross my mind.
No prediction, but here's the big tension imo:
1. Dems are facing pressure to "fight" for the sake of "fighting" in a way that is newer to them than to the GOP.
2. A shutdown is at odds with one of the core reasons someone becomes a congressional Democrat: government should work and do things.
1. Dems are facing pressure to "fight" for the sake of "fighting" in a way that is newer to them than to the GOP.
2. A shutdown is at odds with one of the core reasons someone becomes a congressional Democrat: government should work and do things.
Has @mollyereynolds.bsky.social issued a shutdown / no shutdown prediction yet?
September 22, 2025 at 8:59 PM
No prediction, but here's the big tension imo:
1. Dems are facing pressure to "fight" for the sake of "fighting" in a way that is newer to them than to the GOP.
2. A shutdown is at odds with one of the core reasons someone becomes a congressional Democrat: government should work and do things.
1. Dems are facing pressure to "fight" for the sake of "fighting" in a way that is newer to them than to the GOP.
2. A shutdown is at odds with one of the core reasons someone becomes a congressional Democrat: government should work and do things.
One unexpected consequence of the Senate's recent changes vis-a-vis nominations? The absolute number it has done on the vote page on senate dot gov. So much more scrolling!
September 19, 2025 at 6:31 PM
One unexpected consequence of the Senate's recent changes vis-a-vis nominations? The absolute number it has done on the vote page on senate dot gov. So much more scrolling!
Knowing that the Senate lost some official papers in mid-2020 makes me feel better about any number of things my brain failed at during that year.
September 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Knowing that the Senate lost some official papers in mid-2020 makes me feel better about any number of things my brain failed at during that year.
Reposted by Molly Reynolds
🟣11 New from @mollyereynolds.bsky.social @brookings.edu — "When It Comes to Its Spending Power, Congress Must Save Itself"
Part of the Democracy Project’s @nyulaw.bsky.social w.bsky.social 100 Ideas in 100 Days series
Read the full essay 👉
Part of the Democracy Project’s @nyulaw.bsky.social w.bsky.social 100 Ideas in 100 Days series
Read the full essay 👉
When It Comes to its Spending Power, Congress Must Save Itself
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
democracyproject.org
September 19, 2025 at 12:22 PM
🟣11 New from @mollyereynolds.bsky.social @brookings.edu — "When It Comes to Its Spending Power, Congress Must Save Itself"
Part of the Democracy Project’s @nyulaw.bsky.social w.bsky.social 100 Ideas in 100 Days series
Read the full essay 👉
Part of the Democracy Project’s @nyulaw.bsky.social w.bsky.social 100 Ideas in 100 Days series
Read the full essay 👉
Good morning to everyone but mostly to the person who designed this pop-up that greets you on the House Appropriations Committee Democrats' web site.
September 18, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Good morning to everyone but mostly to the person who designed this pop-up that greets you on the House Appropriations Committee Democrats' web site.
Each year on this day, I return to this, and while it hits a little differently from one year to the next, I still feel this deeply each time.
"I am only humbled: to be here, to be alive." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/wel...
"I am only humbled: to be here, to be alive." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/wel...
Welcoming Remarks Made at a Literary Reading, 9/25/01
Every year, we wonder what might be appropriate on this day, and we can never think of anything more appropriate than this piece, which John Hodgma...
www.mcsweeneys.net
September 11, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Each year on this day, I return to this, and while it hits a little differently from one year to the next, I still feel this deeply each time.
"I am only humbled: to be here, to be alive." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/wel...
"I am only humbled: to be here, to be alive." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/wel...
I am once again reminding you that behind so many stories you see about D.C. is a real city full of real people just trying to live regular lives and not simply a platform on which things happen. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
They watched ICE detain their dad. Now D.C. neighbors escort them to school.
Immigrant neighborhoods across the District have organized “walking school buses” to shuttle kids to classes during President Donald Trump’s federalization of D.C. police.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 11, 2025 at 1:53 PM
I am once again reminding you that behind so many stories you see about D.C. is a real city full of real people just trying to live regular lives and not simply a platform on which things happen. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
The "we should have more younger members of Congress" conversation isn't just about things like whether committee chair term limits choke off paths to power. It's also about things like this.
September 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM
The "we should have more younger members of Congress" conversation isn't just about things like whether committee chair term limits choke off paths to power. It's also about things like this.
Reposted by Molly Reynolds
On Lawfare Daily, @mollyereynolds.bsky.social, Zach Price, and Philip Wallach discuss pocket rescissions as an approach to cancelling funds previously approved by Congress.
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
September 2, 2025 at 7:03 PM
On Lawfare Daily, @mollyereynolds.bsky.social, Zach Price, and Philip Wallach discuss pocket rescissions as an approach to cancelling funds previously approved by Congress.
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
If you need some pre-Labor Day weekend reading on pocket rescissions (and who doesn't), I have the list for you! You can start with GAO itself, which cuts to the chase with "Are pocket rescissions legal? No." www.gao.gov/blog/what-po...
www.gao.gov
August 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
If you need some pre-Labor Day weekend reading on pocket rescissions (and who doesn't), I have the list for you! You can start with GAO itself, which cuts to the chase with "Are pocket rescissions legal? No." www.gao.gov/blog/what-po...
If you are interested in learning about pocket rescissions (and I do believe there are...at least some of you), it's been a great 24 hours for new content. We've got (1) @bbkogan.bsky.social www.americanprogress.org/article/what...
What Is a Pocket Rescission?
Understanding President Donald Trump and Russ Vought’s new plan to illegally stop spending.
www.americanprogress.org
August 6, 2025 at 1:22 PM
If you are interested in learning about pocket rescissions (and I do believe there are...at least some of you), it's been a great 24 hours for new content. We've got (1) @bbkogan.bsky.social www.americanprogress.org/article/what...
Read this for the extremely important substance but please also check out the truly captivating photo of circa 1962 BLS employees generating graphs by hand that accompanies it.
Glad to see former CEA chairs Greg Mankiw and (@brookings.edu president) Cecilia Rouse explain why tampering with federal statistics endangers the economy as a whole. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
August 5, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Read this for the extremely important substance but please also check out the truly captivating photo of circa 1962 BLS employees generating graphs by hand that accompanies it.
16 votes over 3-5 hours on a Friday when everyone was hoping to have recessed already is a recipe for a room of full of people in really excellent moods.
The Senate is about to take 16 votes on the approps bill, amendments and nominees. This will take maybe 3-5 hours, depending on how long the votes take
August 1, 2025 at 8:28 PM
16 votes over 3-5 hours on a Friday when everyone was hoping to have recessed already is a recipe for a room of full of people in really excellent moods.
Quiet part out loud, "why do congressional leaders like packaging spending bills together?" edition.
July 31, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Quiet part out loud, "why do congressional leaders like packaging spending bills together?" edition.