Molly Reynolds
@mollyereynolds.bsky.social
Senior Fellow, @brookings.edu. Still not the Senate Parliamentarian.
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!
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.
take it up with the census bureau?
September 5, 2025 at 3:12 PM
take it up with the census bureau?
the source of the single weirdest thing, imo, in the unexpectedly large universe of weird post-viral things that happen in kids
September 2, 2025 at 5:47 PM
the source of the single weirdest thing, imo, in the unexpectedly large universe of weird post-viral things that happen in kids
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.
This is going to end up being about whether individual members of Congress have standing to sue and over what but this is a textbook limitation rider that the administration appears to be violating, and ignoring riders (spending $$ on things you've been told not to spend $$ on) is also a big deal.
July 30, 2025 at 6:07 PM
This is going to end up being about whether individual members of Congress have standing to sue and over what but this is a textbook limitation rider that the administration appears to be violating, and ignoring riders (spending $$ on things you've been told not to spend $$ on) is also a big deal.
This--from an amicus brief filed by 157 Members of Congress in one of the lawsuits against OMB's freeze on various federal funds--hits the institutional nail on the head. You cannot legislative effectively if you have no reason to believe that the executive branch will implement your choices.
July 30, 2025 at 1:36 PM
This--from an amicus brief filed by 157 Members of Congress in one of the lawsuits against OMB's freeze on various federal funds--hits the institutional nail on the head. You cannot legislative effectively if you have no reason to believe that the executive branch will implement your choices.
Well friends, we've reached double exclamation point territory from Judge Sullivan.
(From a minute order denying the government's motion for a stay pending appeal in the suit brought by CREW and Protect Democracy against OMB for taking down the legally required apportionment database).
(From a minute order denying the government's motion for a stay pending appeal in the suit brought by CREW and Protect Democracy against OMB for taking down the legally required apportionment database).
July 23, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Well friends, we've reached double exclamation point territory from Judge Sullivan.
(From a minute order denying the government's motion for a stay pending appeal in the suit brought by CREW and Protect Democracy against OMB for taking down the legally required apportionment database).
(From a minute order denying the government's motion for a stay pending appeal in the suit brought by CREW and Protect Democracy against OMB for taking down the legally required apportionment database).
that sound you just heard was me shouting "finally, an answer to a question @sarahbinder.bsky.social and i have been debating for weeks!," in case you needed a reminder that the brookings 8th floor is an extremely fun place to work.
July 15, 2025 at 6:10 PM
that sound you just heard was me shouting "finally, an answer to a question @sarahbinder.bsky.social and i have been debating for weeks!," in case you needed a reminder that the brookings 8th floor is an extremely fun place to work.
It's one (bad) thing for Congress to mostly stand aside while the executive intrudes on its power, it's a whole other (worse) thing to actively undercut its own ability to stand up for its own choices by seeking big cuts to GAO's funding and trying to limit the Comptroller General's power to sue.
June 23, 2025 at 1:03 PM
It's one (bad) thing for Congress to mostly stand aside while the executive intrudes on its power, it's a whole other (worse) thing to actively undercut its own ability to stand up for its own choices by seeking big cuts to GAO's funding and trying to limit the Comptroller General's power to sue.
GAO weighs in on the legality of Trump administration's actions vis-a-vis libraries, not to be confused with the administration's actions vis-a-vis The Library (of Congress); questions about those are still outstanding. www.gao.gov/products/b-3...
June 16, 2025 at 4:41 PM
GAO weighs in on the legality of Trump administration's actions vis-a-vis libraries, not to be confused with the administration's actions vis-a-vis The Library (of Congress); questions about those are still outstanding. www.gao.gov/products/b-3...
I'd add that while the Senate does sometimes take up CRA resolutions, even ones offered by a member of the minority, without a recorded vote on the MTP (left; from 10/10/18), we also have examples of the vote on an MTP failing (right, from 5/10/17); in this case on a majority party-led resolution).
May 29, 2025 at 1:45 PM
I'd add that while the Senate does sometimes take up CRA resolutions, even ones offered by a member of the minority, without a recorded vote on the MTP (left; from 10/10/18), we also have examples of the vote on an MTP failing (right, from 5/10/17); in this case on a majority party-led resolution).
GAO was also confused www.gao.gov/assets/880/8...
May 29, 2025 at 1:35 AM
GAO was also confused www.gao.gov/assets/880/8...
Start your (EV) engines: we have a finding of a violation of the Impoundment Control Act www.gao.gov/products/b-3...
May 22, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Start your (EV) engines: we have a finding of a violation of the Impoundment Control Act www.gao.gov/products/b-3...
Basically, yes. More details here: www.gao.gov/assets/880/8...
May 22, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Basically, yes. More details here: www.gao.gov/assets/880/8...
Then, this year, when the EPA submitted decision documents dealing with said waiver *AS* rules, GAO basically said, "we don't usually do this but we really did just tell you these sort of things aren't rules." www.gao.gov/assets/880/8...
May 22, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Then, this year, when the EPA submitted decision documents dealing with said waiver *AS* rules, GAO basically said, "we don't usually do this but we really did just tell you these sort of things aren't rules." www.gao.gov/assets/880/8...
FWIW, GAO's general posture has been that, if something arrives as a rule, they will defer to that definition. See www.gao.gov/assets/b-330...
May 22, 2025 at 12:56 PM
FWIW, GAO's general posture has been that, if something arrives as a rule, they will defer to that definition. See www.gao.gov/assets/b-330...
The prohibition on substantive changes to reconciliation submissions by individual committees to the House Budget Committee apparently includes not harmonizing punctuation choices.
May 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The prohibition on substantive changes to reconciliation submissions by individual committees to the House Budget Committee apparently includes not harmonizing punctuation choices.
I understand this as a political statement but *institutionally*, it's absurd. The power is *Congress's* not the majority party's, regardless of whether that majority is of the same party of the president or not. www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
May 8, 2025 at 4:35 PM
I understand this as a political statement but *institutionally*, it's absurd. The power is *Congress's* not the majority party's, regardless of whether that majority is of the same party of the president or not. www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
Rand's been speaking some real truths lately. See also:
May 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Rand's been speaking some real truths lately. See also:
a summary of my current information intake in venn diagram form (cc @ktullymcmanus.bsky.social)
May 1, 2025 at 2:44 PM
a summary of my current information intake in venn diagram form (cc @ktullymcmanus.bsky.social)
This is the purpose of like 90% of my footnotes but I don't usually come out and say it.
April 17, 2025 at 1:44 PM
This is the purpose of like 90% of my footnotes but I don't usually come out and say it.
Paging @rudalev.bsky.social: how common is it for a president to issue an SAP on a congressional measure that is not, in fact, subject to his signature or veto?
April 9, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Paging @rudalev.bsky.social: how common is it for a president to issue an SAP on a congressional measure that is not, in fact, subject to his signature or veto?
This has extremely strong "let's just try to move the ball down the field" energy but at some point, you actually have to call the play and believe that your teammates are going to go where the play tells them to when the clock is ticking. punchbowl.news/archive/3282...
March 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
This has extremely strong "let's just try to move the ball down the field" energy but at some point, you actually have to call the play and believe that your teammates are going to go where the play tells them to when the clock is ticking. punchbowl.news/archive/3282...