160th congress 116th congress. The American Political Science Association hosted this 90 minute event. Association, live coverage here thanks to all of you for coming to hear about whether or not congress is still dysfunctional. A fulle will provide background of whats going on on capitol hill. It is no secret to political scientists, nor to the members of congress or the american people, that congress is a mess. Congress routinely polls poorly and this trend is bipartisan. Republicanscrats or control congress, most assigned us a failing grade. Over the past decade, congress has not once approved in Approval Rating over 30 . During the 1990s, congresss Approval Ratings were in the 40s and the 50s. Today, they are in the teens and 20s. Once thought to be the great repository of americas republican principles, it is now a broken branch. Why has Congress Come to this point . What are the causes of congresss dysfunction . Has anything changed since trumps election and the democratic takeov
Sometimes it seems nothing is happening on the senate floor. The action is going on elsewhere. Order. The senate has been carrying out its duties in 1789. The framers believed the senate should be the venue through which statesmen would lift america to meet its unique challenges. We are still a work in progress in the United States senate. We should act like a senate instead of a kindergarten. Wait until you see what happens with this bill. Made up of 100 members, two from each state, this is how many have come to know the senate today. Democrats have been putting up roadblocks one after another. It is not what the founders had in mind. There is a great deal of human affection around here. It is in private. You came to the wrong town at the wrong time. With a history of conflict and compromise, we will go inside the senate to tell its story. Its informal workings, we will learn about it as a legislative body. Following the footsteps of members in the core doors around the chamber, we w
Pollsess pulls poorly poorly and this trend is bipartisan. Democrats and republicans, most assignment a failing grade. Over the past decade, congress has not once approved in Approval Rating over 30 . Congresss 990s, Approval Ratings were in the 40s and the 50s. Today, they are in the teens and 20s. Once thought to be the great repository of americas republican principles, it is now a broken branch. Why has Congress Come to this point . Martha causes . Has anything changed since trumps election and the democratic takeover of the house . Can this state of affairs be changed . To answer this question, we have assembled a distinguished panel of experts on congress with a variety of perspectives and i will introduce them quickly in alphabetical order. I will introduce them all so we can launch into their remarks. Our first speaker is catherine pearson, associate professor of Political Science at the university of minnesota. She worked for several years as an assistant to several members of
For most, in many cases really helps, statutes, house signals authority reaches that office. Ournd, whether constitutional gaps there are constitutional gaps raises questions. Did you state the house itself has the power . Power to issue a subpoena, the house itself . Mr. Consovoy not the constitutional power. The house itself because your argument to me sounded like it was all about the delegation of the committee not being explicit. I have no i find no argument that the house itself he said that house had to be explicit that it was giving what he had to the committee. Mr. Consovoy im sorry, im not getting the house rules state j. Millett including subpoena power . The vast majority, which is whether a subpoena is constitutional. Your first just on constitutional argument given your issues about legislative just to understand, i am understanding trying to understand what your argument is. The house itself would issue a subpoena and we would be over on the rest of the brief oral argume
Welcome back to the hearing, i want to thank the witnesses for their patients, and i will now recognize myself for a second round of questioning. I want to go back to the question of the domestic emoluments clause Mister Borden, we talked about the foreign emoluments clause, which was an attempt to guarantee the undivided loyalty of the president , and all members of congress, to the American People, and not to foreign powers, that is why there was this absolute prohibition on payments of any kind whatever coming from Foreign Governments. That is why, we are very concerned to get as much information from the gsa about whatever you know and can find out about Foreign Governments using the trump hotel. For business because of the president s ongoing business interest in the trump hotel. The domestic emoluments clause limits salary and office. We cant increase it or reduce it but it also says that the president cannot receive any other payments from the u. S. Government, or from any of th